Jared Isaacman is NASA’s new chief

NASA has a pacesetter once more. On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman because the company’s administrator, with a 67-30 vote. The billionaire entrepreneur (and Elon Musk ally) could have his palms full navigating political waters whereas managing a severely downsized workforce.

You may recall that this wasn’t Isaacman’s first shot on the job. He was nominated to the submit earlier this yr. However days earlier than he was scheduled for a affirmation vote, President Donald Trump withdrew his nomination.

The reversal reportedly got here after the president was advised that Isaacman had donated to distinguished Democrats. (Trump’s description of his choice, as primarily based on a “thorough evaluation of prior associations,” appeared to lend weight to that.) Nevertheless, that was additionally across the time the Trump-Musk feud was about to boil over. Regardless, Isaacman was nominated once more in November.

The brand new NASA head reportedly has broad assist from the house group. (That makes him one thing of an aberration amongst Trump appointees in scientific fields.) “I’m optimistic that Mr. Isaacman will carry a gentle hand and clear imaginative and prescient to NASA,” Sen. Marie Cantwell (D-WA) advised The New York Occasions.

The brand new administrator has traveled to house twice on personal missions. In a doc printed in Might, Isaacman shared his three targets for NASA. These included human missions to the Moon, Mars and deep house; serving to the group do extra with a constrained funds; and cost-cutting by business and educational partnerships.