Incoming Head of NASA Defies Elon Musk on Order to Abandon Moon Program

Billionaire fighter jet pilot-turned-SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman is currently attending a confirmation hearing to field questions from Congress. Despite plenty of concerns over his considerable conflict of interest, Isaacman is widely expected to be sworn in as NASA's next administrator in the coming days or weeks ahead. Perhaps most notably, Isaacman used the appearance to reiterate his commitment to continue to lead the space agency's long-established Artemis program to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon in his opening remarks — while simultaneously prioritizing "sending American astronauts to Mars" as well. "Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface," Isaacman said. In a symbolic gesture of his commitment to the program, the crew of four NASA astronauts, who are scheduled to travel to and around the Moon as part o ... Read full article.