"The statement came following a meeting between Isaacman and Cornyn, in which the pair discussed NASA's role in keeping the US ahead of China, returning humans to the Moon, and "continuing to bolster NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, as the human space flight center of excellence and innovation." Isaacman, the off-again, on-again nominee for NASA administrator, should be confirmed in the role soon, unless the Commander in Chief changes his mind once again."
"Trump's budget reconciliation law, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, does not explicitly mention Discovery, just a "space vehicle" that "has flown into space" and "carried astronauts." By that measure, even the Apollo 10 capsule currently on display in London's Science Museum could be a contender. However, Cornyn has his eyes firmly set on Space Shuttle Discovery, and Isaacman has committed to relocating the vehicle."
"The role of NASA administrator is unlikely to be enviable as the agency faces hard choices due to a constrained budget. The job is complicated further by the requirement to relocate Space Shuttle Discovery "in one piece" from Virginia to Texas for $85 million (including the construction of a facility to house the vehicle). As YouTuber and space enthusiast Scott Manley put it: "I would not want the job of NASA administrator because I'd have to deal with boneheaded things like the stupid shuttle law.""
Jared Isaacman pledged to move Space Shuttle Discovery to Houston and discussed bolstering NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center during a meeting with Senator John Cornyn. The meeting covered keeping the US ahead of China and returning humans to the Moon. Isaacman is an off-again, on-again nominee for NASA administrator and faces confirmation, with responsibility for implementing a constrained NASA budget that includes relocating a flown, crew-carrying space vehicle. The budget language is ambiguous, but Cornyn and Isaacman focus on Discovery. The relocation must occur "in one piece" at a cost of about $85 million, creating controversy and complicating the administrator's role.
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