Trump’s Pick for NASA Chief Hints at Expected Shift Toward Mars

If Jared Isaacman becomes NASA’s administrator, as he’s likely to do, the agency will prioritize Mars over the Moon under the Trump administration, judging by some of his first public comments on the matter. Jared Isaacman has been active on social media since Trump named him as his choice to become the U.S. space agency’s next administrator, which he did in early December. But the astronaut mostly stuck to posting about flying planes, his payments company Shift4, and retweeting images of space without comment. On February 16, he offered a glimpse at what NASA could focus on over the next four years. Retweeting a photo of Mars, Isaacman said the imagery makes him feel “energized about the future.” He thinks it’s “so important for people to understand the profound implications of sending humans to another planet,” he added. When I see a picture like this, it is impossible not to feel energized about the future. I think it is so important for people to understand the profound implicat ... Read full article.