For months, Texas senators have made a controversial push to move NASA’s iconic Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Houston’s Johnson Space Center, a risky effort that could cost up to $150 million.
Like any NASA leader worth his salt, newly-confirmed Administrator Jared Isaacman has come up with a contingency plan.
In an interview with CNBC on December 23, Isaacman said relocating Discovery would depend on whether it could be done without damaging the space shuttle and within budget. If not, he suggested sending Houston a different spacecraft, such as an Orion capsule.
“If we can’t do that, you know what, we have spacecraft going around the Moon with Artemis 2, 3, 4 and 5,” Isaacman said. “One way or another, we’re going to make sure Johnson Space Center gets its historic spacecraft right where it belongs.”
Houston’s fight for a space shuttle
In April, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced legislation to “bring Discovery home to Texas.” The core provisions of that bill were ultimately included in H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4.
Unlike Cornyn and Cruz’s original bill, these provisions do not specifically name Discovery or Johnson Space Center. Rather, H.R. 1 includes $85 million for a “space vehicle transfer” of a crewed spacecraft to a NASA center involved in the agency’s commercial crew program and directs NASA to select a spacecraft to be transferred within 30 days of enactment.
The bill also states that the selected vehicle must have flown to space, carried astronauts, and must be selected with the approval of a third party chosen by the NASA administrator. Discovery, the most-flown shuttle during its 27 years in operation, fits that bill, but it’s not the only option.
In August, NASA said then-Acting Administrator Sean Duffy selected a vehicle, but the agency declined to say which one. Sen. Cornyn’s office later claimed the choice was a retired space shuttle bound for Johnson Space Center—without specifying which shuttle.
Despite the uncertainty, the very prospect of moving Discovery from its home at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has spurred efforts to block the transfer. Senate Democrats, grassroots organizers, and the Smithsonian—which technically owns Discovery—have all voiced concerns about the costly and risky disassembly the move would require.
Discovery drama
In a letter addressed to the relevant Congressional committees in early October, the Smithsonian said both the museum and NASA agree that Discovery will have to undergo “significant disassembly” to be moved, risking the destruction of the historic vehicle.
The letter also estimated that the minimal cost to move Discovery is in the range of $120 million to $150 million, not including the cost of building a new facility to house the shuttle in Houston.
Cornyn and Cruz disputed those claims, going so far as to call for a Department of Justice investigation into the Smithsonian’s “illegal lobbying” against Discovery’s move. The DOJ has yet to launch any such investigation.
Whether NASA and the Smithsonian move forward with Discovery’s transfer remains to be seen, but a decision to give Houston an Orion capsule would likely be a much easier—and cheaper—alternative. Those spacecraft are significantly smaller than the space shuttles and can be transported by truck.
With Isaacman taking the helm of NASA in the midst of this space shuttle saga, it’s clear he wants to find a solution that will appease both the powerful senators and the spaceflight community. In the interview, he stressed that preserving Discovery and conserving NASA’s budget are his top priorities.
“My job now is to make sure we can undertake such a transportation within the budget dollars we have available and, of course, most importantly, ensuring the safety of the vehicle,” he said.
Read the full article here
