Editing William Anders (section)

== NASC, AEC, and NRC ==
Anders could see that Project Apollo was coming to a close and felt that his chances of commanding a Moon mission were slim.{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=51}} On 16 May 1969, President [[Richard Nixon]] nominated him to become the executive secretary of the [[National Space Council|National Aeronautics and Space Council]] (NASC). This was the highest government post ever offered to an astronaut up to that time.{{sfn|Science and Technology Division, Library of Congress|1970|p=141}} He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on 19 June.{{sfn|Science and Technology Division, Library of Congress|1970|p=184}} The Space Council consisted of the [[Administrator of NASA]], the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission#AEC Chair|Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC), and the [[United States Secretary of State|Secretaries of State]], [[United States Secretary of Defense|Defense]], and [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Transportation]], and was chaired by the Vice President.{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=136}} Due to his commitment to the Apollo 11 backup crew, Anders was unable to assume the position until August.{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=51}}{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|p=237}}

[[File:Greg Anders sprays Bill Anders with the fire hose.jpg|thumb|right|Anders sprayed with a fire hose by his son Greg at [[Davis–Monthan Air Force Base]] in 2008]]
In his new role, Anders was responsible for developing aeronautical and space policy.<ref name="nasabio" /> He worked closely with the [[President's Science Advisory Committee|Office of Science and Technology]] (OST) and the [[Office of Management and Budget]] (OMB) and became a personal advisor to the OMB director, [[Caspar Weinberger]].{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=51}} Anders worked hard to bridge the gap between OMB and OST on the one hand and NASA on the other. He became increasingly pessimistic about the future of the NASC and the space program generally. He opposed the development of the [[Space Shuttle]], urging instead that NASA concentrate on developing the [[Skylab]] space station.{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=200}} He argued that a small Space Shuttle would be a better option than a large one, but the large one was approved because it would involve more jobs in California.<ref name="airportjournals" /> Frustrated with the NASC's lack of influence, he recommended in 1972 that it be abolished.{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=200}} This was done on 30 June 1973.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Aeronautics and Space Council. 7/29/1958-6/30/1973 |publisher=National Archives |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10460295 |access-date=11 August 2022 |archive-date=11 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811004351/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10460295 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nixon was impressed by Anders and wanted to retain him in the administration.{{sfn|Logsdon|2015|p=199}} On 6 August 1973, he appointed Anders to the five-member AEC. Nixon felt that the commission was dominated by lawyers and he wanted an engineer on it. The chairman of the AEC, [[Dixy Lee Ray]], appointed Anders to be the lead commissioner for nuclear and non-nuclear power [[research and development]]. He also served as the U.S. chairman of the joint US-Soviet Union [[nuclear fission]] and [[nuclear fusion|fusion]] power technology exchange program.<ref name="nasabio" /><ref name="airportjournals" /> He spent much of his time dealing with the AEC's problematic research and development programs, particularly the troubled [[breeder reactor]] program.{{sfn|Gillette|1975|pp=1173–1175}}

One issue that had dogged the AEC since its inception was its dual role in both developing nuclear energy and regulating it. The perception that there was a conflict of interest between the two roles became acute with the growth of the nuclear power industry.{{sfn|Gillette|1975|pp=1173–1175}} On 19 January 1975, the commission was split in two, with its research and development responsibilities assumed by the [[Energy Research and Development Administration]] (ERDA), and its regulatory ones by the [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] (NRC). Some 1,970 former employees of the AEC joined the NRC.{{sfn|Buck|1983|p=18}} President [[Gerald Ford]] appointed Anders as the first chairman of the NRC. He was the only one of the five AEC commissioners to transition to one of the new organizations. Anders made the decision process of the commissioners of the NRC more transparent than that of the AEC. The NRC inherited [[Nuclear safety and security|nuclear safety]] and environmental compatibility functions from the AEC, but unlike the AEC's regulatory branch, the NRC had its own safety and security research capability, so it was not reliant on the ERDA.{{sfn|Gillette|1975|pp=1173–1175}}

After his term as NRC chairman, Anders was asked if he would be interested in an ambassadorship. He did not want to, but asked his wife Valerie. She expressed an interest in Norway, based on their trip there during the Apollo 8 world publicity tour. So Anders asked if Norway was available. [[Lawrence Eagleburger]] submitted his name for the position.<ref name="airportjournals" /> Anders was appointed [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Norway|Ambassador to Norway]] on 13 April 1976 and held that post until 18 June 1977.<ref>{{cite web |title=William Alison Anders |publisher=United States Department of State |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/anders-william-allison |access-date=11 August 2022 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001221954/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/anders-william-allison |url-status=live }}</ref>