It has been 14 months since NASA has had a permanent administrator. NASA engineer Robert Lightfoot has been acting director but says he will retire next month.
Charlie Bolden retired last January and since then, Robert Lightfoot has been acting administrator. He says he will retire at the end of April.
While it’s been more than year since the space agency has had a permanent leader, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana says NASA continues to move forward. “We have very clear direction on where we are going and what we are doing. I think we have great support for the plan that we have in place.”
The Trump administration nominated Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine for the post last year, but he has yet to receive Senate approval. Senator Marco Rubio expressed concern with the pick, as well as democrats.
“Hopefully we’ll get an administrator named," said Cabana, "but we have other people that can step up. We have a very clear path forward on what it is we have been charged to go do and we’ll continue down that path.”
The Trump administration released its $19 billion budget request for NASA which includes a renewed focus on a return to the moon.
