▼ Summary
– The “Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act,” aiming to relocate the space shuttle Discovery to Space Center Houston, has been included in the Senate’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
– The bill, primarily focused on tax cuts and spending increases, now includes an additional $9.995 billion for NASA programs, such as Moon and Mars missions.
– Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn introduced the act in April, with $85 million allocated from the NASA funding to move Discovery from Virginia to Texas.
– $5 million of the $85 million is designated for transporting Discovery, while the rest will fund a new facility at Space Center Houston.
– Cornyn expressed optimism about the bill’s progress, noting its expansion in the Senate during a June 20 press conference.
Texas lawmakers are making a bold push to bring the iconic space shuttle Discovery back to its operational roots, attaching the proposal to a major legislative package currently moving through Congress. The initiative, now part of the Senate’s version of the sweeping economic bill, could see the orbiter relocated from its longtime home at the Smithsonian to Space Center Houston.
The “Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act”, spearheaded by Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, has been folded into the broader legislative package, which includes substantial funding for NASA. While the primary focus of the bill remains tax policy and federal spending, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation secured an additional $9.995 billion for space exploration efforts, including lunar missions and future Mars expeditions.
During a recent press conference at Space Center Houston, Cornyn expressed optimism about the bill’s progress, noting that the $10 billion NASA allocation could help make the shuttle relocation a reality. “What started as a strong proposal in the House is evolving into something even more significant,” he remarked.
If approved, $85 million of that funding would be dedicated to moving Discovery from Virginia’s Udvar-Hazy Center, where it has been displayed since 2011, to Texas. The legislation specifies that at least $5 million would cover transportation costs, with the remainder supporting the construction of a new exhibit facility at Space Center Houston, the official visitor hub for NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Supporters argue that the move would honor Texas’s deep ties to the shuttle program, given Johnson Space Center’s role in mission control and astronaut training. Critics, however, question whether relocating a national treasure for political reasons sets a concerning precedent. As the Senate prepares to vote, the fate of Discovery, and its potential journey to the Lone Star State, hangs in the balance.
(Source: Ars Technica)
