Two north Alabama congressmen whose districts include or adjoin NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville have named Huntsville attorney Mark McDaniel their aerospace and science advisor for the 118th Congress. McDaniel has been on the national NASA Advisory Council, the highest civilian advisory board to the space agency, during the terms of five NASA administrators including current Administrator Bill Nelson.

“As a member of both the House Armed Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees, the work being done at Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center are very important to me,” Strong said in a statement. “To best serve the needs of our space and defense community, I need as much information on NASA related matters and space policy as possible. Mark McDaniel is the best man for that job.”

“Mark McDaniel understands space and space exploration just about as much as anyone can without being a NASA scientist,” Aderholt said. “He has been heavily involved in America’s space program for several decades now. He also shares my vision of continued American leadership in space, which means getting American boots back on the moon and then going on to Mars.”

Aderholt also said McDaniel “deeply understands that if America doesn’t lead in space, countries like China will, and that’s a dangerous proposition.”

McDaniel, a practicing Huntsville attorney for 46 years at the firm McDaniel & McDaniel, said it was “an honor to serve” both representatives.

“Congressman Aderholt is one of the most powerful members of Congress,” McDaniel said. Aderholt is chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and a member of both the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

“Congressman Strong is certainly one of the most important new members of the 118th Congress,” McDaniel said. He said Strong’s seats on the House Armed Services, Homeland Security and Science, Space and Technology committees “are extremely important to the 5th District, the state of Alabama and our nation.”