This was one of the questions that had haunted the world of science for several weeks. Who would President-elect Donald Trump appoint to head NASA? If the name of Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator during Trump’s first term, logically returned to the table, Ultimately it was Jared Isaacman who took on this role.
A nomination that appears like a gift from heaven for Elon Musk and his company SpaceX. The future administrator is indeed very close to Elon Musk. The two men notably worked together on the Inspiration 4 space flights and more recently Polaris Dawn. Each time Isaacman was in the spaceship, even floating in the vacuum of space, a historic first for a civilian.
New boss of NASA
With such a CV, Isaacman was already close to the space world, but only as a wealthy client wanting to realize his childhood dreams. Next January, he will be thrust into the front row, at the head of the American space agency. Obviously, such an appointment raises dozens of questions.
Many in the opposition are already calling it a conflict of interest. It must be said that the links between Jared Isaacman and Elon Musk are more than close. The two billionaires share the same ambitions for space conquest. With a friend like Isaacman at the helm of NASA, all public funding for SpaceX is going to be called into question.
Science very worried about its funding
In addition to the possible abusive financial aid allocated by NASA to SpaceX, which will be monitored very closely, Isaacman’s appointment raises another question, that of his legitimacy. The current administrator of NASA is Bill Nelson, US senator and in charge of space affairs for the Democrats for almost 20 years.
He will be replaced by a beginner, with a CV that fits on an A4 sheet. A radical change, which would have surprised the whole world if Donald Trump was not in charge. But this appointment could have terrible consequences, particularly for the scientific world.
As as NASA administratorIsaacman will have to make arbitrations, allocate budget to this or that mission. Will he be objective when it comes to deciding between financing his friend Elon Musk’s Starship and another mission, for scientific purposes? It is impossible to answer this question, but the simple fact that it exists raises questions.
A client at the head of NASA
The last point that is making the small space world cringe is the Polaris program. With these private tourist flights, Isaacman’s schedule was already very busy. In January he will take over as head of NASA, a role that requires time and seriousness. It is therefore difficult to imagine him preparing for weeks for a space flight without any scientific interest.
However, the Polaris program has still not been “paused”. How does Jared Isaacman plan to take part? Answer next January.
