As a prominent civilian astronaut, Jared Isaacman has already made important contributions to space exploration. Now he is out of contention for the NASA Administrator job. After President Donald Trump won the election, on December 23, 2016, he announced his intention to nominate Isaacman to the position. Speculation is rife that President Trump ordered Isaacman to pull out of the nomination process. This decision was largely driven by criticism over Isaacman’s campaign contributions.
Isaacman first attracted international attention for heading up the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission to orbit in 2021. That pioneering voyage made history as the first all-civilian spaceflight. He also crewed and piloted the mission onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Falcon 9. Three other crew members accompanied him, all of whom had never traveled to space before. Throughout this pioneering mission, Isaacman and his crew reached unprecedented distances in space. In so doing, they became the furthest traveling civilians in history.
The Rise of Jared Isaacman
Over the last few years, Jared has proved himself to be quite the maverick in the aerospace industry. His colorful past, including that of a talent show pilot with a savvy business sense lined him up to join SpaceX. Next year, he’s expected to be a part of the Polaris Dawn mission. Driven by a desire to push the boundaries of human exploration, this historic, all-civilian spaceflight will be unlike any other mission.
Isaacman has some incredible moon-shot astronaut credentials. He has cultivated a useful and close relationship with the Trump advisor par excellence, Elon Musk. This union with Musk serves to animate his leadership in futuristic missions to space. This makes him a good candidate for the role of NASA Administrator.
Political Fallout from Donations
Although Isaacman is highly qualified, his ties to political cash have caused an uproar. Behind the scenes reports allege that his gifts were mostly channeled towards well-known Democrats, leading to concern in the Trump White House. President Trump was allegedly very upset with Isaacman’s political affiliations. This dissatisfaction prompted Isaacman to step down from consideration for NASA Administrator.
Through this entire nomination journey, Isaacman has been thankful to President Trump, his Senate friends and supporters for their consideration. His comments spoke to a great deal of humility and gratitude for the chance to be nominated, even if the situation has turned in recent days.
Future Endeavors
Though Isaacman is no longer competing to be NASA Administrator, he is still fully dedicated to making the world a better place through expanding humanity’s access to space. His ongoing involvement with SpaceX and participation in future missions underscore his dedication to pushing the limits of what civilians can achieve in space.
