Bill Nelson
Member of the last successful Space Shuttle flight prior to the Challenger accident.
Born on September 29, 1942, in Miami, Florida, American politician and former astronaut Bill Nelson served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 9th and 11th districts between 1979 and 1991. In 1986, he flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia as a Payload Specialist, making him the second sitting member of Congress to travel to space. Following his time in the House, Nelson served as the Florida State Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner before being elected to the U.S. Senate, where he represented Florida from 2001 to 2019.
In May 2021, Bill Nelson was sworn in as the 14th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), tasked with advancing human and robotic space exploration, aeronautics research, and technology development. As NASA Administrator, Nelson has expressed interest in and concern for the unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) reported by military personnel, acknowledging the credibility of the pilots who have observed these mysterious objects.
Following conversations with a number of naval aviators who witnessed one of the unidentified crafts, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed his belief in the credibility of the pilots and stated he believed they "saw something, and their radars locked onto it." In response to a question regarding his thoughts on the nature of the phenomena, Nelson stated, "Who am I to say that planet Earth is the only location of a life form that is civilized and organized like ours?".
