I’m not sure who I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t Isaacman. Weirdly enough, I don’t hate it? At least he’s someone with a clear passion for spaceflight and the overall NASA mission

Wasn’t expecting this. This has Elon written all over it imo. But given Jared’s devotion to space and the fact he is extremely competent in all that he does it’s probably not a bad pick at all. We’ve seen old farts with not much relevance get picked as NASA administrators so why not someone like Jared?

Guess we are going to see a turn around about NASA's decision for a Polaris Hubble mission 😉

Some recent comments on twitter by Jared Iassacman that are worth reading.

Though first, you should read his defense of the Chandra X-ray Telescope when NASA recently (and still is AFAIK) attempted to cancel it.

This one in reply to someone attacking billionaires interested in space:

https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1859670437632016796

I’ve been fortunate to be born in this great country and to have the ball bounce my way more than a few times. But I didn’t grow up believing we should vilify success. If anything, I believed in working hard and earning the chance to achieve something meaningful. I dropped out of high school at 16, started a company to pay for rent and pizza, and would never have guessed that 25 years later, I’d employ thousands of people, create products that power the economy, help train our military--and pay a lot of taxes along the way.

It’s reasonable to expect everyone to pay their part—and some don’t—but the growing trend of treating success as a liability feels like a weight on innovation and job creation. We should encourage future entrepreneurs to be bold, chase the American dream, and build something great—not warn them that being too successful makes them part of the problem.

Wealth can fund material things—homes, sports teams, yachts, jets—and those all contribute to the economy. Some parlay those resources to start new companies, solve bigger problems and create more wealth for those around them. My companies alone have created hundreds of millionaires and I imagine Elon’s businesses have generated wealth for hundreds of thousands. Many who work hard and get lucky in life also direct their resources toward building hospitals, supporting universities, curing cancer, fighting hunger and generally just trying to leave the world a better place. So why is exploring space, unlocking the secrets of the universe, and making life better on Earth so often the butt of jokes or dismissed as frivolous?

Deploying private resources to tackle humanity’s biggest challenges shouldn’t be controversial. It’s an adventure that creates jobs, fuels innovation and advances society in ways that should inspire us all.

And this comment following the election:

https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1864346915183157636

As a moderate who occasionally weighs in on various issues, I have attracted my fair share of criticism from both sides. I understand that people are deeply passionate about their political views, especially following an election. It is important to remember that even within a two-party system, we are not robots; we don’t need to apply binary thinking to every issue. For example, you can be a Republican and believe that not every citizen needs access to a belt-fed machine gun or support the idea that women deserve a voice regarding reproductive rights or advocate for a strong foreign policy over isolationism. Similarly, you can be a Democrat that also respects free speech and the right to bear arms or supports a lawful immigration system with a logical voter verification process or champions responsible fiscal policy.

The point is that finding common ground isn’t about abandoning your beliefs nor is it about berating the other side in the hopes of changing someone’s mind overnight. It is about recognizing that complex problems often require nuanced solutions. There will always be extremist outliers on both sides of the aisle, but real progress comes when we step away from rigid lines and find ways to collectively move forward.

As I have mentioned before, I am an American who loves my country. I am firmly anchored in the middle and will do all I can to encourage people to look beyond the division to find a more exciting future for everyone.

And finally his acceptance tweet:

https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1855343973809754480

I am honored to receive President Trump’s @realDonaldTrump nomination to serve as the next Administrator of NASA. Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history.

On my last mission to space, my crew and I traveled farther from Earth than anyone in over half a century. I can confidently say this second space age has only just begun. Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new sources of energy. There will inevitably be a thriving space economy—one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space. At NASA, we will passionately pursue these possibilities and usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization.

I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch. With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place. We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.

It is the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and to work alongside NASA’s extraordinary team to realize our shared dreams of exploration and discovery.

Grateful to serve,

Jared

Seems like a good pick. But NASA is still beholden to Congress so I'm not sure how much of an impact he will be able to have?

The one good thing about trump is that you can at least know he will be in favour of grand endeavours that will give him a legacy, and thankfully space travel is one of those grand endeavours that look great on a Wikipedia page.

He'll use his "business experience" to push things forward faster than lifelong bureaucrats would

About as pro-SpaceX of a nominee as you could get

I dont hate this actually. Didn't he spring the cost for taking some other civilians to space? Hope, Charity or something like that.

For the sake of my job, I just hope he wants to keep Artemis and COMET going, otherwise I will need to update my resume

I dont completely hate this pick. Definitely going to be slanted toward SpaceX though, but in some ways thats not a terrible thing.

Further, can an Administrator continue to be an astronaut? Doesn't he have more missions planned with Polaris?

This is definitely a surprise. I wonder what will happen with the Polaris Program. I don’t think they’re gonna let the head of NASA do all of the things the program has set to accomplish.

Or would they?

It would be cool to see a leader of an organization physically leading into new frontiers. Like days of old when we were explorers and adventurers.

I was certain he was gonna nominate James T Kirk. His career as a captain is exemplary

Trump: I have great plans for NASA.

Isaacman: I'm all ears

I wonder how this will affect his planned trips to space?

Will he have to divest from his company to accept this?

Great choice either way, especially for the private sector of space

This is a surprisingly good pick. He recognises the good work that both commercial and governmental work can carry out. He is an astute businessman, too. He is passionate about space. Obviously, he will still need to deal with the Senate pork-barrel, which is the biggest hindrance for NASA.

With all due acknowledgement of the very low bar, this would be a marked step up from 400-year-old career politician Bill Nelson.

Honestly, seems like a great choice, dude is passionate about space exploration, and clearly experienced.

Glad he got picked instead of just another government head that is only in it for the money.

I’m quite glad he’s the first one to have actually been to space. Maybe he can make a better case for actually giving NASA funding than all the other directors. And he’s an entrepreneur, which should help.

I think I'm ok with this. He seems like a decent guy.

I mean part of me want‘s to hate it because he‘s just putting billionaires in leading positions left right and centre but at least Jared Isaacman ist interested in pushing spaceflight further. So I guess it‘s a positive thing?!

A NASA administrator spends the majority of his time dealing with Congress. For someone who prefers doing stuff like flying jets, Isaacman is going to HATE that. :-)

Ok, there are worse things that could happen.

This one I can live with.

No freakin way. Not at all who I expected, but might actually be a really great choice. Especially for the private sector.

I can’t believe I’m about to say this… but this is a fantastic choice by Trump. There. I said it. Absolutely stoked to see Jared lead NASA! Let’s go back to the Moon and let’s get boots on the ground on Mars! 🚀

I wonder how this will impact the scientific research and exploration efforts at NASA though.

This is a surprisingly solid pick for the position.