CLEVELAND, Ohio — U.S. Sen. Jon Husted hosted NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and leaders from Ohio’s aerospace industry, academia and economic development organizations for a roundtable on the state’s role in space exploration, aviation, science and technology.
Husted, a Republican, said the discussion gave Isaacman a firsthand look at Ohio’s contributions to the Artemis II mission and research underway at NASA Glenn Research Center, according to a statement from his office.
“Ohio continues to lead the way in America’s space exploration, from contributing to the Artemis II mission to the cutting-edge research and technology being developed at NASA Glenn. I appreciated the opportunity to bring these leaders together and show Administrator Isaacman firsthand the important role Ohio plays in advancing American innovation and shaping the future of space exploration,” Husted said in a statement.
After the roundtable, Husted and Isaacman toured NASA Glenn Research Center, where they discussed the agency’s nuclear research and technology programs, the release said.
NASA Glenn leads development of the Artemis program’s spacecraft mechanisms, structures and pyrotechnics work. The Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility Space Simulation Center in Sandusky, which replicates the thermal and vacuum conditions of space, was used to test the Orion capsule ahead of the Artemis II launch, according to the release.
Husted’s office said the senator has secured several legislative wins supporting NASA Glenn’s work, including language in the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act encouraging the Pentagon to use existing hypersonic testing facilities — including the Hypersonic Tunnel Facility at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky — rather than build duplicate ones. Husted previously backed a defense authorization package carrying other Ohio-specific provisions.
The senator’s office also pointed to full funding for NASA in the fiscal year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill, language supporting NASA Glenn’s Fission Surface Power program, and $110 million set aside for nuclear propulsion systems that NASA Glenn will lead.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the office of Sen. Jon Husted.
