On his first day NASA's new administrator sets an inclusive tone

Enlarge/ Jim Bridenstine, standing with his family, takes the oath of office from Vice President Mike Pence.
NASA

During his lengthy confirmation process to become NASA's new administrator, Oklahoma conservative Jim Bridenstine got pilloried for being a divider rather than a uniter. Noting Bridenstine's attacks on Marco Rubio during the 2016 presidential election, Florida Senator Bill Nelson characterized Bridenstine's politics as "divisive and extreme." Given that the space agency was apolitical, Nelson asked, “How do you keep NASA from being dragged down in a divisive political background?”

Nelson, a Democrat, was never satisfied with Bridenstine's answers and opposed his nomination to become administrator until the end. As a result, so did the entire Democratic party, and this forced a tense, party-line vote on Bridenstine when in the past NASA administrators have largely been approved by unanimous consent.

Truthfully, no one knows how Bridenstine will lead NASA. Critics have painted him as a climate change denier and against gay rights. However, the former congressman struck a moderate tone during his confirmation hearing, and as a pilot with a background in the US Navy, he has shown leadership on key aerospace issues during this five-and-a-half years in Congress.

Mankind vs. humankind

There were a few hints on Monday that Bridenstine will strike a more inclusive tone as NASA's leader. They came during a swearing-in ceremony at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC, when Vice President Mike Pence formally gave the oath of office to Bridenstine and in a meeting afterward.

For example, just before administering the oath, Pence talked about the role of NASA's administrator to lead the more than 18,000 scientists, engineers, astronauts, lawyers, contract officers, analysts, and security personnel. "Jim Bridenstine understands the words of NASA’s vision to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of mankind," Pence said.

Moments later, after the oath, Bridenstine said that he did indeed understand the importance of the NASA vision and would work to uphold it. "I will do my best to serve our storied agency to the utmost of my abilities as we reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind," he said.

The difference between "mankind" and "humankind" may be just two letters, but for those seeking equality in human spaceflight endeavors, those two letters mean a lot. Men may have landed on the Moon, but increasingly women play critical roles at the space agency, both in the astronaut corps and in the agency's engineering and leadership teams. Today, it is not manned spaceflight, but rather crewed spaceflight. By eschewing the dated term "mankind," Bridenstine appeared to recognize the important role women play.

Already great

Bridenstine also declined to say that NASA would become great again. The need to restore NASA's leadership in space was a regular theme of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. In August 2016, he compared the space program to that of a third-world country. Last year, after signing an executive order to create the National Space Council, Trump said, "We're going to lead again. It's been a long time, over 25 years, and we're opening up and we're going to lead again like we never led before."

Pence and Bridenstine met with NASA's senior leadership after the swearing-in ceremony.
NASA

Over and over again, Trump and Pence have vowed to make America great again in space. However, immediately after becoming administrator, Bridenstine said to Pence, "Thank you for those exceptionally kind remarks. Thank you, also, to you and the president, and for what you are doing to ensure that the United States of America remains the preeminent space-bearing nation in the world."

NASA doesn't need to be made great again, Bridenstine appeared to be saying to his 18,000 new employees. You are already great.

After the public remarks, Bridenstine and Pence met with senior NASA leaders at the agency headquarters. After the briefing, the director of all science activities at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen, said on Twitter that he had enjoyed being part of the event. "The comments were sincere and inspiring to all who attended!" he tweeted.

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