NASA sets 'impossible' ground rules for relocation of 'flown space vehicle'

Draft Request for Proposals says you can move shuttle orbiter but you cannot break it

NASA has issued a draft Request for Proposals to move a flown space vehicle, a step some lawmakers see as progress toward relocating Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian Museum in Virginia to Houston, Texas.

The agency emphasized it was seeking feedback on transporting something like a flown Orion capsule as well as a Space Shuttle orbiter.

Administrator Jared Isaacman has yet to name the vehicle moving to Houston under the Trump administration's budget. Space Shuttle Discovery was not mentioned in the bill, although several US lawmakers have long sought to relocate the retired orbiter to Texas.

In a statement, US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) said: "My law authorizing and funding the Space Shuttle Discovery's movement to Houston is being set into motion thanks to NASA's announcement, and I applaud Administrator Isaacman for keeping this process moving.

"Today is real progress in our mission to bring Discovery home, and I look forward to welcoming the shuttle home to Space City soon."

NASA's request signals movement on the issue, if not full resolution. It should also clarify how a vehicle transfer would be conducted and at what cost, though the agency has stopped short of asking bidders to commit to a specific price.

The request also contains language that should give bidders pause. It describes the vehicles as "irreplaceable national assets requiring preservation-focused handling." This is a standard that demands careful consideration before committing to a bid.

The Keep The Shuttle group was "delighted" with the document, however, a spokesperson told The Register: "NASA has instructed that any proposal to move Discovery keeps the shuttle intact – no 'disassembly' allowed. However, there is no way to move an intact shuttle ~40 miles to Quantico (as NASA suggested) or anywhere else on the Potomac. In short, NASA's first RFP is asking for the impossible."

Moving an Orion capsule is a far simpler task. The spokesperson pointed out: "NASA has used USAF cargo jets to move Orions in the past, and the RFP indicates that this will be the likely solution."

"So we're delighted, because NASA has committed to keeping the shuttle intact, and is on a direct path to send Artemis II to Houston – with a stop at the Moon first of course!"

The equipment NASA used to transport the Space Shuttles has long been retired or scrapped, meaning that something as large as an orbiter will require considerable effort and likely cost considerably more than allocated. An Orion capsule, less so. ®