Sponsors (2)
The bill moves the Discovery orbiter to Johnson Space Center to boost Houston-area STEM access and give NASA direct control, but it shifts a major national exhibit away from Washington, may increase federal costs, and narrows future placement flexibility.
Students, schools, and the Houston-area public will gain in-person access to the Discovery orbiter, increasing local STEM education, outreach, and tourism opportunities.
NASA and Johnson Space Center staff will regain title and local oversight of Discovery, allowing JSC to incorporate the artifact directly into agency programs, exhibits, and research-outreach activities.
Taxpayers and NASA will have an authorized funding mechanism so the agency can cover transfer-related costs and seek supplemental appropriations if necessary, enabling the move and setup to proceed legally.
Visitors, students, and schools in the Washington, D.C. area will lose local access because the Smithsonian will no longer retain custody of the Discovery exhibit, reducing public access in the national capital.
U.S. taxpayers may bear additional costs to move, exhibit, secure, and maintain the orbiter if Congress funds the authorization or provides supplemental appropriations.
Nonprofits, other museums, and local governments outside Houston could face constrained options because the requirement to exhibit Discovery within a 5‑mile radius of JSC limits future placement or transfer choices.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires NASA to transfer the shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to a public exhibit within five miles of Johnson Space Center, with plan, timeline, title rules, and funding authorized.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by John Cornyn · Last progress April 10, 2025
Requires NASA to move the space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian Institution’s Udvar‑Hazy Center to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and display it near JSC. The bill orders NASA and the Smithsonian to submit a joint transfer plan with timeline and cost estimate within 90 days, directs the physical move to occur within 18 months, and sets rules for transfer of title and future transfers to nonprofits, while authorizing whatever sums are necessary to carry out the move. The aircraft must be exhibited at a site within five miles of Johnson Space Center under JSC oversight until any later title transfer to a nonprofit; NASA may conditionally transfer title to a nonprofit only if the nonprofit maintains the public exhibition within five miles of JSC. Timelines include a 90‑day planning window, an 18‑month window for physical transfer, and a one‑year period for title transfer after the move. Funding is authorized without a specified dollar amount.