Bill Nelson

NASA Administrator 2021–2025 who commissioned the agency's independent UAP study and said publicly he doesn't think we're alone.

Current role: Former NASA Administrator (May 2021 – January 2025). No public role in the UAP conversation since leaving office

Former roles:

NASA Administrator (2021–2025)
U.S. Senator for Florida (2001–2019)
Payload specialist, Space Shuttle Columbia STS-61-C (1986)

Background

Politician, attorney and former astronaut who represented Florida in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2019 and served as NASA Administrator from 3 May 2021 to 20 January 2025, leaving at the end of the Biden administration (Wikipedia). Under him NASA commissioned a 16-member independent study on UAP, chaired by David Spergel, which reported on 14 September 2023 and led NASA to appoint a director of UAP research. He said more than once, in his own voice, that he does not think humanity is alone. His successor Jared Isaacman was confirmed on 17 December 2025 after an acting period under Sean Duffy. Nelson has made no located public statements on UAP since leaving NASA.

On the record

2023-09-14 – NASA briefing – released the independent study team's report, which found no evidence that UAP are extraterrestrial and focused on how NASA could collect better data, and announced a director of UAP research in response to the team's recommendation that NASA take a larger role. The Black Vault · The Conversation
2023-07-28 – official visit to Argentina – said a committee of scientists was preparing a report to address what he called "so many suspicions about aliens": "I decided as the head of NASA, since there are so many suspicions about aliens, that I would appoint a committee of very distinguished scientists. That committee is deliberating, and they will make their report publicly next month. [...] they will consider using our scientific sensors in space in trying to determine this phenomenon. So wait until next month and you will have an answer." El País
2021-06-28 – CNN – said he had read the classified version of the intelligence report on Navy pilots' UAP sightings: "Are we alone? Personally, I don't think we are". CNN

Responses and criticism

2026-05-04 – NASA's post-Nelson position on records: documents obtained under FOIA show NASA told the National Archives in July 2025 that it holds no records meeting the UAP transfer requirement, with NASA's Daniel Evans writing "NASA does not hold any records classified specifically as UAP documents". Reported by one researcher; underlying PDF not independently reviewed. hm05uap
2026-05-27 – Nelson's successor Jared Isaacman, on the PURSUE releases: "What's being surfaced isn't crashed ships or alien bodies, but real unexplained phenomena." Fox News

Timeline of involvement

2021-05-03 – sworn in as NASA Administrator
2021-06-28 – CNN remarks after reading the classified UAP report
2022-10-21 – NASA announces the membership of its independent UAP study team
2023-07-28 – previews the study report during a visit to Argentina
2023-09-14 – report released; NASA names a director of UAP research
2025-01-20 – leaves NASA at the end of the Biden administration
2025-12-17 – Jared Isaacman confirmed as his successor

Relevant links

Part of the Key People in Disclosure series. Verified 2026-10-10. Spotted an error? Reach out.