This bill requires the Discovery space shuttle to be transferred from the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, within 18 months of the bill's enactment. The Administrator of NASA and the Smithsonian Institution must jointly develop a plan for this transfer, including an estimated timeline and cost, and submit it to Congress within 90 days. Following the physical transfer, the Smithsonian Institution is mandated to transfer the title of the shuttle to NASA within one year. Upon its transfer, the Discovery space shuttle must be placed on public exhibition within five miles of the Johnson Space Center to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning . NASA is authorized to subsequently transfer the title to a designated nonprofit entity, provided the entity maintains the shuttle for public exhibition and STEM education in the same vicinity. Appropriations are authorized to cover the costs associated with these transfer and exhibition requirements.
District of ColumbiaGovernment buildings, facilities, and propertyHistorical and cultural resourcesMuseums, exhibitions, cultural centersSpacecraft and satellitesSpace flight and explorationTexas
Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act
USA119th CongressS-1403| Senate
| Updated: 4/10/2025
This bill requires the Discovery space shuttle to be transferred from the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, within 18 months of the bill's enactment. The Administrator of NASA and the Smithsonian Institution must jointly develop a plan for this transfer, including an estimated timeline and cost, and submit it to Congress within 90 days. Following the physical transfer, the Smithsonian Institution is mandated to transfer the title of the shuttle to NASA within one year. Upon its transfer, the Discovery space shuttle must be placed on public exhibition within five miles of the Johnson Space Center to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning . NASA is authorized to subsequently transfer the title to a designated nonprofit entity, provided the entity maintains the shuttle for public exhibition and STEM education in the same vicinity. Appropriations are authorized to cover the costs associated with these transfer and exhibition requirements.
District of ColumbiaGovernment buildings, facilities, and propertyHistorical and cultural resourcesMuseums, exhibitions, cultural centersSpacecraft and satellitesSpace flight and explorationTexas