Archive for December, 2025
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December 2nd, 2025
Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science
Credit: Inside Outer Space Screengrab
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, along with Ranking member U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) recently received a letter of support from former NASA astronauts for Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be NASA Administrator.
Isaacman is now poised Wednesday, December 3, 2025 to appear at a hearing for NASA and Commerce Nominees at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in Washington, D.C.
Entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s nominee to be NASA administrator.
NASA / Bill Ingalls
2nd time around
The Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee is convening the hearing to consider the nominations of:
- Jared Isaacman, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Steven Haines, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis
Isaacman is a “been there and done that once before” NASA Administrator nominee. That earlier confirmation hearing was back on April 9. But his name was withdrawn by President Trump on May 31, then reinstated on November 6.
Image credit: Jared Isaacman
NASA facing challenges
“He will bring renewed energy and sense of purpose to NASA,” the November 22 letter from former NASA astronauts states. “NASA is facing many challenges right now including the rapidly approaching launch of the Artemis II mission. We therefore urge the Senate to move expeditiously towards Mr. Isaacman’s confirmation.”
For a look at the letter, go to Keith Cowing’s informative NASA Watch website at:
https://nasawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/isaacmanAstro.pdf
Posted in 
Image credit: Mars Guy/NASA-JPL/Caltech/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Mars Guy takes a look at heavy metal from space, a finding from the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover now exploring Jezero Crater.
“Perseverance has gone for more than four years without encountering what three previous rovers have found on Mars: rocks not from Mars,” Mars Guy explains. “Now it too may have found a chunk of iron left over from a world destroyed while the Solar System was still young.”
High likelihood
NASA’s Perseverance rover team recently reported that an oddly shaped rock it encountered in September on the outer rim of Jezero Crater has high amounts of the elements iron and nickel.
NASA’s Opportunity rover inspected discarded heat shield, gaining “unexpected bonus science.” Labeled “Heat Shield Rock” it is a basketball-sized iron-nickel meteorite found on the Meridiani Planum plain of Mars in January 2005.
Image credit: Mars Guy/NASA/JPL/Cornell
There’s a high likelihood that this is an iron nickel meteorite from space.
“And that possibility is boosted by the fact that other rovers elsewhere on Mars have definitely found iron nickel meteorites,” explains Mars Guy.
Take a look at this new video explaining the new finding at: https://youtu.be/T0FtnyUBN6Q
