The proposal to relocate the retired Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Houston, Texas, is encountering opposition, particularly from Senator Dick Durbin, who has called the effort a “robbery” by Texas. Durbin introduced an amendment titled “Houston, there’s a problem,” aimed at highlighting what he perceives as wastefulness.
According to a report from Ars Technica, the Space Shuttle Discovery, a historic NASA spacecraft currently exhibited at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, is at the center of a heated political dispute. In April, Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz introduced the Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act, which seeks to transfer Discovery to Space Center Houston.
Cornyn managed to include elements related to this plan in a “big beautiful bill” that was enacted by President Donald Trump on July 4th, and he celebrated this legislative success, stating, “Houston was the cornerstone of our human space exploration program.”
However, the plan has met with considerable resistance, primarily from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). Durbin argued that the $85 million earmarked for the move is grossly inadequate, predicting that the actual cost could reach approximately $355 million based on analyses from NASA and the Smithsonian.
Durbin has also raised questions about the legality of Congress retrieving items from the Smithsonian, which asserts that it owns all rights to the artifacts following a 2012 transfer of ownership from NASA. “What are we doing here? They don’t have the right to claim this in Texas,” he stated.
The decision to entrust Discovery to the Smithsonian originated from a broader decision made in 2011, when NASA chose to distribute retired shuttles across various sites, including the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Cities such as Houston and Chicago had sought to host exhibitions but were ultimately not selected.
In response to the proposal, Senator Durbin proposed the “Houston, there’s a problem” amendment during a hearing. He expressed his concerns, saying, “I think we’re dealing with what’s called waste. I think we’re dealing with $85 million worth of waste. This is a contentious issue, particularly with other agencies like the Smithsonian and NASA interested in it.”
