The Space Shuttle Discovery would move to Texas under President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” according to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Cornyn’s office said in a statement on his website that Trump’s megabill “would authorize” Discovery’s shipment to “an entity” close to Houston’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. It is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia.
“Houston has long been the cornerstone of our nation’s human space exploration program, and it’s long overdue for Space City to receive the recognition it deserves by bringing the Space Shuttle Discovery home,” Cornyn said in the statement, posted on Monday.
“I am glad to see this pass as part of the Senate’s One Big Beautiful Bill and look forward to welcoming Discovery to Houston and righting this egregious wrong,” he added.
Discovery, which took its last flight in 2011, spent a year in space while it was in service and travelled almost 150 million miles, according to the Smitsonian
“Houston has long stood at the heart of America’s human spaceflight program, and this legislation rightly honors that legacy,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in Cornyn’s release
“It ensures that any future transfer of a flown, crewed space vehicle will prioritize locations that have played a direct and vital role in our nation’s manned space program, making Houston, Texas, a leading candidate,” he added.
House Republicans advanced the “big, beautiful bill” early Thursday morning, overcoming an important procedural hurdle toward a final vote following a dramatic vote that Republican leaders left open for hours to calm an internal revolt.
The Hill has reached out to the National Air and Space Museum for comment.