The news comes as a surprise to the space community, with many stakeholders pushing for Biden to keep Brydenstein in their role.
But his comments on Aviation Week confirmed his desire to step out of the role, even if asked to stay. To Bridenstein his decision is in the best interests of NASA.
“All you need is someone who has a close relationship with the President of the United States. You need someone who is trusted by the administration … including the OMB. [Office of Management and Budget], The National Space Council and the National Security Council, and I don’t think I would be the right person for that in the new administration, “Brydenstein told Aviation Week.
Bridenstein could not immediately be reached for comment.
Despite the long-term careers of NASA’s vast staff in the space agency, it is common for incoming presidents to establish new leadership at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
Broadstein was found on Capitol Hill at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint former Republican Congress president Bridenstein from Oklahoma. The space agency is usually a scientist, a former astronaut, or in some other way a public figure, and many legislators feared that Brydenstein’s appointment could endlessly politicize efforts by NASA and humans to return to the moon and explore its climate. Bridenstein also made earlier remarks expressing doubts about the role of human activity in the weather crisis.
But during his confirmation hearings in the Senate and during town halls at NASA, Bridenstein made it clear that he changed his mind and accepted the broad scientific consensus, and he supported NASA’s meteorological research efforts. He also won the Obama-era effort to return human spaceflight capabilities to the United States after the retirement of the space shuttle program, bilateral support in the private sector, and plenty of cheerleaders for running NASA’s American Memorial Crew program. The commercial crew program culminated earlier this year when the SpaceX crew dragon spacecraft carried two NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Bridensta also helped guide NASA’s plans to bring humans back to the moon, which Vice President Mike Pence said last year should be accelerated. Bridenstein called it the Artemis program named for Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology and promised that the next lunar landing would bring the first woman to the lunar surface.
This weekend, four more astronauts are expected to make tracks for the ISS on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Capsule onboard. One of the crew members, NASA’s Shannon Waker, was asked about Bidenstein’s decision to step down from the space agency when Biden takes over.
“I know it is customary for people in the administration to resign, and then we have to take it from there,” Waker told reporters during a press briefing on Monday about her upcoming mission. “Honestly, I don’t know what will come next. I’m guessing we’ll continue with our Artemis mission and continue to do what we’re doing at NASA because that’s what we’re doing.”
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