Senators to appropriators: Leave space shuttle Discovery in Smithsonian

"Removing an item from the National Collection is not a viable solution..."

See full article...

 

[wallinbl]

It's not wasteful spending when it goes to Republicans or their donors. It's wasteful when it helps the average person, or, gasp, those in need.

 

[SomewhereAroundBarstow]

This may need to be resolved with shuttle diplomacy.

 

[sfbiker]

The $100M+ cost should be reason enough for congressmen on both sides to block the move. I don't understand why anyone would seriously consider this. What has happened to government?

 

[6GT5sGlow]

Republicans can always be counted on to aggressively tackle serious issues affecting our country. Wait until Cruz hears that a few more billionaires want another tax break..., more health care cuts!

 

[citizencoyote]

It's political grandstanding by the two pudding brains masquerading as senators from Texas. Houston had its chance to get Discovery when NASA was figuring out what to do with it; they lost out to the Smithsonian. Hopefully this theft does not come to pass.

 

[RemoteSensor]

I mean, I remember paying $15 to park at Udvar Hazy, but admission was free and seeing the shuttle was the coolest thing. It’s huge!

 

[DarthSlack]

The $100M+ cost should be reason enough for congressmen on both sides to block the move. I don't understand why anyone would seriously consider this. What has happened to government?

Republicans.

 

[Flipper35]

Well, I guess I will plan to never visit it in Houston if this goes through.

 

[TenacityOverAptitude]

Let’s hope that the administration gets ever more pushback on its corrupt and fascistic acts — i.e., all but a handful of them. The attempt to kick Kimmel of the air has (surprisingly) been undone by the Mouse. Collins and Murkowski might actually be bothered to act on their “deep concern” about wasting taxpayer dollars. It only takes a few Republicans to throw a wrench into the MAGA works.
I’m a deluded optimist, clearly.

 

[Person_Man]

Under the terms of the act, NASA has until January 4, 2027 (18 months after the bill's enactment) to transfer Discovery to Space Center Houston. For its part, the Smithsonian says that it owns the title to Discovery and, as the institution is not part of the federal government, the orbiter is no longer the government's to move.

Based on this, NASA should ignore the directive. What would the consequences be?

 

[terrydactyl]

Then there are the logistical challenges with relocating Discovery, which could result in damaging it, "permanently diminishing its historical and cultural value for future generations."

I can imagine the only solution being hacking it apart and shipping it piecemeal, effectively ruining it. All to appease the egos of petty senators.

 

[jamesb2147]

I've got a thing about public access. I shrug a bit at $400M because I don't think that's the greatest waste of funds, and I have my own priorities I'd rather fight for... like free admission to all national parks, monuments, museums, basically any heritage exhibits of any kind.

Not everyone can afford even a $15 admission fee, and our goal as a society should be to enable everyone to reach their full potential (I mean, we invest in public education for economic reasons, if nothing else).

 

[prokhor]

Curious if former astronaut/Texas Senate candidate Terry Virts has taken a position on it yet

 

[SixDegrees]

Don't they have a Lego model or something they could send instead?

 

[Rambie]

What has happened to government?

Republicans

 

[sapphir8]

No need to come here to Houston. We’re not a tourist destination at all. It’s a waste of money and time. The time for it be here has passed.

 

[chaos215bar2]

I'm at the point where I think people should have to take a competence test to vote. If they can't cogently answer a few neutral questions about the issues/candidates they're voting for or against, then they shouldn't be allowed to vote - ever again.

You've been here long enough to know how this would end. What do you think a "competence test" would look like under the current political regime?

The problem is there aren't easy fixes, because real fixes require significant structural change and the only way you're getting that is through a grassroots progressive political movement large enough to achieve actual power or after the old structures literally tear themselves apart.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

The senators call this attempt to move the shuttle, "unjustifiable". That applies to about 95% of actions taken by the current dictatorship.

 

[ChesterCardigan]

I mean, I remember paying $15 to park at Udvar Hazy, but admission was free and seeing the shuttle was the coolest thing. It’s huge!

Yes, my reaction to visiting was that the Space Shuttle is larger than you think and the Concorde is smaller.

 

[polarity]

The morons have taken over, proving the adage that if you consider how stupid the average person is, you have to realize that half of the rest of humanity is DUMBER.

I'm at the point where I think people should have to take a competence test to vote. If they can't cogently answer a few neutral questions about the issues/candidates they're voting for or against, then they shouldn't be allowed to vote - ever again.

People started looking at voting as a chore, rather than the privilege it typically is, since the majority of the world has no ACTUAL say in who gets elected or what legislation gets passed. And that's why we have the fuckers in office we have today, systematically destroying our country on the behalf of the wealthy.

And IMHO, anyone who voted for Trump should lose their right to vote, because they've demonstrated not only appalling ignorance, but malicious intent toward the rest of humanity. And we don't need those kinds of people impacting the decisions of the future ever again.

I'll also add that it's nice to see at least a few of the Dem's get off their asses and DO something active to oppose this administration instead of sitting with their fucking thumbs up their asses dithering about it.

Even if it's something as relatively minor as keeping the fucking space shuttle where it is instead of, you know, impeaching Trump for multiple abuses of power.

Tests to vote are a bad idea. I get where you're coming from, but they are incredibly abusable. Look up literacy tests sometime.

 

[AbboFun]

Was in the Johnson space centre museum/exposition about 10 years ago and as a non-American was shocked by the utter disheveled poor, disorganised and dirty displays. The disrespect shown to what should have been a source of justifiable pride was disgusting.
Possibly they have cleaned up their act by now but to me Smithsonian seems by far the most honourable place for this piece of history, was there 7 years ago and I was in awe.

 

[Got Nate?]

The morons have taken over, proving the adage that if you consider how stupid the average person is, you have to realize that half of the rest of humanity is DUMBER.

I'm at the point where I think people should have to take a competence test to vote. If they can't cogently answer a few neutral questions about the issues/candidates they're voting for or against, then they shouldn't be allowed to vote - ever again.

People started looking at voting as a chore, rather than the privilege it typically is, since the majority of the world has no ACTUAL say in who gets elected or what legislation gets passed. And that's why we have the fuckers in office we have today, systematically destroying our country on the behalf of the wealthy.

And IMHO, anyone who voted for Trump should lose their right to vote, because they've demonstrated not only appalling ignorance, but malicious intent toward the rest of humanity. And we don't need those kinds of people impacting the decisions of the future ever again.

I'll also add that it's nice to see at least a few of the Dem's get off their asses and DO something active to oppose this administration instead of sitting with their fucking thumbs up their asses dithering about it.

Even if it's something as relatively minor as keeping the fucking space shuttle where it is instead of, you know, impeaching Trump for multiple abuses of power.

All of this has been tried, and was in turn corrupted. Or maybe it was corrupt in the first place.

 

[Keokil]

This has stuck with me for probably more than a decade and still proves true.

Ted Cruz is “…a bloviating sack of self-regard.”

-John Scalzi

 

[pusherbot]

Just in case anyone missed it, Lee posted a comment on the last article about moving Discovery that further emphasizes how petty this is. He says Houston already has a full scale, high-fidelity mock-up of the shuttle Independence, which people can walk around in. And they have a bunch of other real vehicles too.

https://meincmagazine.com/space/2025/...-wont-say-which-one/?comments=1&post=43889391

 

[azazel1024]

I mean, I remember paying $15 to park at Udvar Hazy, but admission was free and seeing the shuttle was the coolest thing. It’s huge!

You do have to pay to park there. However, though NOT easy to reach, you can walk in without parking and you can take public transportation there.

For most people, it costs money to go to DC also, but the Smithsonian museums there are free once you get there (of note, it is significantly more expensive than $15 to park in most of DC for the day, and taking the metro in and out isn't necessarily much cheaper than that these days).

Being a DC/Baltimore native, I was in my mid-20s when I realized that most museums around the world and in the US are NOT free when I went to NYC as an adult and realized I had to pay a lot of money to get in to the Met and Natural History museum there. Yes, I had been to other museums outside of DC when I was younger, but it was rare and I was young enough it was a school trip (so not like we were all going and buying tickets as we went in), or I was young enough I didn't remember my parents paying for admission.

I had always thought that the national aquarium was weird that you had to pay to get in. Then when I was old I realized, oh, no, the Smithsonian and weird. And in a GOOD way. We should do a lot more to support history and culture around the world and preserve access to it for everyone.

 

[GastonG]

I am not sure why Houston could commission a mock-up for that amount of money. If I remember correctly at Air&Space you can walk to within a meter of the shuttle. Some styrofoam bricks over scaffolding with some spare tires should do the trick. It should be less expensive to maintain. Republican Senators are used to smoke and mirror budget deals so it is not like a stage prop is something new to Senator Cruz.

 

[azazel1024]

Don't they have a Lego model or something they could send instead?

The language in the law mentions that it has to be one that has been to space and carried astronauts or something to that affect.

But I am not seeing anything from saying, since they have till January 2027, to send Lego 10280 Space Shuttle Discovery up to the ISS on the next mission, someone build it, and then strap it to someone's foot for a bit, then bring it down and send it to Houston.

 

[clackerd]

"... and finally, Senator Cruz, just stop being a total twat."

 

[ReadandShare]

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. Yet another Texan Republican deed that fails to align with 'good Christian values'.

 

[Eldorito]

The $100M+ cost should be reason enough for congressmen on both sides to block the move. I don't understand why anyone would seriously consider this. What has happened to government?

Pork barrelling is alive and well. Federal government pays for it, Texas benefits.

Why the rest of Republican Party allowed it is beyond me, I thought they hated Cruz more than they hate the democrats.

 

[Tohelo]

Clearly a case for applying Solomon's judgement: cut the thing in half to be shared between the parties.

 

[AHvivere]

Edit: Per the letter of the law, since Discovery is fully owned by the Smithsonian, the only one that NASA could legally send is in Florida. Perfect.

 

[ccafe]

You can't move something you don't own. It ceased being property of the US government 13 years ago. No amount of any bill passed by the government can take ownership of the something where the deed was transferred all those years ago.

 

[Strandwolf]

The shuttle is also fully owned by the Smithsonian, there is no legal precedent to steal property via law. So the shit state of Texas could per letter of law really only get the one in Florida.

Civl forfeiture/Asset forfeiture?

 

[AHvivere]

Civl forfeiture/Asset forfeiture?

The shuttle wasn't involved in a crime and the Federal Government has executive priv and is immune to 'those' types of crimes. That was the only use case I could come up with as well and dismissed it.

 

[RobTheRenderer]

I am not sure why Houston could commission a mock-up for that amount of money. If I remember correctly at Air&Space you can walk to within a meter of the shuttle. Some styrofoam bricks over scaffolding with some spare tires should do the trick. It should be less expensive to maintain. Republican Senators are used to smoke and mirror budget deals so it is not like a stage prop is something new to Senator Cruz.

THERE IS ALREADY A MOCKUP IN HOUSTON ALONG WITH A 747 UPON WHICH IT IS MOUNTED WHICH GIVES VISITORS THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY WALK INSIDE OF BOTH.

Sorry for screaming but that's just one more reason this is so asinine.

Just in case anyone missed it, Lee posted a comment on the last article about moving Discovery that further emphasizes how petty this is. He says Houston already has a full scale, high-fidelity mock-up of the shuttle Independence, which people can walk around in. And they have a bunch of other real vehicles too.

https://meincmagazine.com/space/2025/...-wont-say-which-one/?comments=1&post=43889391

 

[Steve austin]

I am not sure why Houston could commission a mock-up for that amount of money. If I remember correctly at Air&Space you can walk to within a meter of the shuttle. Some styrofoam bricks over scaffolding with some spare tires should do the trick. It should be less expensive to maintain. Republican Senators are used to smoke and mirror budget deals so it is not like a stage prop is something new to Senator Cruz.

Houston has a (high fidelity) mockup - the one that had been on display at Kennedy Space Center from 1993 to 2011. It was moved to Houston then because Atlantis had been awarded to KSC to display. Houston’s application to get one of the retiring shuttles was rated far lower than those of the sites that did get shuttles.