Surprisingly, there is no mention in this document of any concrete plan to send humans to Mars. There are only two references to the Red Planet, both of which talk about sending humans there as a distant goal. A source recently told Ars that as soon as Trump realized there was no way to land humans on Mars during his second term, he was no longer interested in that initiative.
OMB in the picture
Much reference to space science is also absent from the document, with only mention of “optimizing space research and development investments to achieve my Administration’s near-term space objectives.”
The architect of the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts to space science (which Congress has largely blocked) was Russ Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget. It’s probably not a great indicator for science missions that Isaacman has been directed to coordinate with Watt’s office to achieve the policy objectives in the executive order.
All told, the policies Trump has signed are generally forward-looking, seeking to modernize NASA’s exploration efforts. Isaacman will face a number of challenges, including landing humans on the Moon by 2028 and working with industry to develop a timely successor to the International Space Station. How and when he faces these challenges will be an interesting story in the months and years to come.
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