{"id":21544,"date":"2024-12-05T23:41:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T15:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/jared-isaacman-as-nasa-administrator-does-he-have-the-right-stuff\/"},"modified":"2024-12-05T23:41:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T15:41:58","slug":"jared-isaacman-as-nasa-administrator-does-he-have-the-right-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/jared-isaacman-as-nasa-administrator-does-he-have-the-right-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator: Does he have The Right Stuff?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-border featured-image\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1600\" class=\"skip-lazy wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?w=320&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?w=1024&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?w=1500&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-attachment-id=\"41868\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/2024\/12\/04\/jared-isaacman-as-nasa-administrator-does-he-have-the-right-stuff\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"Jared Isaacman Polaris Dawn Suit\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\n\n<p>Image: Polaris Program<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/53945415437_1af3b2de51_o.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024&#8243;><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\tImage: Polaris Program\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President-elect Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he plans to nominate private astronaut and businessman Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator. While Isaacman has had massive success in the private market and building his own space program, does he have the \u201cRight Stuff\u201d to lead the world\u2019s premier space agency?<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-41866\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJared will drive NASA\u2019s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration,\u201d President-elect Trump said in his Truth post Wednesday morning. But does Jared have all the necessary skills to run NASA? Is he too close with SpaceX to be an unbiased decision-maker when it comes to the space industry at large? Or is this just the person we need to get NASA out of the rut it has been in with some of its biggest programs.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-isaacman-s-experience-with-commercial-space\">Isaacman\u2019s experience with commercial space<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA has shifted heavily towards using its commercial partners more and more in the last decade. It began with the success of the Commercial Resupply Services program and then with SpaceX\u2018s grand success with Commercial Crew. Now, NASA is putting similar fixed-price, indefinite delivery contracts everywhere it can: Human Landing System, Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services, and even the Commercial LEO Destination program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there is anyone who is qualified to work within the knowledge of commercial space, it\u2019s Isaacman. Commanding the first-ever fully commercial mission to space, Inspiration4, and then setting up the Polaris Program, essentially a private space program, Isaacman might know a thing or two about the inner workings of private industry.<\/p>\n<p>\t<span class=\"outbrain-ad-label\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<script type=\"text\/plain\">\n\t\t\twindow.adSlotsConfig = window.adSlotsConfig || [];<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tadSlotsConfig.push( {\n\t\t\t\tslotID: '\/1049447\/Outbrain',\n\t\t\t\tslotName: 'div-gpt-ad-outbrain-ad-41866',\n\t\t\t\tsizes: [300, 250],\n\t\t\t\tslotPosition: 'mid_article'\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"799\" height=\"533\" data-attachment-id=\"41869\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/2024\/12\/04\/jared-isaacman-as-nasa-administrator-does-he-have-the-right-stuff\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all\" data-orig-size=\"799,533\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"Polaris Dawn Isaacman Family\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\n\n<p>Image: Polaris Program<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=799&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=799&#8243; alt=&#8221;&#8221; class=&#8221;wp-image-41869&#8243; srcset=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg 799w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?resize=350,233 350w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?resize=140,93 140w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/54006716589_37754dccfa_c.jpg?resize=150,100 150w&#8221; sizes=&#8221;(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px&#8221;><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jared Isaacman with his family after the Polaris Dawn mission. Image: Polaris Program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-heavy-bias-towards-spacex-is-a-concern\">Heavy bias towards SpaceX is a concern<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since flying on Inspiration4, Isaacman has embedded himself in the support of SpaceX and its mission for making humanity multi-planetary. In fact, the Polaris Program is basically a means to help support SpaceX in learning the needed skills to achieve that mission, including flying the first crewed Starship mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As NASA Administrator, Isaacman will have to show that he will continue NASA\u2019s goal of being a non-biased facilitator of public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-political-baptism-by-fire\">Political baptism by fire<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While NASA uses private industry heavily, it is not a private company itself. Learning the ropes of Washington politics can be a long and difficult task for those even elected to office. While Isaacman likely has some exposure to the politics of the Department of Defense industry with Draken International, a defense contractor he started back in 2012, it will pale in comparison to what it will take to get a budget through Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a good reason why in recent decades, it has been a popular decision to nominate a politician to the post of NASA Administrator. However, just maybe, this is what NASA needs in the current market.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-less-than-two-months-away\">Less than two months away<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Isaacman will still have to wait for Trump to take office on January 20th before he\u2019ll be able to prove himself capable of the role. It is likely he\u2019ll also have to pass the rigors of a Senate confirmation hearing before that, unless the chamber agrees to take a recess to allow then-President Trump to appoint all his senior officials without needing an immediate confirmation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current outlook of NASA under Administrator Bill Nelson is that Artemis will eventually work and get us back to the Moon, commercial partnerships will make it cheaper and more sustainable, and then we\u2019ll look at Mars.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Isaacman shared after Trump\u2019s announcement he intends to focus on building the stepping stones for humanity to walk on Mars, returning America to the Moon, and building an in-space economy. With Isaacman\u2019s much newer approach to space exploration, I would expect this is the administration that sees a total flip in NASA\u2019s programs, something we haven\u2019t seen since President Obama took office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jared Isaacman with his family after the Polaris Dawn mission. Image: Polaris Program Heavy bias towards SpaceX is a concern Since flying on Inspiration4, Isaacman has embedded himself in the support of SpaceX and its mission for making humanity multi-planetary. In fact, the Polaris Program is basically a means to help support SpaceX in learning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21544"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21544\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}