Jim Bridenstine is an unusual NASA boss. Unlike his predecessors, astronaut Charles Bolden and engineer Robert M. Lightfoot Jr., he is not a scientist but a politician. Donald Trump proposed the 44-year-old Republican to be NASA’s chief in 2017. This move has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats.
Not only the lack of expertise was an issue. Bridenstine had repeatedly questioned man-made climate change. In a speech in 2013, he criticized President Obama at the time for spending too much money on climate protection. Global warming has not existed in 10 years, he said at the time. In 2018, Bridenstine took over NASA administration. He now recognizes that humans have a large share in climate change.
But even during his tenure, he was infatuated. He had emphasized several times that Pluto was a planet and should continue to be called one. The reason that he likes that there are nine planets was criticized by astronomers. Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet in 2006 because it is significantly smaller than other planets and its orbit is more like an asteroid.
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