Less than a month after four astronauts splashed down on their return from NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years, the agency’s top administrator visited Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East where the rocket that took them there and the pressure vessel of their crew module were built.
But Jared Isaacman, who became administrator of the space agency in December, said last month’s Artemis II mission, which spurred a renewed enthusiasm for the space program, was “just the opening act.”
Speaking to reporters following a tour of the facility with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, Isaacman said hiring at Michoud is ramping up as NASA sets its sights on building a permanent moon base, a new generation of spacecraft and the capability to send astronauts to another planet for the first time.
“There is going to come a day when these big doors open and we roll out space hardware, and it’s going to look like a nuclear-powered spaceship,” Isaacman said. “That’s going to be the capability that’s going to take astronauts to Mars.”
Ramping up
The administrator’s site visit served as a vote of confidence in the future of the 829-acre Michoud facility and the 3,500 jobs it supports…