Trump Picks Billionaire Entrepreneur and “Polaris Dawn” Hero Jared Isaacman to Head NASA
Isaacman’s space experiences have been groundbreaking, combining civilian leadership with cutting-edge space exploration and technology testing. He is the perfect choice to head the agency.
Legal Insurrection readers may recall September’s “Polaris Dawn” historic space mission.
This mission included several history-making moments. The Polaris Dawn’s private crew of astronauts performed the world’s first commercial spacewalk during the third day of a five-day trip to Earth orbit. The team also crew tested an advanced extravehicular spacesuit, potentially a prototype for future interplanetary travel.
This mission was headed and financed by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who performed the space walk.
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Isaacman to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Mr. Isaacman, the chief executive of the payment processing company Shift4 Payments, is a close associate of Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, and, if confirmed to the post by the Senate, would bring the perspective of an outsider to the space agency and its $25 billion budget.
“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
One of the key issues for the next NASA administrator is how to get NASA’s centerpiece Artemis program back on track to send NASA astronauts to the moon. The first landing of astronauts is to occur during the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for late 2026. However, key components needed to accomplish that, including the lunar lander being developed by SpaceX, appear to be behind schedule.
Space exploration enthusiasts are excited about the choice.
First commercial Spacewalk (EVA) of Polaris Dawn commander and the next Administrator of NASA, Jared Isaacman ( @rookisaacman ) from SpaceX Dragon at ~ 730 km above Earth Surface! pic.twitter.com/Mym7bm1Wqy
— Universe (@shubhamsatavx) December 4, 2024
Isaacman plans to get the US back into the space race in his capacity at NASA.
“I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch,” Isaacman said in his statement, adding: “I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place … Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.”
Trump’s selection of a relative outsider to lead NASA — along with Musk’s involvement with the incoming administration — may signal a move toward increased commercialization of NASA’s operations. Already, the space agency relies heavily on SpaceX and other commercial partners to launch its astronauts, cargo and spacecraft to the International Space Station and beyond.
NASA under Jared Isaacman will return to its origins: discovery, adventure, amazing tech. No more small, incremental baby steps and theoretical experiments. Jared is aiming to the stars, and he wants boots on the ground – but not Earth’s ground. pic.twitter.com/xYZMb5rXnU
— Guy Hachmon (@GuyHachmon) December 4, 2024
Isaacman is a classic American success story. He dropped out of high school at 16, obtained his GED, and started his first business in his parents’ basement. This morphed into the billion-dollar business, Shift4 Payments, that the media relentlessly focuses on.
Isaacman’s passion for aviation began in 2004 when he started taking flying lessons. He earned a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2011 and has gone on to set a world record for circumnavigating the globe in a light jet in 2009. He has also performed in over 100 airshows with the Black Diamond Jet Team and co-founded Draken International, the world’s largest private air force (which provides specialized tactical aircraft services to military and defense organizations worldwide).
Isaacman’s space experiences have been groundbreaking, combining civilian leadership with cutting-edge space exploration and technology testing. He is the perfect choice to head the agency.
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Get NASA out of class mate change and Muslim outreach. Then bring in fresh teams of engineers. What to get Artemis back on track? Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Take a fresh look at the Apollo spacecraft. Upgrade the materials and engines. Now you will have heavy lift capability with a reliable platform.
Upgrading Apollo just isn’t an option any longer. They’re starting from scratch because it’s not just a matter of looking at a blueprint and rebuilding a command module or a LEM. The estimate is that 20K different companies, most of them no longer in business, worked on the Apollo project. The institutional knowledge alone, no longer exists.
Your last sentence, more than anything, explains why we are decades behind in our space program. All of that knowledge is gone and it’s a shame this information was not captured and passed down.
They have all the blue prints for Apollo. It’s the stages 1,2,3 not the command modules. It’s the heavy lift capability.
They no longer have the machines to make the parts. These were not assembly line rockets and craft, they were handmade. They were inventing new techniques on the fly.
And the biggest problem of all? We are far too risk averse. Congress will never authorize a program where the loss of human life is entirely possible. They don’t think it’s worth the cost.
This Trump pick for NASA administrator will likely cancel the SLS boondoggle.
SLS was mandated by Congress to use space shuttle technology to keep production lines open and jobs going in senators districts.
Many call it the “senate launch system”
Low end estimates are one billion per launch with only one launch per year as the system is disposable and all new components need be manufactured for each launch.
Space X already has the reusable Starship system and high end estimates are twenty million per launch with multiple launches per year.
This year Space X landed a Starship in a giant set of chopsticks to reuse it.
Space X applied for permits for 25 Starship launches next year.
The FAA and the state of California both are holding up permits.
Boeing-Northrup are the prime contractor for the SLS and has a horrible track record.
If Trump is to be a disrupter and increase efficiency of government, then a great place to start is the SLS system that has already swallowed twenty three billion in sunk costs.
He will have to overcome the senate’s rock solid political support for the Space Launch System
I grew up in the era of Steely Eyed Missile Men but have been forced to endure the current age of Light in the Loafer Diversity Hires.
I therefore am of the opinion that NASA can join the DOE on the DOGE chopping block. Mr. Musk’s SpaceX has made it quite plain that we do not need to rely upon a government agency to vigorously explore outer space.
Amen.
“I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch,” Isaacman said in his statement, adding: “I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place … Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.”
Talk about a lack of focus. Isaacman did more for space exploration privately in the last five years than NASA has in the past 30. Why would you waste a thoroughbred like that by taking him off the racetrack to hitch him to some coal-miner’s oxcart?
I think the his is a great nomination, but i’m pessimistic about how easy it will be to make the required changes.
I’m also surprised that individuals like Jared are willing to take on these type of jobs at a personal cost to their time and lives.
Seems like an innovative thinker and extreme space enthusiast who’s laser-focused on….space exploration. These are qualities that have been missing from NASA for too long. Solid pick.
“The first landing of astronauts is to occur during the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for late 2026.”
******
NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon this decade amid a renewed international push for lunar exploration, is facing more delays. The agency said Thursday that a planned mission to land on the moon in 2026 will now take place no earlier than mid-2027.
Additionally, a pathfinder mission that was slated to fly astronauts around the moon in September 2025 will now take place no earlier than April 2026.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nasa-delays-first-crewed-flight-to-the-moon-in-over-50-years/ar-AA1vldYK?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=15414d30fe2d49c7968da9dd17fba62e&ei=21
Isaacman may be the best match for a job that Trump has made. Given that he is close with Musk, the obvious leader in the business, this may lead to more productive use of talent and resources than if this were not the case. IMO you want cooperative development when you are far behind. He is also a nice guy, making trips back to his home town to visit local schools.
Another recent pick in the news: Trump has nominated Hunter Biden to be the Cocaine Taster for suspected drug busts.
When asked why he chose Hunter, Trump stated that he wanted to pick a nominee who would not be rejected due to lack of experience.
Great pick. Though he looks like he’s 14