NASA administrator talks to Science about studying the Moon, Mars—and Earth: Jared Isaacman says agency may accelerate lunar science program and could tackle a new Mars mission in 2028.

The article focuses on NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s priorities for the agency, emphasizing accelerated human exploration of the Moon through the Artemis program and plans for a potential Mars mission in 2028. Isaacman intends to increase the launch frequency of the Space Launch System rocket and expand the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to support lunar science and technology demonstrations. He also aims to rebuild NASA’s civil service workforce by converting contractors into permanent employees and introducing a new "NASA Force" initiative to bring in industry experts on term appointments. Additionally, Isaacman highlights the importance of maintaining Earth science programs while avoiding politicization, and he expresses cautious optimism about future planetary science missions such as Mars Sample Return and Titan’s Dragonfly. [Extracted from the article]