Jim Bridenstine
Republican Representative of Oklahoma's 1st district
Representative
Oklahoma, district 1
January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2015
Representative
Oklahoma, district 1
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2017
Representative
Oklahoma, district 1
January 3, 2017 - April 23, 2018
- Served as the 13th Administrator of NASA from April 2018 to January 2021.
- Previously represented Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018.
- First elected official to be appointed as NASA Administrator.
- Held a military career as a Naval Aviator in both active duty and reserve, flying various aircraft.
- Education includes a triple major Bachelor of Arts from Rice University and an MBA from Cornell University.
- Involved in space policy and legislation during congressional tenure, including the American Space Renaissance Act.
- Criticized NASA’s spending on climate science and initially denied the scientific consensus on climate change, later reversed his position.
- Played a significant role in the Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the Moon.
- After leaving NASA, transitioned to the private sector, taking on advisory roles in multiple space-related companies.