Grado de dificultad: 3 (Por el idioma)

Columnista: Roberto

As a tribute to Jim Bridenstine, outgoing NASA director, this TMN article will be in english.

A politically motivated resignation

As reported by The Verge (among others), Jim Bridenstine just stepped down from his position as NASA Administrator:

As parting message, Jim Bridenstine leaves Artemis program ‘in good shape’ for Biden’s NASA

He was complying with his own promise to do so before the new federal administration would start.

It always seems weird to hear about politics in scientific activities. Exactly like the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NASA is governed by scientific rules. For instance, Dr Fauci spoke at the January 21th WH daily news briefing…

Politics are present, though. The fight against pandemics always proved to be a highly political subject (and always led to delayed starts).

The farewell message posted by Mr Bridenstine on his Twitter account is a political one as well:

Having to claim “bipartisanship”, “apolitical consensus”, “elimination of divisions”, looks like an admission of their presence… Or is it yet another political statement? We all have been used to hear lies during the last for years…

That may be one of the reasons why he decided to resign.

A farewell to Jim Bridenstine

A cursed nomination

Understandably, having been a senior official under the Trump’s administration is not a good credential… This doesn’t mean at all that Jim is a grifter like so (too?) many others, but it surely is a curse.

Are there political struggles in the NASA? It would have been interesting to ask him to elaborate a bit more about it. Is it a political decision to make things right in a discipline where perfection is required?

Something is absent in his Twitter video: he talks about the Artemis program… But not about the 2024 deadline.

We may never know if Bridenstine really believed in this craziness (it’s unlikely). His resignation is not unrelated to that issue, but probably not decisively. Avoiding uselessly dangerous questions is part of a prudent strategy…

Jim Bridenstine, a manager at a difficult time

Some of the answers will come from international collaboration, as he recognizes its necessity. So, everyone will pay close attention to what European, Canadian and Japanese partners will do.

Until now, the reinsuring messages Jim Bridenstine sent to them didn’t seem to be received with enthusiasm.

It was more like a “wait-and-see” diplomatic attitude. Now that a new administration is starting, we may know more about it. A soon reaction would be a good sign.

In any case, we can all thank him for his management in difficult times and wish him well. He will remembered as a good chief rather than a divisive figure.

Farewell, Jim!

Jim Bridenstine leaves the NASA

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