How do you solve a problem like Discovery?
(2025/10/24)
- Reference: 1761298151
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/10/24/how_do_you_solve_discovery_route/
- Source link:
The White House's Office of Management and Budget is grappling with how to transport Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian Museum in Virginia to Space Center Houston. How would you do it?
One Big Brutal Bill: Ex-NASA brass decry Trump's proposed budget cuts [1]READ MORE
Certain individuals have held a grudge for years over the omission of Houston, Texas, when the remaining Space Shuttles were handed out at the end of the program. Los Angeles got one, Florida got one, but Houston, where the missions were managed, was left off the list.
The grumbling has continued for more than a decade, and US president Donald Trump's [2]recent spending bill , which is still being argued over, included $85 million to relocate a space vehicle that has flown a crew. This was widely interpreted as an order to move Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to Space Center Houston in Texas.
[3]Senators try to save cyber threat sharing law, sans government funding
[4]Kyndryl sued for firing non-white workers, disabled vet
[5]Space Shuttle war of words takes off as senator blasts 'woke Smithsonian'
[6]Texas senators cry foul over Smithsonian's pricey Space Shuttle shuffle
Without delving into the whys and whys nots, including the question of who even owns Discovery, there has been very little detail regarding how exactly the move could be accomplished. A trip by road and barge appears the most likely option. However, the two sides of the argument have come up with wildly differing costs for the exercise and the impact such a move would have on the orbiter.
The only way to resolve the discussion is surely via the sensible and knowledgeable Register readership, who doubtless have many thoughts on how this task could be accomplished. Our - admittedly not very serious - ideas are below.
Engage! Help plot Discovery's course to Houston
Balloons: Float Discovery to Houston like that house in the film Up – there's plenty of hot air in Washington after all...
Catapult: Construct a giant catapult and fire Discovery at Houston to show-off its prowess at being a glider one last time.
Send a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Discovery to Houston with the words "You Lost, Get Over It" written on one side.
Allow Elon Musk to launch a Starship from Virginia, strap Discovery to it, and let nature take its course.
Let us know in the comments if you'd go with 1, 2, 3, or 4. If you don't yet have an account, you can sign up [7]here .
Or perhaps you have a better idea? Please share your wisdom. The story of the Space Shuttle torn between two houses seems set to run for a while yet. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/08/nasa_boss_budget_reaction/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/08/nasa_boss_budget_reaction/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/13/senators_cyber_threat_sharing_bill/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/10/kyndryl_sued_for_firing_nonwhite/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/09/cornyn_smithsonian_shuttle_comments/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/08/senators_smithsonian_discovery/
[7] https://account.theregister.com/register/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
One Big Brutal Bill: Ex-NASA brass decry Trump's proposed budget cuts [1]READ MORE
Certain individuals have held a grudge for years over the omission of Houston, Texas, when the remaining Space Shuttles were handed out at the end of the program. Los Angeles got one, Florida got one, but Houston, where the missions were managed, was left off the list.
The grumbling has continued for more than a decade, and US president Donald Trump's [2]recent spending bill , which is still being argued over, included $85 million to relocate a space vehicle that has flown a crew. This was widely interpreted as an order to move Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to Space Center Houston in Texas.
[3]Senators try to save cyber threat sharing law, sans government funding
[4]Kyndryl sued for firing non-white workers, disabled vet
[5]Space Shuttle war of words takes off as senator blasts 'woke Smithsonian'
[6]Texas senators cry foul over Smithsonian's pricey Space Shuttle shuffle
Without delving into the whys and whys nots, including the question of who even owns Discovery, there has been very little detail regarding how exactly the move could be accomplished. A trip by road and barge appears the most likely option. However, the two sides of the argument have come up with wildly differing costs for the exercise and the impact such a move would have on the orbiter.
The only way to resolve the discussion is surely via the sensible and knowledgeable Register readership, who doubtless have many thoughts on how this task could be accomplished. Our - admittedly not very serious - ideas are below.
Engage! Help plot Discovery's course to Houston
Balloons: Float Discovery to Houston like that house in the film Up – there's plenty of hot air in Washington after all...
Catapult: Construct a giant catapult and fire Discovery at Houston to show-off its prowess at being a glider one last time.
Send a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Discovery to Houston with the words "You Lost, Get Over It" written on one side.
Allow Elon Musk to launch a Starship from Virginia, strap Discovery to it, and let nature take its course.
Let us know in the comments if you'd go with 1, 2, 3, or 4. If you don't yet have an account, you can sign up [7]here .
Or perhaps you have a better idea? Please share your wisdom. The story of the Space Shuttle torn between two houses seems set to run for a while yet. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/08/nasa_boss_budget_reaction/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/08/nasa_boss_budget_reaction/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/13/senators_cyber_threat_sharing_bill/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/10/kyndryl_sued_for_firing_nonwhite/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/09/cornyn_smithsonian_shuttle_comments/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/08/senators_smithsonian_discovery/
[7] https://account.theregister.com/register/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The obvious solution is...
DrStrangeLug
Launch it from Washington, orbit it around the earth, do the re-entry and land it in Houston.
All you need to do is:
1. Recertify Discovery for flight
2. Build a Washington Launch complex
3. Build an external tank and use some SRB slated for the next SLS mission
4. Train a flight crew
5. Train a landing site crew.
Better option.
jake
Leave it where it is and save the taxpayers some loot.
Note I'm one of said taxpayers ... and I vote.
ParlezVousFranglais
If it was up to me, option 3 - but just purely for the spectacle, floating it there is theoretically possible (providing you could get about 10 Hindenburgs to work in unison), so lets go for 1
Of course you forgot the most important question - "How many lawyers does it take to change a Space Shuttle location?..."
4, what could possibly go wrong? Send answers via albatross to the usual location.