Bringing Discovery Home: Houston One Step Closer to Space Shuttle History

The space shuttle Discovery is seen on launch Pad 39a after the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) is rolled back on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. During space shuttle Discovery’s final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA is kicking the tires on bringing Space Shuttle Discovery home to Houston, and folks around here are paying close attention. The agency is asking for public input on how to safely move this historic spacecraft from the Smithsonian in Virginia down to Space Center Houston.

Congress has already set aside $85 million to help make it happen, but it won’t be an easy haul. There’s talk that Discovery could need to be partially taken apart, and that’s raising some serious concerns about preserving its history. Experts are also worried the heat shield could take damage during the trip if things aren’t handled just right.

NASA says the goal is to move Discovery with as little disassembly as possible, making sure every inch of it is protected along the way. They’re taking feedback through April 9 as they figure out the best way to bring this piece of space history to Texas where many believe it belongs.