Jim Bridenstine

Mr. Bridenstine served as NASA Administrator from 2018 to 2021. During his tenure, NASA launched its Artemis mission and established the Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program (CLPS) to partner with private enterprise in landing rovers on the lunar surface. Among his accomplishments at NASA, he managed the continued commercial resupply of the International Space Station and led agency efforts to partner with U.S. businesses on the Commercial Crew Program, which seeks to launch U.S. rockets from U.S. launch sites. Also during his tenure, NASA’s science portfolio grew to include the Mars Perseverance Rover, an enhanced fleet of Earth-observing satellites, and the finalization of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Prior to his time at NASA, Mr. Bridenstine served in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Before being elected to Congress, he served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy before transitioning to the U.S. Navy Reserve and being named Executive Director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. He holds a BA from Rice University and an MBA from Cornell University.