Space Shuttle Discovery Relocation Attempt Update

Keith’s note: Last week I posted some updates on the Space Shuttle Discovery relocation drama. I just got an update from the KeepTheShuttle folks about the attempt by Texas senators to take Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian and move it Houston – because they can. Update below.

The KeepTheShuttle team has reviewed a letter sent by Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn to the Senate Committee on Appropriations earlier this week. As this letter has already received some press coverage, we would like to point out a few key errors and omissions that are critical to the larger story:

• Senators Cruz and Cornyn state that they have consulted with “reputable transportation logistics companies” and “preservation experts”, assert that the Smithsonian’s claims re: the relocation’s cost and logistics are inaccurate, per those companies and experts, and finally accuse the Smithsonian of running a disinformation campaign. However, the concerns about the cost and logistics (i.e. breaking Discovery apart) are not just the Smithsonian’s. The letter from the Smithsonian to Congress publicized last week stated that “both NASA and the Smithsonian believe that Discovery will have to undergo significant disassembly to be moved” and “NASA and Smithsonian agree that the minimal cost estimate to move Discovery is in the range of $120 million to $150 million, not taking into account the costs associated with building a new facility in Texas. NASA has cost estimates for each phase of a move”. While we hope that the companies and experts working with the Texas senators have identified a way to move Discovery without carving up the shuttle, the organizations that built, flew, and now preserve Discovery are saying otherwise. Furthermore, at no point have the proponents of the relocation released even an outline of a plan to move Discovery to Houston. Our team firmly believes that it would be inappropriate for Congress to appropriate $85 million of taxpayer dollars for a project whose proponents have repeatedly failed to offer any definitive plans, while subject matter experts at both NASA and the Smithsonian raise concerns about the cost and literally tearing a national icon into pieces.
• The first half of the letter accuses a prior NASA administrator of modifying the disbursement of retired shuttles ~15 years ago for political purposes. However, a 2011 review of the process by NASA’s Inspector General “found no evidence that…the Administrator’s decision were tainted by political influence or any other improper consideration” and added that they also “found no attempt by White House officials to direct or influence (Administrator) Bolden’s decision making”. To date, Senators Cruz and Cornyn have not presented any new evidence to contradict the IG report.

KeepTheShuttle will continue to work with our allies in Congress to block funding and preserve the Smithsonian’s legal ownership of Discovery. As always, please feel free to reach out to Joe Stief at [email protected] / 202-681-8299 if you have any questions or would like to discuss a story.