Billionaire Astronaut Confirmed to Lead NASA

The U.S. Senate has confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new head of NASA. The vote passed 67-30 on Wednesday. Isaacman is a strong advocate for human missions to Mars. He is also a known ally of Elon Musk, the CEO of private space company SpaceX. Former President Donald Trump nominated Isaacman for the role earlier this year. The process was unusual; Trump withdrew the nomination and then put Isaacman's name forward again. During his confirmation hearing, Isaacman told senators that NASA must move faster. He emphasized the need to return Americans to the moon before China does later this decade. Isaacman will become the 15th administrator in the space agency's history.