When Congress quietly approved $85 million to potentially relocate Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to Houston, it sparked a wave of concern among historians, curators, and the general public. We covered this matter HERE first and then HERE. The central question is straightforward yet profound: should one of America’s most historic and widely flown spacecraft be moved from the nation’s premier aerospace museum for political reasons? Preservation experts and advocates warn that moving Discovery could put at risk both a priceless artifact and the standards of how we protect our national heritage.
KeepTheShuttle is closely following developments in Congress regarding the shuttle’s proposed relocation. Bipartisan efforts, led by Senator Dick Durbin and Representative Joe Morelle, support keeping Discovery at the Smithsonian, while NASA has not yet identified which spacecraft could be relocated under the OBBBA mandate.
Joe Stief, founder of KeepTheShuttle, recently provided an update on the situation. A new development has emerged: Senator John Cornyn, along with Senators Ted Cruz and Representative Randy Weber, has requested that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice investigate the Smithsonian for potential violations of the Anti-Lobbying Act by its staff. Stief characterized this move as an attempt to intimidate the Smithsonian from defending its “right, title, and interest” in Discovery. Similar efforts were previously directed at Smithsonian Chancellor and Chief Justice John Roberts, though no action was taken at that time.
According to a recent letter from the Smithsonian to Congress, both NASA and the museum have highlighted two critical points: relocating Discovery would require disassembling the shuttle, and the estimated cost of such a move is between $120 million and $150 million—far exceeding the $85 million authorized (though not appropriated) by Congress. While proponents of the relocation have expressed dissatisfaction with these findings, no alternative relocation plan has been presented, aside from vague references to unspecified “industry experts” who allegedly disagree with NASA and the Smithsonian—organizations with direct experience designing, flying, transporting, and preserving the shuttle. Stief also emphasized that while he has personal ties to the museum and Discovery, KeepTheShuttle operates independently and has no formal connection with Smithsonian leadership. To learn more or to join the effort, visit KeepTheShuttle.org
The move would be controversial, yes. I always believed the bigger question is how the shuttles were originally allocated in the first place. Atlantis is at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Discovery is at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Virginia, Endeavour is at the California Science Center, and Enterprise is at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.
Atlantis – at the site the shuttles were launched – makes sense. Discovery as part of the Smithsonian’s collection makes sense to me, as well.
But how The Intrepid in NYC or the California Science Center in Los Angeles got shuttles over Mission Control (Houston) always appeared to be dubious political decisions – one of those should be moved to Houston instead.
Put the 85 million into the SNAP program – Feed the millions of Americans that are in need of assistance of the funds that are scheduled to end.
Leave the Shuttles where they are.
Becauae Califonia paid the price and relocation costs. All in an era that no one wanted the scrap. Are you guys really that short of memory and don’t remember the “sink them in the gulf” era. And Congress promissed to stop that, then they were auctioned off as large corporations stepped up with the cash. Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Larry Ellison opened their checkbooks and helped bore the cost for school children.
All of the orbiters were built in Southern California, with the final assembly taking place at the Rockwell facility in Palmdale, near Edwards Air Force Base. Most of the aerospace manufacturers still had facilities in the Los Angeles Basin at the time and a very good percentage of them had a hand in at least some components of the orbiter. So it was very appropriate for one orbiter to return to their area of origin.
New York has about as much connection to the shuttle program as North Dakota. They just have “better” politicians. Plus it would be straightforward to move it off the Intrepid and load it onto a seagoing barge for the move to Houston, making it by far the easiest orbiter to move.
I don’t think Los Angeles is a dubious choice at all. California is literally the “birthplace” of all 6 Shuttles (including Enterprise). They were manufactured in Palmdale, which is only about 50 miles north of LA. They also performed many landings at Edwards Air Force base, which is notch further north than Palmdale. The Space Shuttles’ connection with south California is pretty clear.
I understand Houston has an obvious significance to American spaceflight as a whole. But it doesn’t actually have any physical link to the shuttles themselves. The orbiters never landed there. They weren’t made there. The only time a shuttle ever visited Texas was so the SCA could land and refuel.
Plus the whole point of displaying the shuttles is they need to be somewhere where loads of people will see them. LA is obvious and the California Science Center have done (or are doing) an amazing job with Endeavour’s permanent home.
Enterprise being in NYC is a strange choice, I agree, especially as it’s plonked on the end of an aircraft carrier. However I have seen Enterprise’s display at the Intrepid and it is stunning. There’s a lot of information about the other 5 orbiters. Having said that, if they decide to move it to Houston, I would understand. Though it appears that the senators only want a shuttle that has flown in space.
Can’t speak to why NYC got Enterprise, but Endeavor went to Los Angeles because Rockwell built them in Palmdale CA, landed them at Edwards AFB, maintained a launch site for polar orbits at Vandenberg AFB, and NASA’s premier Air and spacecraft science lab is JPL in Pasadena.
Houston was selected as a control center to gratify president Johnson. No spacecraft was ever built, launched, or landed there. They got the Independence mock-up and one of the shuttle transport 747 aircraft. This whole thing is a bunch of garbage from two big-ego politicians who think that Texas is the center of the universe.
All of these rationalizations ignore one salient fact: the Smithsonian has an iron-clad claim of ownership. Unless Congress is throwing out our heritage of “Property Rights” as enshrined in our Constitution; Discovery is staying in Chantilly.
Endeavour in Los Angeles makes sense as the orbiters were built in Southern California, at Rockwell’s Palmdale plant. At the time most aerospace manufacturers had facilities throughout the LA Basin annd many of those contributed in minor ways to their construction as component subcontractors and so it makes sense that one orbiter returns to its area of origin.
NYC has basically zero connection in comparison. They just had better politicians than Texas. It would be straightforward to crane Enterprise off the Intrepid’s deck onto an oceangoing barge for transport to Houston and thus the easiest by far to get.
I’ve never understood HOW Enterprise wound up on the ex-USS INTREPID in NYC……what and where’s the connection, same goes for Endeavor in California.
As ENTERPRISE was the first Shuttle, it only stands to reason that it be on display at the center that controled ALL shuttle flights…….as for the INTREPID….name needs to be changed to DECREPIT, NYC has allowed the venue to degrade into a sesspool.
Funnily enough, the scum who want to steal the Space Shuttle from the museum that serves the ENTIRE COUNTRY, think they’re returning the Space Shuttle home.
The Space Shuttle Discovery, never once was in Houston Texas. It’s home was many other states besides Texas. Discovery belongs in the Smithsonian to recognize ALL of America’s contributions toward the program. It’s the most important Shuttle to keep exactly where it is.
Republicans be more than happy to destroy the shuttle as a irreplaceable artifact than to leave where it’s at. There’s no reason to move this at all and moving it will destroy it. Imagine of a bunch of people unless say a state of New York decided to take the Alamo piece by piece just because they could That’s what it’s like destroying one of the shuttles. Houston already has a full size mockup on top of one of the shuttle carrying 747s on display.
Since no shuttle was specifically named, move the easiest. Enterprise in NYC is on the water and could be barged to Houston.
Well, for starters they (Houston) made very little initial effort to get one or fund a site for one. Vistitation at JSC is low and they made no plan to increase it. Also, one on the East and West coast made for the greatest possible number of visitors, which was a major consideration. This is Ted Cruz political a** hattery.