Shuttle Enterprise Flight over New York City Metro Area Moved to April 27

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington                                   

202-358-1100

michael.curie@nasa.gov

 

Laura J. Brown

Federal Aviation Administration

202-267-3455

laura.j.brown@faa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA managers, in coordination with Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum officials, tentatively are targeting Friday, April 27, for the ferry of space shuttle Enterprise from Washington Dulles International Airport to John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York.

Managers shifted the flight from Wednesday to Friday because of a large region of low pressure dominating the East Coast. The weather is predicted to be more favorable Friday.

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) with Enterprise mounted atop will fly at a relatively low altitude over various parts of the New York City metropolitan area on Friday. The aircraft is expected to fly near a variety of landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty and Intrepid. After the flyover is complete, the SCA will land at JFK.

The Federal Aviation Administration is coordinating the flight, which is scheduled to occur between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. EDT, weather permitting. The exact route and timing depend on weather and operational constraints.

Enterprise was mated to the SCA Saturday morning and covers were fitted over the shuttle's vent doors to prevent rain intrusion while the vehicle awaits its transfer from Dulles. The covers will be removed before flight.

Media will have access to the public areas at Dulles to view the departure of Enterprise. Media sending crews to Dulles should contact the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Office of Public Affairs at 703-417-8370.

During the weeks following the arrival, Enterprise will be demated from the 747 and placed on a barge that will move by tugboat up the Hudson River to Intrepid in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. The Intrepid continues to work on a permanent exhibit facility to showcase Enterprise that will enhance the museum's space-related exhibits and education curriculum.

If the flight is postponed for any reason, an additional notice will be released.

For more information about NASA's transfer of space shuttles to museums, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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Space Shuttle Discovery Arrives at Udvar-Hazy

Space shuttles Enterprise, left, and Discovery meet nose-to-nose at the beginning of a transfer ceremony at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Chantilly, Va. Space shuttle Discovery--the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles--will take the place of Enterprise at the center to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers at the center.

Image Credit: NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Carolyn Russo

Shuttle Enterprise to Fly Over New York City Metro Area April 23

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington     

202-358-1100

michael.curie@nasa.gov

 

Laura J. Brown

Federal Aviation Administration

202-267-3455

laura.j.brown@faa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) with space shuttle Enterprise mounted atop will fly at a relatively low altitude over various parts of the New York City metropolitan area on Monday, April 23.

The Federal Aviation Administration is coordinating the flight, which is scheduled to occur between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. EDT.

The exact route and timing of the flight depend on weather and operational constraints, including the on-time delivery of space shuttle Discovery to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., this week. If all goes as planned, the aircraft is expected to fly near a variety of landmarks in the metropolitan area, including the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. When the flyover is complete, the SCA will land at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

During the weeks following the arrival, Enterprise will be "demated" from the 747 and placed on a barge that will be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. The Intrepid continues to work on a permanent exhibit facility to showcase Enterprise that will enhance the museum's space-related exhibits and education curriculum.

If the flight is postponed for any reason, an additional notice will be released.

For more information about NASA's transfer of space shuttles to museums, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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USS Intrepid Aircraft Carrier at Enterprise Title Transfer

USS Intrepid aircraft carrier which is home to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is seen in the late afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 in New York City. Earlier in the afternoon NASA transferred title and ownership of the space shuttle Enterprise to the museum. The transfer is the first step toward Intrepid receiving Enterprise in the spring of 2012.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA Announces New Homes For Shuttle Orbiters After Retirement

David Weaver

Headquarters, Washington     

 

WASHINGTON -- After 30 years of spaceflight, more than 130 missions, and numerous science and technology firsts, NASA's space shuttle fleet will retire and be on display at institutions across the country to inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Tuesday announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Shuttle Enterprise, the first orbiter built, will move from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. The Udvar-Hazy Center will become the new home for shuttle Discovery, which retired after completing its 39th mission in March. Shuttle Endeavour, which is preparing for its final flight at the end of the month, will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

"We want to thank all of the locations that expressed an interest in one of these national treasures," Bolden said. "This was a very difficult decision, but one that was made with the American public in mind. In the end, these choices provide the greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the history and accomplishments of NASA's remarkable Space Shuttle Program. These facilities we've chosen have a noteworthy legacy of preserving space artifacts and providing outstanding access to U.S. and international visitors."

NASA also announced that hundreds of shuttle artifacts have been allocated to museums and education institutions.

- Various shuttle simulators for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum of McMinnville, Ore., and Texas A&M's Aerospace Engineering Department

- Full fuselage trainer for the Museum of Flight in Seattle

- Nose cap assembly and crew compartment trainer for the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio

- Flight deck pilot and commander seats for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston

- Orbital maneuvering system engines for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center of Huntsville, Ala., National Air and Space Museum in Washington, and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

For more information about other shuttle program artifacts that are available to museums and libraries, visit http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/NASA_SSPA_Pamphlet.pdf.

NASA also is offering shuttle heat shield tiles to schools and universities that want to share technology and a piece of space history with their students. Schools can request a tile at http://gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm.

For a map of the future locations for the orbiters and shuttle artifacts and for more information on visiting the facilities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/shuttle_map.html.

For more information about NASA's placement of the space shuttle orbiters, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.

For information about the Space Shuttle Program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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NASA Administrator Announces Shuttle Distribution

At a ceremony held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announced that Atlantis would be placed on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Discovery would be donated to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., Endeavour would be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and the Enterprise prototype would be transferred from the Udvar-Hazy Center to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

First Appearance

Space shuttle Enterprise made its first appearance mated to supportive propellant containers/boosters cluster, as it was rolled from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center en route to the launch pad, some 3.5 miles away, on May 1, 1979. Enterprise underwent several weeks of fit and function checks on the pad in preparation for STS-1, on which its sister craft Columbia took astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into space for a 54-hour test mission.

Image Credit: NASA

This article was sponsored by Forensic Science Books.