Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
billionaire astronaut jared isaacman Senators were urged on Wednesday to take immediate action on her bid to lead NASA after the president fired her and re-nominated her. donald trump,
Isaacman appeared before the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in Washington, eight months after his first nomination hearing. The tech entrepreneur who entered orbit twice spacex He stressed the need for “full-time leadership” at NASA as the space agency prepares to return astronauts to the Moon early next year.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as NASA’s acting administrator since the summer.
Returning astronauts to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years will be “a challenging endeavor to say the least,” Isaacman told the committee led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
NASA is aiming to fly four astronauts to the Moon as early as next year. They will not land on the moon; This will happen in some other mission. The goal is to defeat the Chinese there by the end of the decade.
Isaacman told the committee, “This is not a time for delay, but a time for action because if we lag behind – if we make a mistake – we will never be able to catch up, and the consequences could change the balance of power on Earth.”
Cruz agreed. “NASA can’t take its eye off the ball,” he said, referring to China’s emerging moon plans. “The United States must remain the undisputed leader in space exploration.”
Isaacman was confirmed within days of being confirmed management committee as NASA’s 15th administrator when Trump withdrew his nomination in May. The move came soon after Trump’s fallout with SpaceX’s Elon Musk. The president re-nominated Isaacman last month.
Cruise said that Isaacman’s second appearance “feels a bit like Groundhog Day” and hoped to have it confirmed by the end of the year.
In response to questions from senators, Isakman described both the Moon and Mars as priorities for exploration by the U.S. team, with parallel efforts underway. He said he supports Duffy’s recent move to reopen the contract for the lunar lander required for the first touchdown by astronauts under NASA’s Artemis program.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX won the original crewed lunar lander contract with Starship, but the Mega rocket remains in flight testing. Jeff Bezos’ blue origin Trying to gain the upper hand with his Blue Moon landers; A prototype is due to launch early next year.
Isaacman assured senators that NASA would go with the first company capable of delivering American astronauts to the surface of the Moon. “The best thing for SpaceX is Blue Origin on their heels, and vice versa,” he said. He also supports competition between world powers – “until we lose.”
The 42-year-old founder of payments processing company Shift4 performed the world’s first private spacewalk last fall. He managed both of his space flights. Several astronauts were present for the hearing, including some of Isaacman’s crewmates.
,
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.