Bill Nelson steps down as NASA chief as Trump begins 2nd term

A man in a suit sits at a table covered in microphones in a large wood-paneled room.

Bill Nelson has stepped down as NASA administrator, ending a half-century of public service.

Nelson and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy left the agency on Monday (Jan. 20), the day that Donald Trump began his second term as president. Trump has appointed Janet Petro, who most recently served as director of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, as NASA's interim chief.