11.04.2025

The shuttle is currently located at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The proposed legislation would authorize the transfer of the shuttle to a “non-profit’ near the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The Space Shuttle Discovery launches in 1985. NASA

In 2010, NASA retired four space shuttles, sending them across the United States as a historical reminder of the nation's space history. But none remain in Houston, where NASA’s Johnson Space Center is located.

Now, more than a decade later, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have introduced a bill to bring one of the shuttles home.

According to a joint news release from the senators, the ‘Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act" would move the Space Shuttle Discovery from Virginia back to Houston. The Space Shuttle Discovery is the only one of the four shuttles still owned by the federal government. The shuttle is currently located at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. The proposed legislation would authorize the transfer of the shuttle to a "non-profit' near the Johnson Space Center.

Cornyn said Houstonians deserve to have the space shuttle returned to them because of their city's deep history with the nation's space race.

"I am proud to lead the effort to finally bring Discovery home to Houston, where future generations of Texans and Americans can come to learn about the city's integral role in our nation's space shuttle program,” Cornyn said in a statement.

Cruz echoed the sentiment and said the shuttle's return is long overdue.

"It is past time that the Space Center Houston Museum houses a space shuttle, given the unique relationship between the entire program and its support staff in Houston," Cruz said in a statement. "Bringing the Discovery to its final home will offer hundreds of thousands of visitors each year the opportunity to engage with a living piece of NASA’s history and understand why Houston is known worldwide as ‘Space City.’"

The Discovery first took flight on Aug. 30, 1984, to deliver three satellites into orbit. Its final mission — to deliver equipment to the International Space Station — took off on Feb. 24, 2011. During its more than two decades of service, Discovery took part in 39 missions.

Quelle: HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA