Revisiting the final flight of the space shuttle Enterprise
It has been a decade since the Enterprise last took flight, although the destination wasn’t in outer space and included cruises past several world-famous landmarks.
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Apr 26, 2022 6:00 AM EDT
|
Updated Apr 26, 2022 8:12 AM EDT
Space shuttle Enterprise, riding on the back of the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, lands at JFK International Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
April 27, 2012, marked the final flight for the space shuttle Enterprise, a mammoth spacecraft constructed in the 1970s at the dawn of a new era for NASA. However, the mighty machine's last journey didn't include a trip to outer space.
Enterprise, the first shuttle ever built, was used for atmospheric test flights in 1977. The original intent was to eventually upgrade the machine to send it to space, but those plans never came to fruition.
Instead, it remained on Earth while NASA constructed newer shuttles to send into space, including Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.
The space shuttle Enterprise heads in for a landing on Friday, August 12, 1977, at Edwards Air Force Base, Ca., following a successful free flight. (AP Photo)
After the construction of the International Space Station was complete, NASA ended the Space Shuttle program. The final mission involved the Atlantis which returned to Earth on July 21, 2011.
But this was not the end of the orbiters. The remaining shuttles still had missions closer to home, including Enterprise.
It was decided that the shuttles would be decommissioned and put on display at museums across the country where people could come within feet of the vehicles that powered NASA for decades.
At the time the program ended, Enterprise was already on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. However, it was decided that the space shuttle Discovery would take its place in Washington, D.C.
Enterprise needed a new home, and it would find one just over 200 miles away.
The Enterprise would soon be relocated and stationed aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Intrepid is an aircraft carrier floating in the Hudson River that serves as a military and wartime history museum.
After much planning and preparation, Enterprise took to the sky on April 27, 2012, on the back of a massive Boeing 747 designed for transporting the shuttles.
The voyage sent Enterprise soaring past the New York City skyline before eventually landing at JFK International Airport. It then was transported up the Hudson River where it was then hoisted on top of the Intrepid later that year on June 6.
However, Enterprise did encounter a few bumps along the trip. Literally.
While cruising up the Hudson River toward the Intrepid, a strong gust of wind blew the Enterprise into a railroad bridge, but only caused "cosmetic damage" to one of its wings, according to ABC News.
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It wasn't smooth sailing after it came to rest on the Intrepid either.
Just months after going on display, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, blasting the entire region with intense winds and flooding rain.
At the time, Enterprise was housed inside of a pressurized pavilion on the Intrepid, but after the historic storm passed, a loss of power caused the pavilion to collapse onto the shuttle.
Parts of the shuttle were even exposed to the elements in the wake of Sandy, according to SPACE.com. The damage was repaired in the following months and the exhibit was reopened the following year.
Enterprise remains on display aboard the Intrepid in New York City and is open to the public seven days a week, although tickets are required to see the exhibit.
MORE SPACE AND ASTRONOMY:
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Astronomy
Revisiting the final flight of the space shuttle Enterprise
It has been a decade since the Enterprise last took flight, although the destination wasn’t in outer space and included cruises past several world-famous landmarks.
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Apr 26, 2022 6:00 AM EDT | Updated Apr 26, 2022 8:12 AM EDT
Space shuttle Enterprise, riding on the back of the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, lands at JFK International Airport, Friday, April 27, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
April 27, 2012, marked the final flight for the space shuttle Enterprise, a mammoth spacecraft constructed in the 1970s at the dawn of a new era for NASA. However, the mighty machine's last journey didn't include a trip to outer space.
Enterprise, the first shuttle ever built, was used for atmospheric test flights in 1977. The original intent was to eventually upgrade the machine to send it to space, but those plans never came to fruition.
Instead, it remained on Earth while NASA constructed newer shuttles to send into space, including Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.
The space shuttle Enterprise heads in for a landing on Friday, August 12, 1977, at Edwards Air Force Base, Ca., following a successful free flight. (AP Photo)
After the construction of the International Space Station was complete, NASA ended the Space Shuttle program. The final mission involved the Atlantis which returned to Earth on July 21, 2011.
But this was not the end of the orbiters. The remaining shuttles still had missions closer to home, including Enterprise.
It was decided that the shuttles would be decommissioned and put on display at museums across the country where people could come within feet of the vehicles that powered NASA for decades.
At the time the program ended, Enterprise was already on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. However, it was decided that the space shuttle Discovery would take its place in Washington, D.C.
Enterprise needed a new home, and it would find one just over 200 miles away.
The Enterprise would soon be relocated and stationed aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Intrepid is an aircraft carrier floating in the Hudson River that serves as a military and wartime history museum.
After much planning and preparation, Enterprise took to the sky on April 27, 2012, on the back of a massive Boeing 747 designed for transporting the shuttles.
The voyage sent Enterprise soaring past the New York City skyline before eventually landing at JFK International Airport. It then was transported up the Hudson River where it was then hoisted on top of the Intrepid later that year on June 6.
However, Enterprise did encounter a few bumps along the trip. Literally.
While cruising up the Hudson River toward the Intrepid, a strong gust of wind blew the Enterprise into a railroad bridge, but only caused "cosmetic damage" to one of its wings, according to ABC News.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
It wasn't smooth sailing after it came to rest on the Intrepid either.
Just months after going on display, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, blasting the entire region with intense winds and flooding rain.
At the time, Enterprise was housed inside of a pressurized pavilion on the Intrepid, but after the historic storm passed, a loss of power caused the pavilion to collapse onto the shuttle.
Parts of the shuttle were even exposed to the elements in the wake of Sandy, according to SPACE.com. The damage was repaired in the following months and the exhibit was reopened the following year.
Enterprise remains on display aboard the Intrepid in New York City and is open to the public seven days a week, although tickets are required to see the exhibit.
MORE SPACE AND ASTRONOMY:
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo