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Bill Nelson No Great Loss To NASA’s Agenda After Loss To Rick Scott in Midterm Elections

By  //  November 30, 2018

'Congressman Ballast' longingly cloaked himself as a former astronaut

Following the midterm elections, Florida’s senatorial result and the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives means there are questions in the balance for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (NASA image)

SUNSHINE STATE NEWS – Following the midterm elections, Florida’s senatorial result and the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives means there are questions in the balance for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Not only did the most prominent — though not the most politically adept — “space politician” end up losing, but so did some prominent fixtures on committees overseeing budgets that directly concern NASA.

While Bill Nelson was the most prominent name, his actual impact on the Space Administration can hardly be deemed a positive.

He longingly cloaked himself as a former astronaut, but in his case the title carried with it some qualifying details.

Nelson was not, as many believe, a trained astronaut who later graduated to D.C. Nelson had been a longtime politician when he leveraged his geographical advantage as a Floridian to hitch a ride on the space shuttle in 1986.

Tabbed with the working title of payload specialist, the other astronauts on his mission gave Bill Nelson, top left, the nickname “Congressman Ballast.” Nelson proved to be of equally dubious usefulness while on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which oversees NASA operations.

Tabbed with the working title of payload specialist, the other astronauts on his mission gave him the nickname “Congressman Ballast.” Nelson proved to be of equally dubious usefulness while on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which oversees NASA operations.

When Barack Obama was spending years cutting the space exploration budget and reconfiguring the program to give NASA money away to other states, Nelson offered little resistance. This led to thousands of industry jobs fleeing the state.

Nelson’s departure is not as impactful as many believe.

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