The space agency director said he would leave his post because Biden would need someone he “trusted” in authority.

The correct question here is “What is in the interest of NASA as an agency, and what is in the interest of the US exploration program?” Aviation Week said.

So, what you need is someone with a close relationship with the President of the United States. You need someone to trust management.

“I think I will not be the right person for that in a new administration.

“We’ve had a lot of success, but it’s because of the relationships.

“You have to have these relationships. Whoever the boss, they have to have someone they know and trust and someone the administration trusts.”

“This person will not be me.”

Mr. Bridenstein, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, was appointed by Mr. Trump in 2017.

His candidacy has been criticized for the agency’s politicization and was confirmed in April 2018 on partisan grounds.

Under his leadership, NASA’s goal is to return to the Moon by the end of the decade for the first time since the Apollo era in the 1960s and 1970s.

NASA’s Artemis program aims to land the first female on the moon by 2024.