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Bill Ingalls / NASA
The prototype space shuttle Enterprise is seen mated on top of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Friday. Enterprise was the first orbiter built for the space shuttle program, but never went into orbit. It was used primarily for ground and flight tests within the atmosphere. Enterprise had been on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, but is now being prepared for its new home at the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum in New York.
A day after the space shuttle Discovery took its place at the Smithsonian, the prototype shuttle Enterprise is perched on a modified 747 jet for its journey to New York. Now the timing of the trip depends on East Coast weather.
Overnight, Enterprise was towed out to Dulles International Airport and hoisted up into the air with two giant cranes. The jet, known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA, was brought underneath the 75-ton artifact. Then Enterprise was lowered down and "soft-mated" onto the plane at three attach points. The bolts will be tightened down for hard-mating on Saturday, in preparation for the big flight to New York.
This is the same process that Discovery went through in Florida leading up to Tuesday's flight to Dulles for its installation at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, next to the airport. On Thursday, Enterprise was moved out of the space it held since the center's opening in 2003, and Discovery was moved in.
NASA had been planning for Enterprise and the SCA to take off from Dulles as early as Monday morning, but this afternoon the space agency said the flight would be delayed due to a forecast of inclement weather in Washington as well as New York. "Managers will continue to review weather forecasts and announce a new flight date as soon as practical," NASA said in its advisory.
When forecasters give the go-ahead, the shuttle-jet combo will head up the East Coast and do a series of New York flyovers. You can expect to see the double-decker behemoth sailing over the Statue of Liberty as well as the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the retooled ship where Enterprise will be put on display. After the flyovers, the Enterprise will be set down at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The shuttle-jet flight is old hat for Enterprise: The craft was the first vehicle built for the space shuttle program, and got its name in part thanks to a write-in campaign by "Star Trek" fans. Unlike the fictional starship, NASA's Enterprise never flew in space. Instead, it was used for ground tests as well as aerodynamic test flights atop the 747 carrier plane. Once the shuttle launches ramped up, Enterprise was deemed no longer needed for testing. It was handed over to the Smithsonian in 1985. The Udvar-Hazy Center's James S. McDonnell Space Hangar was specifically designed to show off the Enterprise.
After the 2003 Columbia tragedy, some sections of the Enterprise's wing panels were removed for impact tests, and those tests made a huge contribution to the accident investigation. That demonstrated that the shuttles can continue to benefit the space program long after their retirement.
It will take a few weeks for Enterprise to settle into its retirement home: The cranes will have to be set up for the shuttle's "demating" at JFK. Then Enterprise will have to be lifted onto a barge and brought up the Hudson River by a tugboat. The schedule calls for Enterprise to be hoisted aboard the Intrepid's flight deck sometime in June. It'll be put on display in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion this summer, and eventually housed in a permanent exhibit facility.
After Enterprise, there's one more shuttle-jet flight on tap: the transfer of Endeavour from NASA's Kennedy Space Center to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. That cross-country trip, due to take place in the latter part of this year, is likely to spark a nationwide frenzy of "Spot the Shuttle" sightings.
The last shuttle that flew in space, Atlantis, is going just down the road to Kennedy Space Center's visitor center, so there'll be no need to bring out the plane for that trip.
For more pictures of the Enterprise-747 mating, check out NASA Headquarters' Flickr gallery. And to get updates on the timing of Enterprise's flight and the flyovers, keep tabs on NASA's website as well as msnbc.com's space news section.
The protoype shuttle Enterprise will journey to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
More about the shuttle shuffle:
- Astronauts revisit the shuttle's pros and cons
- How NASA selected the shuttles' future homes
- Seattle gets first pieces of shuttle trainer
Updated 5:20 p.m. ET.
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
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I am glad that all three will be public accessible, but I wish that NASA had used more sense when determining where each should go. Having two in such close proximity on the Eastern Seaboard was really unfair to the rest of the United States. One SHOULD have been transferred to either the Kansas City Cosmosphere or to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. Johnson Space Center in Houston would also have been a wonderful location. It will be much harder for citizens of the Midwest, Plains and South to be able to visit one of these treasures.
I can understand your concern Ted. I would like to have seen an even distribution of shuttles across the US to provide the most access for people interested in seeing them. The process of deciding where to send them involved money, politics and logistics which landed the shuttle fleet where they are (or will be) today. Look at this as an excuse to visit New York, LA, DC, or KSC in the future.
First of all, let me just say that since I live in Washington state I think one should have come to Seattle, just for geographic separation. But, to be honest, mine is a biased opinion in that regard. I just wanted a shuttle to be close to where I live.
Second, Houston's bid was to get NASA to pay for the relocation of the shuttle, whereas Kennedy, LA, and NY each paid for the shuttles to come to them. The smithsonian didn't have to pay because of a few reasons but the best way I've heard it explained was that since the SMITH is a gov organization it would have been like transferring money from one government bucket to another, which happens all the time, but I digress...
Lastly, the best thing for the orbiters is to have the most people see them. And let's face it, more people will see them in NY and the Smith than would ever go to Kansas. Chicago is close but they don't get as much of the international tourism that NY gets.
Boo Who Who, would you be happy if we put a shuttle on Uranus?
Early Grace bet your backside I would be happy with a shuttle on Uranus! At least the program would still be viable and considering the distance a whole lot of new technology would have been developed for us earthbound people. BTW I love people who make snide comments about the space program spewing their ignorant bile over a communications system a large part of which was developed by the program for the program. This is called "spinoff" technology. BTW 2 has anyone ever calculated the total economic impact of the space program on the economy of the United States over the past 60 years? Has anyone considered the lack of the program over the next 60 years. Just asking.
Apparently Kansas City Cosmosphere and Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry didn't want them or they would have bid on them. As far as Houston goes, they didn't want to play the bidding process, they wanted NASA to fund them for the bids.
Indeed, but the bidding wasn't all that played a role in the decision (although it was a major driver). Seattle was ready with cash in hand and they even built a brand new hanger specifically for an orbiter. The city was really supportive and the community wanted it badly. But ultimately Seattle doesn't draw the tourists that New York or LA does. And those tourist dollars are an important factor.
I look forward to visiting NYC again in the future because the last time I was there the Intrepid was off getting refurbished when I was in the city. I hated not getting to see the museum but now I have an excuse to return to see the Enterprise aboard the Intrepid. It is too bad that the Navy couldn't have saved the WWII Enterprise as a museum ship which could have been the new home for the shuttle Enterprise but such is life. Having Discovery at the Udvar-Hazy Center is a good reason to make another trip to Washington. As a historian, I greatly appreciate honoring our past achievements in space but I hope the retirement of these shuttles prompts the American people to vociferously lobby their Representatives and Senators in Congress to fund the next generation of vehicles that will carry Americans back into orbit and beyond.
More participation from the American people would be a great thing! That's what our representatives are for. And for many people the process ends at voting. And for some people, well, they don't even vote. America would do well to invest heavily in the space program and also the private space industry.
when will they be flown to JFK or delivered im down the shore at new jersey and want to see if i can see them?
Keep tabs on NASA.gov, Ian, the weather forecasters are determining when conditions will be right for the flight.
How about Clear lake or Houston, we have supported NASA more than any other cities and we were not even in considered for getting a Shuttle. Politics should not have been a factor in deciding what city get selected.
see post 1.2
Thenk the Congress from the early 70's until now for defunding. They cancelled the last 3 Apollo flights and kept underfunding NASA for more money to the big war machine.
LOL Intrepid Air / Space Muesum get all the dross left over. They need to expand and give all their stuff more space and protection from the elements.Maybe move another carrier in their ? I must admit though, I enjoyed my visits there. It's not a bad way to kill an afternoon.
They may have to push some older stuff into the Hudson to make room.
People are worried about where the Shuttle will end up. Here's what I worry about:
For over 50 years America was the premier space faring nation. Yet, in just 3 years Obama turned us into a 2nd rate space faring nation. We can no longer reach the Space Station that we mostly paid for. We can no longer send supplies to the Space Station on our own. In fact, in order for us to get our Astronauts to the Space Station, we now have to pay millions to Russia. I'm sure President Kennedy is rollng over in his grave.
And what is BHO's grand plan for "us" in space? Going to some asteroid! It doesn't matter which asteroid, any asteroid will do.
Worse yet, many of those at NASA have now found work in Russia, the EU and China. To further insure we are not number one in space, under BHO's plans, we will not even have a heavy lift rocket that could feasibly send us back to the moon until (some where) 2025. At the same time BHO is crippling us, BHO wants to team up with China but, not Russia. Why? Also, what is BHO so determined to give our technology away to Muslim countries in the Middle-East?
The Space Shuttle, even if "old" could have kept flying until we had a replacement built, tested and ready for use. But that would be logical and would have kept us at the top in Space. NASA and the Space Shuttle area prime example of BHO trying to turn America into a 2nd rate nation.
GWB made the decision in 2005 to retire the shuttle, not Obama.
In 3 years? Where have you been living purge? in a sewer? First and foremost, the decommission of the space shuttle program was not decided by Obama but by the previous occupant of the white house, and approved by Congress in 2005, so, if you really, really, but really use your brain to think, you will discover that it was decommissioned by who? YEAH, Jr. and warmongers. But thank you for participating. You've got your hate out of your chest and your racist back under control? See, ranting here is cheaper than paying a shrink, isn't it?
"Time for a purge" as long as our politicians" make war not love" (for those too young for Woodstock a take off on "make love not war" and for those too young/dumb to know what Woodstock was it was a little town in NY where we boomers had a BIG party) we can not afford such things as the space program we can only afford war machines, pork, earmarks, government waste, congressional perks, tax breaks for the rich and the list goes on. So what if we can no longer graduate smart kids with work ethics to staff scientific and technical projects to help us get off petrochemical pollution fraught energy sources, find cures for pollution caused diseases, care for the elderly and feeding 20M of our own kids. As Starbuck said above Bushy Dick sewered the program in 2005 because he wanted to show up his old man.
Time4apurge," The space Shuttle even if old,could have kept flying until we had a replacement built"
That is correct. The shuttles probably could have flown even after we had a replacement as specific missions dictated. They were not as "old" as many people say. Its not like a thirty year old Chevy. These ships were meticulously maintained. If you ever get a look at the guts of any Space Shuttle, (and NASA has some good photos on their website of the shuttles being taken apart for decommissioning), They look absolutely pristine. The inside of the main engine compartment for example,looks brand spanking new. So does the rest of the vehicle. Hardware upgrades over the years have made them safer to fly,and safety could have been improved even more if NASA had been given the money. And we still could have built the next generation rockets by adapting the same proven flight hardware and infrastructure,which would have saved more money (such as boosters, external tanks, launch support facilities, tooling,etc.) instead of starting from scratch. It would have kept America in Space,and got our new programs together a lot faster. It also would have retained a lot of jobs. Waiting five to seven years to put our own manned rockets into space is unacceptable for a country as great as ours. Its a disgrace. Its like our government is simply allowing our space program to starve. Its a shame to see millions of dollars worth of clean,mint condition hardware and a good useable spacecraft being retired. Not to mention the thousands of very talented people that kept them flying. Its almost the the equivalent of taking your new car for a few laps around the block,junking it,and then realizing that you have no way to get to work.
How did New York get one when other, more deserving places like Seattle not get one?
Population, more people come to NY than to Seattle for tourism.
Is Seattle a city now?
I can't believe that people are commenting on where the shuttle rests....the concern should be the death of the space program in the United States. As stated above, we now have to use taxi service to get to the space station. Isn't anyone embarrassed by this? We used to lead the world now we just follow in its footsteps. One giant step for everyone else, one backwards step for the United States. If some people in this country get there way, we will soon be having trials against teachers for teaching evolution. Giving this to the private sector will just make it another example of greed. I am just shocked that we are out of the space program.
Silly, we need to cut capital gains tax instead. Go to space? WHat are you a Marxist?
Equalityforall: Hey, we're outsourcing. We are good at doing it. What makes you think that the space program was somewhat different. We enjoy sending our jobs abroad so we can then rant about not having jobs here. But think about this... the space program was always run by the private sector (Congress would allocate the money for the government to pay. McDonnell-Douglas, Lockheed Martin, GE, Pratt & Witnney, etc., they are not government companies.
"I can't believe that people are commenting on where the shuttle rests...."
They are so commenting, because that's what the thread is about.
As for the rest, stop looking back and whining, and see what's ahead. Commercial Crew. Orion. And (ugh) SLS, Commercial space stations. Commercial suborbital (which will surely evolve into more commercial orbital). Stories about these things have been done aplenty here on this website, and many others. There's no doubt there will be more, as more things happen.
Shuttle was axed in 2004. No one who has paid attention, has a right to be surprised, today.
Thats Americas space program. In a museum.
Really? How often do you check NASA's page to see the many missions we have? But I think that it's easier to come here and rant. It's cheaper than paying a shrink.
Amen to that...
It is not right to have them both in the same area, But, Politics had a major heads up on this one. We do not count people out here in the midwest and western states. When will you get that through your heads and vote accordingly. Wake up america, Travel to NYC. What for? I would love to see the trade center there, but, I will NEVER go throught the hassel. Just how I feel,
If people had screamed bloody murder to their congressmen perhaps they would all be at KSC being prepped for flight instead of gathering dust with dimwits staring at them wondering why they are in museums and what they did to take up so much valuable space - then the "economics" will say lets just photograph them place the pictures on a wall and recycle them to make beer cans.
Too bad they can't do like they did in the testing and have it disconnect by NYC and land at JFK or LaGuardia.
My only problem with the shuttle situation is that it continues to show the waste of money by government agencies. Instead of taking Discovery to Washington and the Smithsonian, pulling the Enterprise from the Smithsonian and sending it to New York, they could have saved alot of money by justing send Discovery to New York.
On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the first powered airplane 20 feet above a wind-swept beach in North Carolina. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet ....
EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com ....
"The Write Brothers" , would be proud again ....
Thanks Alan ....