Jared Isaacman guarantees that the US will return to the moon earlier than China in its examination to direct NASA | Science | EUROtoday

Mars or the moon? NASA should defoliate the Margarita that may mark its course through the subsequent decade. And step one to make clear that path has been this Wednesday by Jared Isaacman in opposition to the American Senate. The billionaire, associate of Elon Musk and personal astronaut, has been nominated by Donald Trump as a candidate for administrator of the area company; And he has made clear his choice for Mars throughout his preliminary speech earlier than the US House fee that has begun to guage his candidacy. The approval of those senators is crucial for Isaacman’s appointment to the top of NASA finally ends up being efficient.

Although the expertise within the area of Isaacman performs in his favor, Republican Senator Ted Cruz – president of the Commission of Commerce, Science and Transport The US leaders, “as in 1969,” the area race “to bring astronauts again to the moon; And this time to stay and establish a permanent basis there. ”

Above all, Cruz has alerted the risk of giving that milestone to China “and the dominance of the low terrestrial orbit, the place the International Space Station is” if NASA’s efforts focus on taking astronauts to Mars.

However, the technological tycoon established as the first point of its objectives in front of NASA Putting the current Artemis program as an example of what it intends to improve and correct, of the challenges facing the US space agency.

In his first questions, both the Republican Senator for Texas, Ted Cruz, and the Democrat Maria Cantwell – senator for Washington – again asked Isaacman to promise to maintain the Artemis program and not close the plants that are dedicated to manufacture the SLS rocket for the next missions to the moon. In both Texas and Washington thousands of families and part of their business fabric depend on the current plans to return to the moon, even as a previous step towards Mars.

Isaacman responded first with evasive, claiming that prioritizing Mars would never mean the initiative in the race to the moon, that the lunar and Martian missions are compatible and that NASA has experience “in attaining the virtually inconceivable.” He did not specify how he planned to address both colossal objectives during a presidential mandate in which Elon Musk’s Doge department will apply heavy budget cuts to NASA.

Given the insistence of Cruz, Cantwell and other senators, Isaacman ended up expressing a certain commitment to the Artemis 2 and 3. Cruz missions came to ask if he knows the laws that give budget both missions and force their execution. The first one must carry in spring of 2026 to the orbit of the Moon to four NASA astronauts – the four were present in the appearance – which will return without having alunicized. The following mission, scheduled after the last delay by the end of 2027, is intended for astronauts to terrric on the moon. Until last week, NASA argued that a woman and a person of color would do, but she has already withdrawn that mention of her website to fulfill Trump’s decree that eliminates the policies of equality and diversity in the Federal Administration of the United States.

Mars, Musk and Trump’s dream

Isaacman had previously expressed his disagreement with the architecture of these Artemis missions, which depend on the very expensive SLS and Orion capsula for the launch and transport to the Astronaut’s moon. However, this Wednesday, before the senators on which their appointment depends, it has ended up recognizing that this plan is the best to return to the moon as soon as possible. Although, then, he warned that those space vehicles that NASA itself has developed will not be the right ones to continue sending astronauts to the moon, once the new space race between the US and China has been resolved to step on the natural satellite of the earth again.

The committee that examines Isaacman has insisted on maintaining the current approach of the space agency – “first the moon, Mars later” – and has been skeptical of the main objective of the candidate. “What are the explanations for nationwide safety and scientific curiosity that lead you to prioritize Mars on the Moon?” The Democratic Senator Andy Kim interrogated. Isaacman also did not realize the reasons for that choice, beyond the wishes expressed by Donald Trump.

During the inaugural speech of his second term as president of the United States, Trump did not mention those lunar reconquest missions that he promoted in 2017 during his first presidency. Instead, he did promise to send astronauts “to plant the flag of the bars and stars on the planet Mars.” And Elon Musk, Trump’s trusted advisor, has additionally promised that he’ll ship Starship ships not crew to the purple planet in 2026 and, if all the things goes nicely, astronauts on the next alternative: in December 2028 or January 2029, coinciding with Trump’s final weeks as president. For Musk, the richest man on the planet, Moon Missions are a distraction of his nice dream of reaching Mars.