President Donald Trump’s inaugural address mentioned human missions to Mars as part of his “manifest destiny” vision for the US. However, there was confusion over who would lead NASA temporarily due to Bill Nelson and Pam Melroy’s resignation at the end of the Biden administration. The White House initially stated that Janet Petro, the director of the Kennedy Space Center, would serve as acting administrator, but a NASA spokesperson later confirmed Jim Free as acting administrator on their website.
The situation has been clarified by the Trump Administration’s formal nomination of billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to be NASA Administrator, which will be reviewed by the Senate Commerce Committee. As expected, associate administrators typically fill in as acting administrators during presidential transitions, but there is no requirement for this role. The uncertainty surrounding NASA’s leadership may be resolved soon, with Isaacman’s confirmation hearing potentially coming after his formal nomination later in Trump’s term.
Source: https://spacenews.com/second-trump-administration-begins-with-confusion-on-acting-nasa-leadership