Rumored Biden Nom for NASA Administrator Out of Touch, Experts Say Former Dem senator Bill Nelson backed rocket program seen as boondoggle Former senator Bill Nelson / Getty Images Santi Ruiz • March 2, 2021 6:00 pm SHARE The rumored nomination of former senator Bill Nelson for the top job at NASA is drawing criticism from space industry insiders who view the Florida Democrat as a dinosaur and question his commitment to moving the agency forward. Breaking Defense, the rumor would infuriate many in the industry if true. Simon Porter, an astrophysicist on the New Horizons mission to Pluto, said on Twitter, "That would be incredibly dumb … Nelson represents everything NASA needs to get away from."