![]() Enterprise began its grand tour of New York at about 10:30. The flight was delayed five days due to bad weather, but otherwise went as planned. Spectators lined the Hudson to get a look at the Enterprise and snap some photos as it took to the skies one last time. After a series of flyovers above the Statue of Liberty, Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the George Washington Bridge, and other NYC locales, the 747 landed at JFK airport where it was greeted with a star-packed ceremony that included NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, New York Sen. It flew up and down the Hudson River this morning, not far from PopMech's office in the Hearst Tower. Mated on top of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the 75-ton Enterprise prototype space shuttle came north from Washington, D.C., this morning. NASA’s five shuttle orbiters didn’t just leave their mark in history, they left a lasting impression upon the hearts and minds of people all across the globe, and paved the way for the future of human space exploration.Ĭlick here to learn more about NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.The first space shuttle just became the first space shuttle to be in New York City. Udvar-Hazy Center at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Virginia, and Endeavour is on display at the California Science Center.Įnterprise, which never flew in space, can be viewed at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City and the shuttle replica Independence can be seen at Space Center Houston in Independence Plaza during your next visit. Atlantis was moved to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The remaining shuttles were retired to museums around the country following the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Atlantis landed 13 days later, safely returning the crew of STS-135 home in a final farewell to NASA’s historic Space Shuttle Program. The final shuttle flight ( STS-135) launched on July 8, 2011. In 1986, Challenger was lost during launch, and, in 2003, Columbia was lost during reentry. ![]() Though the shuttle had many triumphs, the program also suffered tragedies. A sixth prototype shuttle orbiter, Enterprise, was used in glide tests in 1977, prior to the launch of the first shuttle mission ( STS-1) on April 12, 1981. In total, NASA constructed five shuttle orbiters for spaceflight: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Since it was a much bigger spacecraft, the shuttle could also launch heavier and larger payloads into space, like International Space Station (ISS) modules and the Hubble Space Telescope! In fact, the shuttle was used to construct and sustain the ISS, carrying spare parts and supplies to the orbital laboratory over the years. Whereas Apollo could launch a crew of three, the shuttle could launch eight (although seven crew members seemed to be the average). ![]() This large aircraft-like space vehicle could accommodate much larger crew sizes than the spacecraft that came before. They appeared to have flown straight out of a science fiction movie. The shuttle lifted off into space like a rocket, but it landed like a plane. No one had ever seen anything like the shuttle orbiters. Spanning 30 years, NASA’s Space Shuttle program was revolutionary. ![]() While SpaceX is credited with launching the world’s first reusable rocket, NASA made history with the launch of the world’s first reusable spacecraft decades before. This unique vehicle had a profound impact on the history of human spaceflight and paved the way for future exploration. Solve space today by unscrambling this image of the world’s first reusable spacecraft, NASA’s space shuttle. This fall, we are exploring how space inspires progress. ![]()
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