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Hi everybody, I'm Bill Nelson.

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I have the incredible privilege and honor

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of having been sworn in

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just recently by the Vice President to

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be the next head of NASA.

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The President had just an

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incredible kind of confidence in me.

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All those in favor say I.

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And apparently my old friends

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in the Senate seemed to convey that confidence again

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in that they pass me unanimously in my confirmation.

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And it is such a privilege for me to be a

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part of this agency, because this is a can do agency.

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And NASA is a family.

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I've been privileged to be a part

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of that on the outside for a number of years.

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The 30 years that I served first in the House

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and then in the Senate in the positions of being the

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chairman of the Space Subcommittee,

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and then again in the Senate likewise,

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and as the ranking member of the full committee,

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so it's returning home for me.

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In a way, it's more of a return home.

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We've stayed in touch with our crew that

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flew on the 24th flight of the Space Shuttle,

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Led by Hoot Gibson, the best of the best.

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Piloted by Charlie Bolden, who

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went on to command several missions.

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And then of course,

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I had the opportunity years later to

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return that favor by insisting to President

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Obama and Vice President Biden

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that they nominate Charlie as the administrator.

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And of course he served there for eight years.

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NASA has unlimited possibilities.

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As we venture out to explore the cosmos,

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not only are we going

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back to the Moon and then on to Mars,

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but look at the scientific

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achievement that we're going to do

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and along the line inspire a

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whole new generation of students

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in science and technology

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and engineering and mathematics.

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The first A in NASA is Aeronautics.

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Look at what we've already done, and

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the excitement of the new kinds of development

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of aircraft to make them more efficient,

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less polluting, and get us there faster.

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And of course you can't talk about NASA

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without talking about its workforce,

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and that's why NASA is such a great place to work.

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And people are there because they consider NASA a family.

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I want to point out in the swearing in that I had

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They're not only my family, my wife, Grace and

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our son, Bill Junior, and

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our daughter Nan Ellen, but

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I purposely had there also, Charlie Bolden

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and Jim Breidenstein as the two

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previous administrators, becauses what

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we wanted to convey was the continuity

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of administrations in NASA.

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And also the bipartisanship and NASA

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is a bipartisan agency.

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As a matter of fact, it's really more nonpartisan

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and that's the way it should be operated.

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And that's the way that I certainly intend

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to try to offer some leadership

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in a bipartisan way.

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And then I want to say

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the other person that I had there was

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Pam Melroy, Air Force Colonel, retired test pilot

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and Astronaut Commander, 3 missions.

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She then, after the astronaut office went to the FAA

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and then to DARPA and Pam and

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I are going to operate as a team.

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And she is going to be a

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fantastic leader for this agency, so

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I want to thank you for

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this opportunity to serve

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in public service again.

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It's been up to this point,

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44 years of public service for me,

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42 of which was an elected public office.

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Thank you for this great opportunity.

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And thank you for what you do every day.

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You make this not only the agency that can do,

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but does.

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And that's why of all the

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federal departments and agencies of government,

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That's why NASA is the

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most popular among the American people.

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And that's because of you.

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So thank you so very much.

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For this new opportunity

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of service that you and