"The Smithsonian estimates that transporting Discovery from Virginia to Houston could cost more than $50 million, with another $325 million needed for planning, exhibit reconstruction, and new facilities."
"Dedicating hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to move an artifact that is already housed, displayed, and preserved in a world-class facility is both inefficient and unjustifiable,"
"As a one-of-a-kind artifact that has already endured the stresses of spaceflight, Discovery is uniquely vulnerable to these hazards. The heat tiles that enabled repeated shuttle missions become more fragile with age, and they are irreplaceable."
Relocating the Space Shuttle Discovery from its Smithsonian home to Houston would impose major financial and logistical burdens. Congressional language enabled the acting NASA Administrator to identify Discovery for relocation and called for $85 million for transport and display. Smithsonian estimates place transport costs at more than $50 million, with an additional $325 million for planning, exhibit reconstruction, and new facilities. Transport by barge or road would expose the orbiter to saltwater, weather, collision risks, and extended stresses, while fragile, irreplaceable heat tiles increase vulnerability. Moving an already well-preserved artifact would require hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds and carries high risk of permanent damage.
Read at Ars Technica
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