Is THIS why we haven’t returned to the moon?

It’s been 56 years since NASA landed the first humans on the moon. Since then, our knowledge and technology has exploded. Today, we know more than ever about space exploration, computing, robotics, and materials science — far surpassing the capabilities and innovations that made the Apollo 11 mission possible.

So why haven’t we been back?

Former nominee for NASA administrator Jared Isaacman tells Glenn Beck that the bureaucracy at NASA is what’s barring America from achieving her potential in space.

“There needs to be some sort of a reorganization of the agency so you can kind of get back to concentrating on the real needle movers — the things that if NASA doesn’t do it, no one will, or if it is done, it’ll be done by the Chinese or the Russians,” he says.

Another moon landing is important, says Isaacman, because of “what we may learn from a scientific perspective,” the potential for “economic benefit,” and for reasons related to “national security.”

But “despite having a space station up there for 20 years, the biggest accomplishment we’ve had is keeping people alive continuously for 20 years in the harsh environment of space, which is good. But we haven’t figured out that magic wand” that “treats cancer” or “improves technology,” he says.

The problem isn’t that we can’t get to the moon; it’s that we keep standing in our own way.

“There’s a lot of bureaucracy [at NASA] that’s impeding progress,” says Isaacman.

For example, “NASA has yet to approve iPhones to go to the space station for their astronauts,” even though Russian astronauts have consistently brought theirs to the space station and even share them with American astronauts.

Isaacman says this is a “petty example,” but it paints a picture of just how severe NASA’s bureaucracy is.

One of the main problems, he says, is that “we’ve become very risk averse.”

But “there are some risks worth taking. Exploring the worlds beyond ours is a risk worth taking. You’re not going to get there if you’re not accepting some risk,” he says.

But how can we even begin to take calculated risks when there are “50 different departments” at NASA dedicated to safety?

“That’s not to say safety isn’t important, but if you have lots of people in a position to say no rather than bubbling it up logically to a single organization, it’s going to be easier to just say no,” says Isaacman. “I mean the best way to keep astronauts and pilots safe is don’t fly and don’t go to space.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the full interview above.

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