On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, the Moon grows larger in frame as Orion prepares for the return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it will pass approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.

Laguna San Rafael National Park, seen as the space station orbited 268 miles above Chile

NASA Leadership

A listing of the agency’s current Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and Associate Administrator.

Bill Nelson, Administrator

Sen. Bill Nelson was sworn in as the 14th NASA Administrator on May 3, 2021, tasked with carrying out the Biden-Harris administration’s vision for the agency. Nelson served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years from Florida and as a payload specialist on space shuttle mission 61-C in 1986.

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Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator

Pam Melroy, Deputy Administrator

Col. (USAF, ret) Pam Melroy was sworn in as the NASA deputy administrator on June 21, 2021. Melroy performs the duties and exercises the powers delegated by the administrator, assists the administrator in making final agency decisions, and acts for the administrator in his absence.

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NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Robert D. Cabana, Associate Administrator

Robert D. Cabana is a former NASA astronaut, currently serving as the agency's associate administrator, its third highest-ranking executive and highest-ranking civil servant. Before starting that position on May 17, 2021, Cabana was director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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