Mark Whittington, Tuesday, 7-29-25

I introduced Mark, who discussed the current turmoil at NASA, describing the agency as "rudderless" due to the stalled nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman as Administrator. Isaacman, known for funding private missions like Inspiration 4, was nominated by Donald Trump and had garnered bipartisan support, including backing from former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. However, his nomination unraveled after a post on Truth Social falsely labeled him a Democrat and criticized his connection to Elon Musk. Influenced by low-level staffer Sergio Gor—reportedly motivated by personal grievances—Trump withdrew his support. As a result, the nomination collapsed, and NASA remains without permanent leadership. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is currently serving as interim Administrator while also handling his existing responsibilities. Mark talked about Sean so don’t miss his commentary on this subject. Read the full summary for this day and date, www.thespaceshow.com, Tuesday, July 29, 25