the next Nassa The leader will give priority to sending American astronauts to Mars If confirmed, I heard the Senate Committee on Wednesday.
But billionaire Jared IsaacA pioneer insisted on his own trips to space, that he would not give up current plans to prepare humans on the moon in 2027, although focusing on the missions on the red planet.
Isaac, 42, explained his vision for the future of space exploration in the United States during an unusual confirmation session to become a fifteenth permanent official in NASA in front of the Chamber’s Trade, Science and Transport Committee.
As the president stated, we will give priority to sending American astronauts to MarsAnd along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities of returning to the moon and identifying the benefits of scientific, economic and national security to maintain existence. “
“I didn’t say that we should not go to the moon. [But] What takes a long time to return to the moon, and why does it cost a lot of money? I want completely to see us back to the moon. “
Under NASA An initiative from the moon to pass – The first human landing on the surface of the moon since 1972, through the Artemis program, which was depicted during the first period of Trump and its sorrow during the Biden Administration – is an important starting point.
Space pioneers will build a permanent base there, conduct research and build the decisive infrastructure for the first mission that was currently to Mars scheduled in the late thirties of the twentieth century.
Ishaqan said he wanted to accelerate this schedule, while developing the moon and Mars missions in parallel.
“I don’t think this is either or”, he said before an audience, including the four Artemis II Space Pioneers Those who will fly to the moon and return next year without landing, Americans Red Weizmann, Christina Koch, Fake Glove and Canadian Jeremy Hansen.
Republican Senator in Texas Ted CruzThe chairman of the committee said that he agrees with the ISAACMAN assessment that NASA needs to restore the moon as soon as possible, to prevent competitors such as China as an advantage.
“We are not heading to the next space race. It is already here,” said Cruz.
“The Chinese Communist Party was clear in its desire to control space, and put a space station that operates at full capacity in the orbit of the low -Earth and automatic calm on the other side of the moon.
“[Nasa’s] The pipeline approach is explicitly in the law as enacted by Congress. We must stay in the course. Certainly, the intense shift in the priorities at this stage means the red moon, and it waives China for future generations. “
Isaacman, close friend of the founder of Spacex and Trump Acolyte Elon MuskHe said he intends to “revitalize the culture of the first task in NASA.”
He admitted that he was not a “typical candidate for this position”, but he benefited from his experiences in the field of space. Paul dawn is an important I saw him making the first civilian space last September, and as part of the world The first crew of private astronauts On a three -day trip in 2021.
He said: “I was relatively non -political. I am not a scientist and I haven’t worked in NASA. I don’t think these are weaknesses.”
If confirmed, ISAACMAN will succeed Bill Nelson, a former spacecraft pioneer, as one of the few NASA managers in the agency’s 66 -year -old history with experience in space transport.
As the smallest NASA leader ever, he would have led the agency while Cruz called a turning point in the space industry, as private companies such as Spacex take a permanent time share of what was previously from exclusive government actions.
“NASA is at a crossroads,” Senator said, adding that he believed that Isaac brought “a unique perspective” of the challenges facing the agency and the broader space industry.
“The explosive growth of the commercial space sector has transformed from devices manufacturers to space tourism projects, the heavenly and economic scene.
“It motivated the democratic character of the space to grow, low costs and satellite costs and boost the curiosity of the next generation. Meanwhile, the future of the final borders was not more uncertain.”
The Associated Press contributed to reporting
