Free Republic

NASA today released its final investigation report on the causes behind the Starliner thruster issues during that capsule’s only manned mission in ISS, issues that almost prevented the spacecraft from docking successfully and could have left it manned and out-of-control while still in orbit. Starliner docked to ISS in 2024.You can read the report here [pdf]. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman made it clear in his own statement that the Starliner incident was far more serious than originally let on. “To undertake missions that change the world, we must be transparent about both our successes and our shortcomings. We have to...

NASA's Starliner Crew Flight Test was supposed to restore confidence in America's second human spaceflight system. Instead, it exposed something far more serious than helium leaks or thruster anomalies. NASA Admin Jared Isaacman breaks down the actual findings behind the Starliner mission. NASA Chief Finally Admits Boeing Starliner Was A BIG Failure! | 10:45 Scientia Plus | 53.8K subscribers | 6,342 views | February 19, 2026

Ellie in Space interviews Christian Davenport, author of Rocket Dreams. Moon vs Mars, SpaceX IPO & The China Question w/ Christian Davenport | 45:11 Ellie in Space | 217K subscribers | 4,809 views | February 16, 2026

Astronauts headed into orbit — and toward the moon — will soon be able to bring their personal smartphones along for the ride. NASA announced this week that crews assigned to upcoming missions, including Crew-12 and Artemis II, will be allowed to fly with modern smartphones, marking a shift from longtime rules that required astronauts to leave personal devices behind while living aboard the International Space Station. In a post on X, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the change is meant to help crews document historic moments and stay connected with loved ones back on Earth. ... Until now, astronauts...

My Talk With Jared Isaacman: 50 Days as Head of NASA | 20:11 Ellie in Space | 217K subscribers | 12,435 views | February 6, 2026

In an interview with News 5 Cleveland's Clay LePard, Isaacman talked about jobs at ‪@NASA‬ Glenn Research Facility in Cleveland, putting Americans back on the moon by 2028, plans for a base on the moon by 2030 and how humans will be on Mars within our lifetimes. Full interview with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacmanat the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland | 10:48News 5 Cleveland | 354K subscribers | 3,933 views | January 27, 2026

Jared Isaacman Is Transparent With NASA Decision to Fly Orion Heat Shield 'As Is'N | 11:50 Ellie in Space | 216K subscribers | 12,455 views | January 10, 2026 Link to Eric's article: Is Orion's heat shield really safe? New NASA chief conducts final review on eve of flight Eric Berger | January 9, 2026 | Ars Technica

Musk and Gor disliked each other since before Trump reclaimed power on Jan. 20 — with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing Gor as “sleazy” during the transition and questioning his staffing picks. But the world’s richest man had the president’s ear and friendship through last week. Simmering behind the scenes was a grudge nursed by Gor over a March 6 Cabinet meeting, during which Musk “humiliated” him by slamming the pace of staffing the administration, said the sources, each of whom have interacted closely with Gor. “He was bragging to other people that he was going to get one...

This week at Starbase construction rolls on at the launch site and air separation plant, work continues on Booster 19 and Ship 39, and an interesting new truss structure begins taking shape at the Massey Outpost. Meanwhile, in other space news, SpaceX reaches an important milestone with this week's Starlink launches, Rocket Lab contributes a pair of launches to this week's activities, along with one from ULA and another from Arianespace, and NASA's 15th administrator is officially sworn in. Is SpaceX Ready to Start Testing Orbital Refilling? - Spaceflight Weekly #198 | 9:42LabPadre Space | 250K subscribers | 19,838 views...

NEWS: Today, Trump signed an executive order committing the United States to return to the Moon by 2028, build a lunar outpost by 2030 and prepare for the journey to Mars. Everything in the Executive Order: • Return Americans to the Moon by 2028 • Begin building a permanent lunar outpost by 2030 • Make U.S. space superiority a core national priority • Expand commercial launch, lower costs, increase cadence • Develop next-gen space-based missile defense by 2028 • Detect and counter threats in LEO and cislunar space • Rapidly modernize national security space architecture • Deepen allied cooperation in...

BREAKING: The U.S. Senate has just officially confirmed Jared Isaacman as the new head of NASA. At just 42 years old, he now becomes the youngest person in history to lead the agency. Congrats @rookisaacman! To the Moon and Mars!🚀

A 62-page document written by President Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again pick to run NASA, billionaire Jared Isaacman, outlines a sweeping, ambitious, and at times controversial plan for the space agency.... The leak — according to a recent Ars Technica report and a source who confirmed the account to CNN — looked to have been part of an effort by Duffy, who is temporarily running NASA, to spur controversy and potentially thwart Isaacman’s renomination... A Mars shot and nuclear propulsion One eye-popping proposal in Project Athena is to set up a new Mars program, dubbed “Olympus.”...The document also includes numerous mentions of...

A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launched the NS-34 crew from West Texas on Aug. 3, 2025. The crew included: Crypto billionaire Justin Sun, Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal, a real estate investor and adventurer; Turkish businessman Gökhan Erdem; Deborah Martorell, a journalist and meteorologist; Englishman Lionel Pitchford, who has run an orphanage in Nepal for three decades; and American entrepreneur James (J.D.) Russell. Blastoff! Blue Origin launches crypto billionaire and 5 others to suborbital space, nails landing | 11:35 VideoFromSpace | 2.02M subscribers | 4,440 views | August 3, 2025

Elon Musk said Saturday he was launching the "America Party" after President Trump signed his historic spending bill. In a falling out with the president, Musk has been critical of the bill in recent weeks and said he would start a new political party if it passed. Musk said the party could start by targeting a select number of seats in Congress.

Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday lashed out at a key aide to President Donald Trump who was rumored to have played a role in contributing to the feud that broke out between the CEO and the president. Musk responded to a report by the New York Post that said Sergio Gor, who serves as the director of presidential personnel at the White House, has not yet submitted the paperwork required for him to obtain a permanent security clearance. "He's a snake," Musk wrote in a post on X responding to the story. The public feud between Musk and Trump began...

“We don’t confirm Schumer donors in this administration,” said a source close to the Trump team — referencing the quiet but decisive move to pull billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman from consideration as the head of NASA under the second Trump Administration. Our source requested anonymity to speak candidly about personnel decisions within the administration. Isaacman — a close ally of Elon Musk, SpaceX collaborator, private astronaut, and founder of Shift4 — was under serious consideration for a high-level appointment. But his name was withdrawn after campaign finance records revealed over $200,000 in donations to prominent Democratic politicians, committees, and super...

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk mocked President Joe Biden on Sunday for neglecting to praise his aerospace company's historic, all-civilian mission to orbit. Musk recently said he would prefer to stay out of politics. But Sunday’s quip — which alluded to a Trump taunt about Biden — belied his frustration with the White House. After SpaceX completed a historic, private spaceflight on Saturday, CEO Elon Musk took a pot shot at President Joe Biden who had yet to remark on the company's and the civilian flight crew's accomplishments. One of Musk's 60 million followers on the social networking platform...

The quartet of newly minted citizen astronauts comprising the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission were due to splash down in the Atlantic off Florida on Saturday, completing a three-day flight of the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit. To prepare for atmospheric re-entry and return to Earth, the SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle completed two rocket "burns" on Friday to lower its altitude and line up the capsule's trajectory with the targeted landing site. The Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, is scheduled to parachute into the sea around 7 p.m. Eastern time, shortly before sunset, according to SpaceX, the private rocketry company...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: President Trump pulls his nomination of Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator. 8:48 PM · May 31, 2025

President-elect Donald Trump issued a slew of nominations on Wednesday, including for positions at NASA and the Army. Peter Navarro was tapped on Wednesday to serve as his Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing. Among those nominated was Daniel P. Driscoll for Secretary of the Army. Trump wrote that "as a former Soldier, Investor, and Political Advisor, Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent." Driscoll completed Army Ranger school, and was deployed with the 10th Mountain Division as a Cavalry Scout Platoon Leader in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his service,...