A political effort to relocate the space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Space Center Houston has been merged with the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill," a major economic and policy package now nearing a vote in the US Senate.
The "Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act," first introduced by Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn in April, has now been added to the Senate's version of the bill championed by President Donald Trump. While the latter legislation primarily focuses on tax cuts and spending increases, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, chaired by Cruz, added the retired orbiter's relocation as part of an additional $9.995 billion in funding for NASA's programs, including the return of astronauts to the Moon and sending humans to Mars.
(Update on July 1 at 12:30 p.m. EDT: The Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act with the provision to relocate space shuttle Discovery included with a vote of 50 to 50, and Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. The bill now heads to House of Representatives.)
