[DaFace]

(Please try and keep this non-political. I know it is to some extent, but let's focus on the implications rather than shit-slinging.)

I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2024

I didn't see this coming at all. Jared is the guy behind the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions. He's a huge fan of spaceflight (and SpaceX in particular), so this pretty strongly suggests that SpaceX is going to have a lot of pull with NASA in the coming years. Crazy.

It's debatable whether it's a good thing to keep pushing more of NASA's resources toward the private sector, but there's no question that NASA has struggled under its own weight for a while (see: SLS). In general, I think Jared is a good guy - super smart, very motivated, and very passionate. I'm excited to see what he'll do.