Trump Nasa nominee says agency will prioritise Mars mission
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Nasa will tell senators on Wednesday that the agency will prioritise a Mars mission, while noting that most US space programmes are over budget and behind schedule.
“We will prioritise sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the moon and determine the scientific, economic and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface,” said Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur, in written testimony for his Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Reuters reported on Monday that Isaacman told Senate staff last week that returning humans to the moon before China sends its own astronauts there is a national imperative.