Reports: Former Florida Senator Bill Nelson To Be Tapped To Lead NASA By President Biden

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/CNN) -- Former Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson could be the next head of NASA.

According to multiple reports, President Joe Biden is expected to tap his longtime ally to be the administrator of the agency as soon as Friday.

Nelson, who flew a Space Shuttle mission in 1986 aboard the shuttle Columbia, has been a long proponent of NASA. He is not an astronaut, but is one of the rare civilians who has traveled to space.

The Washington Post was first to report this decision.

Nelson, 78, was a three-term Florida senator before he was unseated by then-Gov. Rick Scott (R) in 2018.

Bill Nelson
NASA