Administrators and Deputy Administrators of NASA facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Seal Constituent part of the administrator's standard
Incumbent Steve Jurczyk since January 20, 2021
Reports to	President
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Nominator	President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	At the pleasure of the President
Inaugural holder	Thomas Keith Glennan
Salary	$185,100 annually (Executive Schedule II)
Website	Steve Jurczyk, NASA

The Administrator and Deputy Administrator of NASA are the top leaders of NASA. NASA is the United States' space agency. The Administrator is like the main boss. They also advise the President of the United States on space science. Their job is to lead the NASA team. They also manage all of NASA's resources. This helps NASA achieve its goals in space exploration.

Who Leads NASA?

The Administrator is the highest-ranking person at NASA. This person is chosen by the President. The Senate must agree with the President's choice. The Administrator guides NASA's missions. These missions include sending rockets into space. They also include studying Earth and the universe.

The Deputy Administrator is the second-highest leader. They help the Administrator. They also step in if the Administrator is away. Both roles are very important for NASA's success. They help make sure space exploration continues.

NASA's Administrators Through History

Many talented people have led NASA. Some were appointed permanently. Others served as "acting" administrators. An acting administrator fills the role temporarily. This happens until a new permanent leader is chosen.

     Denotes an acting administrator of NASA

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Days served	President serving under
1		T. Keith Glennan	August 19, 1958	January 20, 1961	885		Dwight D. Eisenhower
		Dr. Hugh L. Dryden	January 21, 1961	February 14, 1961	24		John F. Kennedy
2		James E. Webb	February 14, 1961	October 7, 1968	1035
					1781 (2816 total)		Lyndon B. Johnson
3		Dr. Thomas O. Paine	October 8, 1968	March 21, 1969	104
					60		Richard Nixon
			March 21, 1969	September 15, 1970	543 (707 total)
-		Dr. George M. Low	September 16, 1970	April 26, 1971	222
4		Dr. James C. Fletcher	April 27, 1971	May 1, 1977	1200
					895		Gerald Ford
					101 (2196 total)		Jimmy Carter
-		Dr. Alan M. Lovelace	May 2, 1977	June 20, 1977	49
5		Dr. Robert A. Frosch	June 21, 1977	January 20, 1981	1309
-		Dr. Alan M. Lovelace	January 21, 1981	July 10, 1981	171		Ronald Reagan
6		James M. Beggs	July 10, 1981	December 4, 1985	147
-		Dr. William R. Graham	December 4, 1985	May 11, 1986	158
7		Dr. James C. Fletcher	May 12, 1986	April 8, 1989	984
					78 (1062 total)		George H.W. Bush
-		Dale D. Myers	April 8, 1989	May 13, 1989	35
8		VADM (Ret.) Richard H. Truly	May 14, 1989	June 30, 1989	47
			July 1, 1989	March 31, 1992	1004 (1052 total)
9		Daniel S. Goldin	April 1, 1992	November 17, 2001	294
					2922		Bill Clinton
					301 (3517 total)		George W. Bush
-		Dr. Daniel R. Mulville	November 19, 2001	December 21, 2001	32
10		Sean O'Keefe	December 21, 2001	February 11, 2005	1148
-		Col (Ret.) Frederick D. Gregory	February 11, 2005	April 14, 2005	62
11		Dr. Michael D. Griffin	April 14, 2005	January 20, 2009	1377
-		Christopher Scolese	January 21, 2009	July 16, 2009	176		Barack Obama
12		Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Charles F. Bolden, Jr.	July 17, 2009	January 20, 2017	2744
-		Robert M. Lightfoot Jr.	January 20, 2017	April 23, 2018	458		Donald Trump
13		Maj. Jim Bridenstine	April 23, 2018	January 20, 2021	1003
-		Steve Jurczyk	January 20, 2021	Incumbent	1616		Joe Biden

NASA's Deputy Administrators

The Deputy Administrator supports the Administrator. They help manage NASA's daily operations. This role is also very important. They ensure NASA's projects run smoothly. Many skilled individuals have served in this position.

Photograph	Name	Term start	Term end	Term length	Ref(s)
	DrydenDr. Hugh L. Dryden	1958-08-19August 19, 1958	1965-12-02December 2, 1965	26622662 days
	SeamansDr. Robert C. Seamans Jr.	1965-12-21December 21, 1965	1968-01-05January 5, 1968	0745745 days
	PaineDr. Thomas O. Paine	1968-03-25March 25, 1968	1969-03-20March 20, 1969	0360360 days
	LowDr. George M. Low	1969-12-03December 3, 1969	1976-06-05June 5, 1976	23762376 days
	LovelaceDr. Alan M. Lovelace	1976-07-02July 2, 1976	1981-07-10July 10, 1981	18341834 days
	MarkDr. Hans Mark	1981-07-10July 10, 1981	1984-09-01September 1, 1984	11491149 days
	GrahamDr. William R. Graham	1985-11-25November 25, 1985	1985-12-04December 4, 1985	00099 days
	GrahamDr. William R. Graham	1986-05-11May 11, 1986	1986-10-01October 1, 1986	0143143 days
	MyersDale D. Myers	1986-10-06October 6, 1986	1989-05-13May 13, 1989	0950950 days
	ThompsonJames R. Thompson, Jr.	1989-07-06July 6, 1989	1991-11-08November 8, 1991	0885885 days
	CohenAaron Cohen (acting)	1992-02-19February 19, 1992	1992-11-01November 1, 1992	0256256 days
	DaileyJohn R. Dailey (acting)	1992-11-03November 3, 1992	1999-12-31December 31, 1999	31733173 days
	MulvilleDr. Daniel Mulville (acting)	2000-01-01January 1, 2000	2001-11-19November 19, 2001	0688688 days
	Mulville2Dr. Daniel Mulville (acting)	2001-12-21December 21, 2001	2002-08-11August 11, 2002	0233233 days
	GregoryFrederick D. Gregory	2002-08-12August 12, 2002	2005-02-20February 20, 2005	0923923 days
	Gregory2Frederick D. Gregory	2005-04-14April 14, 2005	2005-11-04November 4, 2005	0204204 days
	DaleShana Dale	2005-11-04November 4, 2005	2009-01-17January 17, 2009	11711171 days
	GarverLori Garver	2009-07-16July 17, 2009	2013-09-06September 6, 2013	15121512 days
	NewmanDr. Dava Newman	2015-05-15May 15, 2015	2017-01-20January 20, 2017	616616 days
	Lesa Roe (Acting)	January 20, 2017	September 30, 2017	3077253 days
	James Morhard	October 17, 2018	January 20, 2021	2442826 days

See Also

• List of space agencies