Former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s daughter, Nan Ellen Nelson, left, and his wife Grace Nelson, listen as Bill Nelson, President Biden’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, is ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, holds their family Bible, and son, Bill Nelson Jr., left, and Nan Ellen Nelson, second from left, look on, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

From left to right, Pam Melroy, current nominee for NASA Deputy Administrator, former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Bill Nelson Jr., son of Bill Nelson, Nan Ellen Nelson, daughter of Nelson, former Senator Bill Nelson, his wife, Grace Nelson, and Vice President Kamala Harris pose for a photo after Nelson was ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was also on display. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, President Biden’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, right, talks with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as Nelson appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Bill Nelson Senate Confirmation Hearing

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, is ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, holds their family Bible, and son, Bill Nelson Jr., third from left, and Nan Ellen Nelson, fourth from left, look on, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden, second from left, as well as Pam Melroy, current nominee for NASA Deputy Administrator, left, were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, is ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, holds their family Bible, and son, Bill Nelson Jr., third from left, and Nan Ellen Nelson, fourth from left, look on, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden, second from left, as well as Pam Melroy, current nominee for NASA Deputy Administrator, left, were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, speaks to media after he was ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, right, held their family Bible, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson Official Portrait

Former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, President Biden’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Bill Nelson Senate Confirmation Hearing

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, is ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, holds their family Bible, and his daughter, Nan Ellen Nelson, left, looks on, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson holds a roundtable discussion with members of the media on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, inside the NASA News Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Roundtable with Media

Bill Nelson Senate Confirmation Hearing

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, speaks to media after he was ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, held their family Bible, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden, second from left, as well as Pam Melroy, current nominee for NASA Deputy Administrator, left, were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Former Senator Bill Nelson, speaks to media after he was ceremonially sworn-in as the 14th NASA Administrator by Vice President Kamala Harris, as his wife, Grace Nelson, held their family Bible, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden, second from left, as well as Pam Melroy, current nominee for NASA Deputy Administrator, left, were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Committee Chair Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., listens to former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, President Biden’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, as he appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Bill Nelson Senate Confirmation Hearing

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson addresses participants during a climate roundtable at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Oct. 14, 2021. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24904

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Climate Roundtable

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

Vice President Kamala Harris walks into the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building, followed by Grace Nelson, and her husband, former Senator Bill Nelson, to ceremonially swear him in as the 14th NASA Administrator, Monday, May 3, 2021, in Washington. A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission was on display and former NASA Administrators Jim Bridenstine (virtually on laptop) and Charles Bolden were also present. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON OF FLORIDA, RIGHT, LISTENS AS ANDY SCHORR, ASSISTANT MANAGER FOR SPACECRAFT/PAYLOAD INTEGRATION AND EVOLUTION, EXPLAINS THE PROGRESS OF NASA'S SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM DURING A VISIT TO NASA'S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER ON FEB. 12, 2016

U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON AT FRICTION STIR WELD LAB

President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiroshi Yamakawa speaks with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during a meeting, Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Admin Bill Nelson Meets with Representatives from JAXA

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, shows some of the models of spacecraft and satellites in his office, to President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiroshi Yamakawa, during a meeting, Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Admin Bill Nelson Meets with Representatives from JAXA

President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiroshi Yamakawa, left, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, pose for a photo next to a model of the Space Launch System (SLS) during a meeting, Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Admin Bill Nelson Meets with Representatives from JAXA

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, speaks with President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiroshi Yamakawa, during a meeting, Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Admin Bill Nelson Meets with Representatives from JAXA

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. testifies on behalf of former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, President Biden’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Bill Nelson Senate Confirmation Hearing

Former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison testifies on behalf of former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, President Biden’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Bill Nelson Senate Confirmation Hearing

Administrator Bill Nelson and Snoopy view the eclipse

Administrator Bill Nelson and Snoopy view the eclipse together on April 8, 2024. NASA Glenn Research Center and the Great Lakes Science Center hosted a three-day celestial celebration in downtown Cleveland, OH. This free, outdoor, family-friendly science and arts festival will feature free concerts, performances, speakers, and hands-on science activities with community partners. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and NASA Exploration Ground Systems Program Deputy Manager Jeremy Parsons visit the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission inside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Scheduled to launch later this year, Europa Clipper will embark on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.6-billion-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. It is the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission. Set to arrive in April 2030, it will study the gas giant’s icy moon, Europa, to determine its potential to support life.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and NASA Exploration Ground Systems Program Deputy Manager Jeremy Parsons visit the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission inside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Scheduled to launch later this year, Europa Clipper will embark on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.6-billion-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. It is the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission. Set to arrive in April 2030, it will study the gas giant’s icy moon, Europa, to determine its potential to support life.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Scheduled to launch later this year, Europa Clipper will embark on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.6-billion-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. It is the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission. Set to arrive in April 2030, it will study the gas giant’s icy moon, Europa, to determine its potential to support life.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Scheduled to launch later this year, Europa Clipper will embark on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.6-billion-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. It is the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission. Set to arrive in April 2030, it will study the gas giant’s icy moon, Europa, to determine its potential to support life.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and NASA Exploration Ground Systems Program Deputy Manager Jeremy Parsons visit the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission inside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Scheduled to launch later this year, Europa Clipper will embark on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.6-billion-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. It is the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission. Set to arrive in April 2030, it will study the gas giant’s icy moon, Europa, to determine its potential to support life.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission inside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Visits KSC

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and NASA Exploration Ground Systems Program Deputy Manager Jeremy Parsons visit the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission inside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at Launch Pad 39B

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visits Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B in Florida, following the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s arrival at the pad on March 18, 2022. The rocket, with the Orion spacecraft atop, was carried from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad – a 4.2-mile journey that took nearly 11 hours to complete – by the agency’s crawler-transporter 2 for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

61C-09-005 (15 Jan 1986) --- U.S. Representative Bill Nelson, (D. Florida), STS 61-C payload specialist, prepares to enjoy a freshly peeled grapefruit on the middeck of the earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia.

Representative Bill Nelson prepares to eat a peeled grapefruit

NASA Admin Bill Nelson Meets with Representatives from JAXA

From left to right, Manager of the International Relations and Research Department, JAXA, Akira Kosaka; President, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiroshi Yamakawa; Secretary for the President of JAXA, Nobuto Yoshioka; Vice President for International Relations, JAXA, Yasuo Ishii; and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, are seen during a meeting, Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, left, talks to the Flow Liner Inspection & Repair team members, who are with United Space Alliance (USA). Nelson presented a gold seal Senate certificate to the team for their part in finding the cracks in orbiter flow liners and repairing them. On the right is David Strait, orbiter inspector, who first spotted the fuel-line crack. Second from the right is Jerry Goudy, welder, who performed arc welding on one of Atlantis' flow liners. Between Goudy and Nelson is Rick Beckwith, structural engineer.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, center, greets the Flow Liner Inspection & Repair team (foreground), who are with United Space Alliance (USA). He presented a gold seal Senate certificate to team members for their part in finding the cracks in orbiter flow liners and repairing them. Second from the right is Jerry Goudy, who performed arc welding on one of Atlantis' flow liners. In the background, left, is Center Director Roy Bridges; Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida Operations, USA; Jim Halsell, manager, Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration; Mark Nappi, deputy associate program manager for USA Ground Operations; and Bob Herman (behind Nelson), chief engineer for USA Ground Operations..

NASA Admin Bill Nelson Meets with Representatives from JAXA

From left to right, President, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Hiroshi Yamakawa; NASA Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) Deputy Associate Administrator, Meredith McKay; International Program Specialist, OIIR, Andrew Masciola; Director of the Washington DC Office, JAXA, Dr. Masami Onoda; Manager of the International Relations and Research Department, JAXA, Akira Kosaka; Secretary for the President of JAXA, Nobuto Yoshioka; Vice President for International Relations, JAXA, Yasuo Ishii; and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, are seen during a meeting, Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

U.S. Representative Bill Nelson (D.,Florida) gives a thumbs up signal from inside a small ball called a personal rescue sphere (PRS). The PRS is not part of STS 61-C hardware, but serves to evaluate a subject's reaction to close quarters. The photo was taken through a visor on the 39-inch diameter fabric rescue sphere.

Rep. Bill Nelson inside a personal rescue sphere

A moon rock collected by astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 mission is seen before the swearing-in ceremony for former Senator Bill Nelson, as the 14th NASA Administrator, by Vice President Kamala Harris, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Ceremonial Office in the Old Executive Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Swearing-In Ceremony

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, and Planetary Society CEO and Science educator, Bill Nye, shake hands, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator and Bill Nye Meeting

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, visits NASA’s exhibits during Earth Day, Friday, April 22, 2022, at Union Station in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Earth Day Exhibits

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visited the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Dec. 8, 2021 for tours and briefings on Michoud’s role in the Artemis program and other capabilities that enrich many facets of the nation’s space exploration endeavors. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson & Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visit MAF

S85-43440 (25 Oct. 1985) --- Official portrait of Congressman Bill Nelson, U.S. House of Representatives - Florida, STS 61-C payload specialist. He is in the blue shuttle flight suit, holding a model of the shuttle with an American flag behind him.

Official portrait of Rep. Bill Nelson, STS 61-C payload specialist

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson & Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visit MAF

Bill Nelson and Snoopy View Total Solar Eclipse

Administrator Bill Nelson and Snoopy view the eclipse together. NASA Glenn Research Center and the Great Lakes Science Center hosted a three-day celestial celebration in downtown Cleveland, OH. This free, outdoor, family-friendly science and arts festival will feature free concerts, performances, speakers, and hands-on science activities with community partners. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the North American continent from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of Central America and Europe.

Administrator Bill Nelson Building 703 Tour

Coverage of NASA Administrator Visit

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson adds his signature to an Artemis banner inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building during a visit to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 27, 2021. While at the O&C, Nelson had the opportunity to view some of the flight hardware for Artemis II – the first test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft with crew on board. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon.

Coverage of NASA Administrator Visit

Jeremy Graeber, left, chief of the Test, Launch, and Recovery Operations Branch within the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, speaks with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson inside the Launch Control Center (LCC) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 28, 2021. During Nelson’s visit to Kennedy, he had the opportunity to tour the LCC and learn about the launch team as preparations for Artemis I continue. The first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon.

Coverage of NASA Administrator Visit

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, center, tours the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building high bay during a visit to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 27, 2021. While at the O&C, Nelson had the opportunity to view some of the flight hardware for Artemis II – the first test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft with crew on board. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon.

Coverage of NASA Administrator Visit

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, tours the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) during a visit to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 28, 2021. To his right is Mark Nappi, Boeing integrated product team leader for Space Launch System (SLS) core stage 1. While inside the VAB, Nelson had the opportunity to view the SLS rocket as preparations for the Artemis I launch continue. The first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon.

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, D-Fla., questions NASA Administrator Charles Bolden during a U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Senate Hearing

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, talks with DC area school children about Earth Day during his visit of NASA hands-on exhibits inside Union Station in Washington, Friday, April 22, 2022. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Earth Day Exhibits

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson speaks during the 2024 Artemis Suppliers Conference, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA Leadership at 2024 Artemis Suppliers Conference

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers the 2022 State of NASA address on March 28, 2022, from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Nelson highlighted NASA’s plans to explore the Moon and Mars, address climate change, promote racial and economic equity, and drive economic growth while sustaining U.S. leadership in aviation and aerospace innovation.

State of NASA Live Address

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, front, talks to the workforce at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley during the “Moon to Mars” town hall in the N201 Syvertson Auditorium. Behind him, left to right, are Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, Ames Center Director Eugene Tu, and Director of Space Architectures Kurt “Spuds” Vogel.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy,

Rep. Bill Nelson prepares to photograph samples of protein crystal growth

61C-05-036 (12-18 Jan. 1986) --- U.S. Representative Bill Nelson (Democrat - Florida), STS-61C payload specialist, prepares to photograph individual samples in the Handheld Protein Crystal Growth Experiment (HPCG) on Columbia's middeck. The operations involve the use of four pieces of equipment to attempt the growth of 60 different types of crystals -- 12 by means of dialysis and 48 via the vapor diffusion method. The photo was used by members of the STS-61C crew at their Jan. 23, 1986, Post-Flight Press Conference.