42 U.S.C. § 18363 — Disposition of orbiter vehicles

Upon the termination of the Space Shuttle program as provided in section 18362 of this title, the Administrator^* shall decommission any remaining Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles according to established safety and historic preservation procedures prior to their designation as surplus government property. The orbiter vehicles shall be made available and located for display and maintenance through a competitive procedure established pursuant to the disposition plan developed under section 613(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 17761(a)),1 with priority consideration given to eligible applicants meeting all conditions of that plan which would provide for the display and maintenance of orbiters at locations with the best potential value to the public, including where the location of the orbiters can advance educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, and with an historical relationship with either the launch, flight operations, or processing of the Space Shuttle orbiters or the retrieval of NASA^* manned space vehicles, or significant contributions to human space flight. The Smithsonian Institution, which, as of October 11, 2010, houses the Space Shuttle Enterprise, shall determine any new location for the Enterprise.

The orbiter vehicles made available under subsection (a) shall be displayed and maintained through agreements and procedures established pursuant to section 613(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 17761(a)).¹

There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. The amounts authorized to be appropriated by this subsection shall be in addition to any amounts authorized to be appropriated by title I, and may be requested by the President as supplemental requirements, if needed, in the appropriate fiscal years.