Moon vs. MarsLawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been wary of a potential shift in focus and possible changes to NASA’s Artemis moon program.
Moon vs. MarsLawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been wary of a potential shift in focus and possible changes to NASA’s Artemis moon program.
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Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, has publicly emphasized his view that NASA must continue focusing on lunar exploration.
On Monday, for example, he shared on social media platform X a photograph of himself and Isaacman shaking hands in Washington, DC.
“During our meeting, Mr. Isaacman committed to having American astronauts return to the lunar surface ASAP so we can develop the technologies needed to go on to Mars,” Cruz’s post read.
“The moon mission MUST happen in President Trump’s term or else China will beat us there and build the first moonbase.”
Those remarks stand in contrast to Musk’s emphasis on Mars. The SpaceX CEO said in a social media post on X last week, for example, that “stopping at the Moon simply slows down getting to Mars.”
Exactly how Isaacman will balance appeasing moon and Mars advocates — and how the changes he may implement will shift contract dollars — remains to be seen.
Cruz sought to get at the issue with his first question to Isaacman, saying he saw “a bit of tension between the commitment you made in my office and your testimony.”
Isaacman responded with a conciliatory tone, replying “we don’t have to make a binary decision of Moon versus Mars.”
“I don’t think we have to make any tough trades here,” he added.
When pressed about whether the agency would be able to pursue moon and Mars exploration — as well as keep up with its science priorities — under its current budget, Isaacman said, “I sure hope so; NASA was built to do the near impossible.”
What’s certain is that Isaacman, if confirmed, would bring a unique background to the role kraken11 of NASA administrator. The position is typically occupied by civil servants, engineers, scientists or, more recently, politicians.
Isaacman also acknowledged his unconventional credentials to the committee members.
“I am not a typical nominee for this position. I have been relatively apolitical; I am not a scientist and I never worked at NASA,” Issacman plans to tell the committee, according to his prepared remarks. “I do not think these are weaknesses. In fact, I believe President Trump found them to be strengths. And if confirmed, I will bring all my experience to the greatest adventure in human history — the quest to discover the secrets of the universe.”
If confirmed, Isaacman would be only the fourth of 15 NASA administrators to have actually traveled to space.