Bharat Iyer

Doctor. Interested in aviation and space medicine.
I tweet about spaceflight, aviation and app development.
Per aspera ad astra. 🇦🇺

[NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin]

We go where we need to be, and today that was @NASAKennedy.

Some of my senior engineers and I spent time at @blueorigin with @JeffBezos and @davill, speaking with the workforce and seeing the damage at LC-36 firsthand. I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from those working through the aftermath and better understand the challenges ahead.

There is a lot of work to do, but this is exactly why people choose careers in aerospace, whether at NASA, Blue Origin, or across the industry. The talent in this field thrives under pressure and performs at its best when solving the toughest problems.

We have been saying for months at NASA that we are not going to sit on our hands and wait for the capabilities necessary to achieve the nation’s most pressing objectives. We are going to take an active role alongside our partners, just as we did in the 1960s, to overcome setbacks, remove obstacles, and deliver the intended outcomes.

@NASA is committed to helping the Blue team recover, continue to advance their lunar lander and get New Glenn back to launching as soon as safely possible.

America’s greatest achievements in space were never the result of avoiding setbacks. They came from overcoming them. We have done it before, and we will do it again🇺🇸

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Some thoughts I had on Artemis II, prior to loss of signal https://t.co/NX9v61wtJL

[NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin]

Australia supported us on Apollo and are with us again as we fly astronauts around the moon for the first time in over 50 years.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Watched this Spitfire documentary on the plane back to Aus. The aerial photography is too good not to share. https://t.co/mqSXQ3MISO

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

First impressions of @Flighty Pro: fantastic service. Gate change notifications are very useful, esp. when Sydney Airport doesn’t announce them, and all predicted times (taxi, takeoff, landing) were 100% accurate, down to the minute. Will have more thoughts once I get my blog up.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Does your search engine deliver free socks and stickers? @KagiHQ does. In addition to really great search results, privacy-first LLM assistants and an awesome translation service. This is the kind of company I’m happy to support.

(and yes, the search results are *that* good)

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Team Sim 2025 video, by yours truly. https://t.co/bDiWU34DoG

[Jared Isaacman @rookisaacman]

Well it is official now..

I want to again express my sincere appreciation to President Donald J. Trump @POTUS for nominating me to lead NASA, and to the United States Senate--and Chairman Cruz @tedcruz - for their diligence and fairness throughout the confirmation process. I am grateful to Secretary Duffy @SecDuffy for his leadership as Acting Administrator during this transition, and to my wife Monica, my family, my friend Senator Sheehy @TimSheehyMT and everyone who offered their support along the way.

As I step into this role, I make these personal commitments:

– Mission: I will champion the bold objectives of human space exploration, scientific discovery, and a thriving orbital economy that ensures America’s leadership in space. We will never again give up our capabilities to reach for the stars, and we will never settle for second place.

– Integrity: I will serve responsibly, transparently, and without personal gain, covering every cost I am legally permitted to, and fully adhering to my ethics agreement. My loyalty is to my country, my President, and the space agency that has inspired me since I was a child.

– Urgency: I will intensely focus the agency on achieving the near-impossible, the very reason NASA was established in the first place. We will eliminate the bureaucracy that impedes progress and empower the best and brightest to take ownership, move quickly, accept smart risks, and act with a relentless focus on mission success.

– Inspiration: Every launch, every scientific breakthrough must inspire the next generation to dream bigger, to reach higher, and believe that anything is possible. In addition to my existing philanthropic efforts, I will donate my salary as Administrator to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Space Camp to help prepare the pioneers of tomorrow.

I am humbled by this opportunity, proud to serve, and ready to work alongside the most talented minds in America as we continue the greatest adventure in human history.

Sincerely,
Jared Isaacman
NASA Administrator

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Deeply ashamed that terrorism has been able to inflict such horror on our shores.
Fair winds and following seas to the departed, who have been taken far too soon.
God bless healthcare workers fighting to save lives.

And make *that* bloke Australian of the Year.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

This is the most minor of nitpicks, but I figured I’d mention it since I presume @AppleTV cares about details. This jet is called the “F/A-18”, not the “F-18”. It is a dual-designated fighter *and* attack aircraft, and its name reflects that status.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

I try not to pay *too* much attention to American politics, but I gotta say … Jared Isaacman’s re-nomination for NASA Administrator, and Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City? Indubitably based.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

This man should've been sworn in as NASA Administrator 9 months ago. We need people like him, people who get it, in positions of power.

[Jared Isaacman @rookisaacman]

I think some context is important...it was a 3+ hour interview and this is a 39-second clip... plus I feel overdue for one of my long posts.

As for X-59 specifically, I am glad they had a safe and successful first flight. I would like to see even more X-planes funded through the ~$1B per year NASA Aeronautics budget--especially projects with radical airframe and engine designs that push the boundaries of speed and altitude. The more NASA is focused on the near-impossible the better --the endeavors that no other agency or company is capable of accomplishing. When they achieve a breakthrough, hand it off to industry, where competition can reduce costs and accelerate innovation.

I also love what Boom is doing--a privately funded start-up that is taking on a duopoly of global commercial aircraft manufacturers. To be clear, I have no economic interest in Boom (or any aerospace company for that matter)--I just love rooting for underdog entrepreneurs taking on bold projects and trying to change the game...and as Ricky Bobby says, I wanna go fast. I hope there are many start-ups like Boom challenging the status quo.

The comparison between the two vehicles in the interview was more about the broader issues of government programs, across all of aerospace, and especially cost management and schedule. X-59 started in 2016 and just completed a subsonic flight. The X-15 program (the era of Neil Armstrong, Scott Crossfield, Joe Engle, Joe Walker) went from contract award to first flight in less than 4 years. I’m not the only one pointing this out, NASA themselves cited X-59 issues in multiple reports after multiple delays.

To be overwhelmingly clear, I love NASA and want to see the agency be successful, including X-59, especially now that it is flying. As a pilot, I get really excited about X-planes and especially Skunk Works projects. Some misinterpret criticism or comparisons to the speed of commercial industry as taking an anti-NASA position. I see the debate across the space community daily - if you are critical of HLS, you love SLS. If you love HLS, you blame suit delays and all the other vendors and costs that contribute to the program. If you think SLS is expensive and overdue, you’re an Elon fan and vice versa you hate the guy. This goes on and on. I think it is just impatience manifesting itself in different arguments. Space-loving people around the world, and especially the best at NASA, love NASA and all the companies and partners contributing to this great adventure be successful. They want to see NASA astronauts on the Moon..they want Mars samples returned to Earth, nuclear propulsion, inspiring X-planes and endless waves of telescopes, rovers, and probes unlocking the secrets of the universe....and they wanted it all years ago! That impatience won’t subside if we pretend everything is perfect.

We can't always blame program continuity between administrations, and with a 37 trillion dollar national debt, budgets are not likely to be going up, so what that leaves is doing things differently to arrive at better outcomes.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Somewhat related note - I rode in a Model Y from Sydney to Newcastle last weekend, my first time ever in a Tesla. Pretty impressive - very spacious cabin, the Autopilot system worked a treat, and I really liked that the screen shows the blindspot camera when the indicator is on.

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

Fascinated by Tesla's supervised FSD, now available in Australia. This video demonstrates a trip from Sydney to Melbourne. Looks like the next generation of driving (rather, driverless) technology is here now. https://t.co/nUEUu22neW

[Joe Barnard 🚀 @joebarnard]

Landing burn on the SLS core stage

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

@DJSnM Starship ET isn't real, can't hurt you.

Starship ET:

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

So happy that they successfully hit every single objective on Flight 10. Third time's the charm! 🚀 #SpaceX

[Bharat Iyer @bvsveera]

It wasn't the SH landing, payload deploy, or splashdown off the coast of WA that did it for me. The moment where they showed the g-forces on Starship was the highlight for me.

I studied high +Gz flying during my RAAF elective, and it remains one my favourite aerospace subjects.

[John Kraus @johnkrausphotos]

Starship goes interdimensional during Flight 10. One of the most insane vapor cones I've ever seen.