Space Shuttle Discovery headed to the Smithsonian

Would you be willing to pay more taxes for a new, re-energized US space program?

Extremely sad the program is over and we have nothing to replace it. Now we will be paying the Russians the same price it took to fly the shuttle. Only now, US taxes pay to support Russian jobs instead of ours.
You really have to ask yourself if the government is serious about creating jobs at home when the government made the decision to outsource the space program.

I've been wondering , as much as Houston has contributed to the space program, WHY didn't Houston get one of the shuttles, for it space displays

I still think they should keep the Enterprise.

People need to stop complaining about the NASA budget. It is less than 1% of Federal spending. In reality, if the NASA budget was increased, it might help with the job situation. Every time there is a NASA-related article, the trolls come out from under their bridge. Learn the facts before you make myopic comments about spending money on space exploration. I would be more than willing to have all my taxes go to NASA, it would sure beat using it to bail out wall street or to support undeserving welfare recipients. The only thing that will permanently solve the world's economic woes is to find a way to make Space financially attractive and move to a Space-Based economy. This can't happen without laying the foundation. could you imagine what could happen if the world put their military budgets toward R&D of Space exploration? I'll be ever hopeful for "Childhood's End"

Uncommon_otaku: that's actually not true. The only major parts removed were the main engines, which have been replaced with engineering models leftover from early Shuttle development. The real SSMEs will power the new super-heavy-lift rocket, assuming it ever gets off the ground at all. No SSME was ever tied to a specific orbiter anyway; they were pulled and swapped on every mission.

why does LA get a shuttle and not Houston? I can't follow the logic of that decision at all...

RIP !

The Air and Space Museum on the Mall is one of the most popular museums in America and the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles was needed to display the large aircraft that the Smithsonian didn't have room for on the Mall
When Discovery is finally displayed at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.she will be joined by a fully restored Enola Gay , a Concorde and the B-707 ( yes I know ) that Tex Johnston deliberatly did a barrel roll with

Next: Can we please put the Shuttle Enterprise on display at the Intrepid museum??

Are they keeping both Shuttles or are they moving the Enterprise somewhere?

Clow!,.. not cluff

Well, I know what days I am taking off in April now :p

How about a picture? What the hell so sick of reading articles on yahoo with no picture.

Too bad it's not Columbia.

Obama killed it like he is killing America and its people

I wished they would put Obama in it and send it up in space one more time with no return on it.

Why is no one concerned the shuttle is headed for the Smithsonian???? Lives are at stake here!!!

All the Smith is getting is the gutted shell of the orbiter. All of its innards have been removed. May as well build a replica from scratch.

Fitting that the shuttle should end up in the same place as our space program. Killed by Obama at the peak of an unglorious presidency.