#space-shuttle-discovery

#space-shuttle-discovery

Even in retirement, the space shuttle Discovery exudes power, seen across a hangar crowded with planes and jets at its museum home in Chantilly, Va. Charred and worn from its record 39 missions to space, the stalwart of NASA's shuttle fleet evokes awe in its one-million-plus visitors every year. But it won't be there for much longer, perhaps. Discovery, the showpiece of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum,

The vehicle must have flown in space and carried astronauts, which technically could also mean the Apollo 10 capsule at London's Science Museum. Working on the basis that it is Discovery to be moved (Cornyn and Cruz certainly think so), the Smithsonian issued a warning last week that dismantling the vehicle for shipment represented the most cost-effective approach, but it would still cost between $120 million and $150 million before considering a facility in which to display the orbiter.

The Space Shuttle was never designed to be dismantled. In addition to its frame and internals, the vehicle is covered with delicate ceramic tiles, capable of withstanding the heat of re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, along with thermal blankets. Then there are the cables and connectors underneath. If it must be moved and legal hurdles such as ownership are overcome, then dismantling it and accepting damage to an irreplaceable artifact is unavoidable.