Billionaire who performed the first private spacewalk is picked to lead NASA

Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire known for conducting the first private spacewalk, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead NASA. Isaacman, 41, is the CEO of a credit card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Elon Musk, purchasing multiple spaceflights from SpaceX. His nomination comes as he prepares to replace Bill Nelson, who served under President Biden. Isaacman expressed his honor at the nomination and his passion for advancing America's space exploration efforts. Under Nelson, NASA made significant progress towards returning astronauts to the moon through the Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts around the moon next year. NASA continues to rely on SpaceX for crewed missions to the International Space Station and lunar landings. Isaacman, a fighter jet pilot and self-described "space geek," has a history of adventurous endeavors, including setting a speed record for flying around the world. He has also reserved additional flights with SpaceX, including a mission to lead Starship's first crew into orbit.

- Jared Isaacman has been nominated by Trump to lead NASA.

- He is known for the first private spacewalk and has collaborated with SpaceX.

- Isaacman will replace Bill Nelson, who focused on the Artemis moon program.

- NASA relies on SpaceX for crewed missions and lunar landings.

- Isaacman has a background in aviation and entrepreneurship.