Space Shuttle Enterprise#Approach and landing tests

The design of Enterprise was not the same as that planned for {{OV|Columbia|full=no}}, the first flight model; the aft fuselage was constructed differently, and it did not have the interfaces to mount OMS pods. A large number of subsystems—ranging from main engines to radar equipment—were not installed on Enterprise, but the capacity to add them in the future was retained, as NASA originally intended to refit the orbiter for spaceflight at the conclusion of its testing. Instead of a thermal protection system, its surface was primarily covered with simulated tiles made from polyurethane foam. Fiberglass was used for the leading edge panels in place of the reinforced carbon–carbon ones of spaceflight-worthy orbiters. Only a few sample thermal tiles and some Nomex blankets were real.{{cite web |url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=D19860004000 |title=Space Shuttle, "Enterprise" OV-101 |work=SI.edu |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=January 9, 2013 |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203141927/http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=D19860004000 |url-status=dead}} Enterprise used fuel cells to generate its electrical power, but these were not sufficient to power the orbiter for spaceflight.{{cite web |url=http://spaceline.org/rocketsum/enterprise.html |title=Space Shuttle Enterprise (OV-101) Fact Sheet |work=Spaceline.org |first=Cliff |last=Lethbridge |year=1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107024654/http://spaceline.org/rocketsum/enterprise.html |archive-date=January 7, 2011}}

Enterprise also lacked reaction control system thrusters and hydraulic mechanisms for the landing gear; the landing gear doors were simply opened through the use of explosive bolts and the gear dropped down solely by gravity. As it was only used for atmospheric testing, Enterprise featured a large nose probe mounted on its nose cap, common on test aircraft because the location provides the most accurate readings for the test instruments, being mounted out in front of the disturbed airflow.

Enterprise was equipped with Lockheed-manufactured zero-zero ejection seats like those its sister {{OV|Columbia|full=no}} carried on its first four missions.

File:The Shuttle Enterprise - GPN-2000-001363.jpg (third from right, in dark brown), the Star Trek cast (with the exception of William Shatner) and NASA administrators attending Enterprise's rollout ceremony]]

Construction began on Enterprise on June 4, 1974. Designated OV-101, it was originally planned to be named Constitution and unveiled on Constitution Day, September 17, 1976. Fans of Star Trek asked US President Gerald Ford, through a letter-writing campaign, to name the orbiter after the television show's fictional starship, USS Enterprise.

In an official memo, White House advisors cited "hundreds of thousands of letters" from Trekkies, "one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country", as a reason for giving the shuttle the name. [https://www.popsci.com/science/star-trek-space-shuttle-enterprise/ How Star Trek fans changed the name of NASA’s first space shuttle]. A declassified memo shows that 'hundreds of thousands of letters' called for a renaming. By Keith Wagstaff, Jan 11, 2025, Popular Science. Although Ford did not publicly mention the campaign, the president said that he was "partial to the name" Enterprise, and directed NASA officials to change the name.{{cite web |url=http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html |title=Enterprise (OV-101) |work=NASA.gov |first=Kay |last=Grinter |date=October 3, 2000 |access-date=November 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326061638/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html |archive-date=March 26, 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JGIgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2595,1284578 |title=Star Trek Fans Win on Space Shuttle |work=The Lewiston Daily Sun |first=Frances |last=Lewine |page=20 |date=September 6, 1976 |access-date=March 5, 2011 |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101140155/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JGIgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2595,1284578 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://io9.com/declassified-memos-reveal-debate-over-naming-the-shuttl-1603073259 |title=Declassified Memos Reveal Debate Over Naming the Shuttle "Enterprise" |work=io9 |first=Mark |last=Strauss |date=July 10, 2014 |access-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-date=August 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824172529/http://io9.com/declassified-memos-reveal-debate-over-naming-the-shuttl-1603073259 |url-status=live }}

In mid-1976 the orbiter was used for ground vibration tests, allowing engineers to compare data from an actual flight vehicle with theoretical models.

On September 17, 1976, Enterprise was rolled out of Rockwell's plant at Palmdale, California. In recognition of its fictional namesake, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the principal cast of the original series of Star Trek were on hand at the dedication ceremony.{{Cite book |title=From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy |publisher=Pocket Books |first=Terry Lee |last=Rioux |year=2005 |page=221 |isbn=978-0743457620}}

{{Main|Approach and Landing Tests}}

File:HaiseandFullertonEnterprise.jpg and Gordon Fullerton (wearing oxygen mask) in Enterprise{{'s}} cockpit, 1977]]

On January 31, 1977, Enterprise was taken by road to Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base to begin operational testing.{{cite web |url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/basics/ |title=Space Shuttle Basics |work=NASA.gov |first=Kim |last=Dismukes |date=February 15, 2005 |access-date=November 28, 2007 |archive-date=November 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127050452/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/basics/ |url-status=dead}}

While at NASA Dryden Enterprise was used by NASA for a variety of ground and flight tests intended to validate aspects of the shuttle program.{{cite web |url=http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/ALT/HTML/ |title=Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) |work=NASA.gov |access-date=November 28, 2007 |archive-date=March 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315180758/http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/ALT/HTML/ |url-status=dead}} The initial nine-month testing period was referred to by the acronym ALT, for "Approach and Landing Test".{{cite web |url=http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-000218.html |title=Shuttle Enterprise Free Flight |work=NASA.gov |year=2000 |access-date=November 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307094536/http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-000218.html |archive-date=March 7, 2013}} These tests included a maiden "flight" on February 18, 1977, atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) to measure structural loads and ground handling and braking characteristics of the mated system. Ground tests of all orbiter subsystems were carried out to verify functionality prior to atmospheric flight.

The mated Enterprise/SCA combination was then subjected to five test flights with Enterprise uncrewed and unactivated. The purpose of these test flights was to measure the flight characteristics of the mated combination. These tests were followed with three test flights with Enterprise crewed to test the shuttle flight control systems.

On August 12, 1977, Enterprise flew on its own for the first time.{{cite web |url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1977/Space-Shuttle-Enterprise/12361881614363-5/ |title=1977 Year in Review: Space Shuttle Enterprise |work=UPI.com |publisher=United Press International |first=Bob |last=Futz |year=1977 |access-date=January 9, 2013 |archive-date=January 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105184202/http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1977/Space-Shuttle-Enterprise/12361881614363-5/ |url-status=live }} Enterprise underwent four more free flights where the craft separated from the SCA and was landed under astronaut control. These tests verified the flight characteristics of the orbiter design and were used to carry out several aerodynamic and weight configurations. The first three flights were flown with a tailcone placed at the end of Enterprise{{'s}} aft fuselage, which reduced drag and turbulence when mated to the SCA. The final two flights saw the tailcone removed and mockup main engine nozzles installed. On the fifth and final glider flight, pilot-induced oscillation problems were revealed, which had to be addressed before the first orbital launch occurred.

File:Enterprise lifted.jpg to undergo dynamic testing in launch configuration.]]

Following the conclusion of the ALT test flight program, on March 13, 1978, Enterprise was flown once again, but this time halfway across the country to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Alabama for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Testing (MGVT). The orbiter was lifted up on a sling very similar to the one used at Kennedy Space Center and placed inside the Dynamic Test Stand building, and mated to the Vertical Mate Ground Vibration Test tank (VMGVT-ET), which in turn was attached to a set of inert Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) to form a complete shuttle launch stack, and marked the first time in the program's history that all Space Shuttle elements, an Orbiter, an External Tank (ET), and two SRBs, were mated together. During the course of the program, Enterprise and the rest of the launch stack would be exposed to a punishing series of vibration tests simulating as closely as possible those expected during various phases of launch, some tests with and others without the SRBs in place.{{cite book |title=NASA Space Shuttle: 1981 onwards (all models): An Insight into the Design, Construction and Operation of the NASA Space Shuttle |publisher=Zenith Press |series=Owners' Workshop Manual |first=David |last=Baker |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7603-4076-9}}

At the conclusion of this testing, Enterprise was due to be taken back to Palmdale for retrofitting as a fully spaceflight capable vehicle. Under this arrangement, Enterprise would be launched on its maiden spaceflight in July 1981 to launch a communications satellite and retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility, then planned for a 1980 release on the first operational orbiter, Columbia. Afterward, Enterprise would conduct two Spacelab missions.{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/what-shuttle-should-have-been-the-october-1977-flight-manifest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326192250/http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/what-shuttle-should-have-been-the-october-1977-flight-manifest |archive-date=March 26, 2012 |title=What Shuttle Should Have Been: The October 1977 Flight Manifest |work=Wired.com |first=David S F |last=Portree |date=March 24, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2012}} However, in the period between the rollout of Enterprise and the rollout of Columbia, a number of significant design changes had taken place, particularly with regard to the weight of the fuselage and wings. This meant that retrofitting the prototype would have been a much more expensive process than previously realized, involving the dismantling of the orbiter and the return of various structural sections to subcontractors across the country. As a consequence, NASA made the decision to convert an incomplete Structural Test Article, numbered STA-099, which had been built to undergo a variety of stress tests, into a fully flight-worthy orbiter, which became {{OV|Challenger|full=no}}.

File:Enterprise KSC 1979.jpg

Following the MGVT program and with the decision to not use Enterprise for orbital missions, it was ferried to Kennedy Space Center on April 10, 1979. By June 1979, it was mated with an external tank and solid rocket boosters (known as a boilerplate configuration) and tested in a launch configuration at KSC Launch Complex 39A for a series of fit checks of the facilities there.

After this period, Enterprise was returned to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility in September 1981.{{cite web |url=http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html |title=Enterprise (OV-101) |work=NASA.gov |date=October 3, 2000 |access-date=November 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515233902/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html |archive-date=May 15, 2012}} In 1983 and 1984, Enterprise underwent an international tour visiting France, West Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Enterprise also visited California, Alabama, and Louisiana (while visiting the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition).

File:Space_Shuttle_Enterprise_in_launch_configuration.jpg was scheduled]]

Between November 1984 and May 1985, Enterprise was again mated with an external tank and solid rocket boosters in a boilerplate configuration for a series of fit checks of the never-used shuttle facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.{{cite web |date=May 1, 2019 |title=40 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise rolls to the Pad |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-space-shuttle-enterprise-rolls-to-the-pad |access-date=September 26, 2022 |work=NASA.gov}}{{cite news |last=Scully |first=Janene |date=September 29, 2005 |title=New era dawns for SLC-6 |url=http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/new-era-dawns-for-slc/article_bd0a0f6c-85c7-5d57-b11a-83523377aca9.html |access-date=June 8, 2017 |work=Lompoc Record}}{{cite news |last1=Fulks |first1=Tom |date=October 16, 1985 |title=Vandeberg opens new space shuttle base |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tribune-vandeberg-opens-new-space-sh/122247704/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404064312/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tribune-vandeberg-opens-new-space-sh/122247704/ |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |access-date=April 4, 2023 |work=The County-Telegram Tribune |location=San Luis Obispo, California |via=Newspapers.com}}

On November 18, 1985, Enterprise was ferried to Washington, D.C., where it became property of the Smithsonian Institution and was stored in the National Air and Space Museum's hangar at Dulles International Airport.

After the Challenger disaster, NASA considered using Enterprise as a replacement. Refitting the shuttle with all of the necessary equipment for it to be used in space was considered, but NASA decided to use spare parts constructed at the same time as{{OV|Discovery|full=no}} and{{OV|Atlantis|full=no}} to build{{OV|Endeavour|full=no}}.

File:Enterprise wing panel.jpg

In 2003 after the breakup of {{OV|Columbia|full=no}} during re-entry, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board conducted tests at Southwest Research Institute, which used an air cannon to shoot foam blocks of similar size, mass and speed to that which struck Columbia at a test structure which mechanically replicated the orbiter wing leading edge. They removed a section of fiberglass leading edge from Enterprise{{'s}} wing to perform analysis of the material and attached it to the test structure, then shot a foam block at it.{{Cite news |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/030604foamtest/ |title=Critical foam impact test planned for Thursday |work=Spaceflight Now |first=William |last=Harwood |date=June 4, 2003 |access-date=July 12, 2007 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083549/http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/030604foamtest/ |url-status=live }} While the leading edge was not broken as a result of the test, which took place on May 29, 2003, the impact was enough to permanently deform a seal and leave a thin gap {{cvt|22|in|cm}} long.{{cite press release |url=http://www.caib.us:80/news/press_releases/pr030529.html |title=Shuttle Leading Edge Foam Impact Test Update |publisher=Columbia Accident Investigation Board |date=May 29, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030622092018/http://www.caib.us/news/press_releases/pr030529.html |archive-date=June 22, 2003 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-05-29-shuttle-usat_x.htm |title=Test supports theory foam doomed shuttle |work=USA Today |first=Traci |last=Watson |date=May 29, 2003 |access-date=February 17, 2018 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126025129/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-05-29-shuttle-usat_x.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/us/nasa-s-foam-test-offered-a-vivid-lesson-in-kinetics.html |title=NASA's Foam Test Offered A Vivid Lesson in Kinetics |work=The New York Times |first=John |last=Schwartz |date=June 5, 2003 |access-date=February 17, 2018 |archive-date=February 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090726/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/us/nasa-s-foam-test-offered-a-vivid-lesson-in-kinetics.html |url-status=live }} Since the strength of the reinforced carbon–carbon (RCC) on Columbia is "substantially weaker and less flexible" than the test section from Enterprise, this result suggested that the RCC would have been shattered. A section of RCC leading edge from Discovery was tested on June 6, to determine the effects of the foam on a similarly aged leading edge, resulting in a {{cvt|3|in|cm|adj=on|spell=in}} crack on panel 6 and cracking on a T-shaped seal between panels 6 and 7.{{cite press release |url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=11742 |title=Foam Impact Test Breaks Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Panel |publisher=Columbia Accident Investigation Board |agency=Spaceref.com |date=June 6, 2003 |access-date=February 17, 2018 |id=CAIB PA 32-03 |archive-date=February 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218071619/https://spaceref.com/press-release/space-shuttle-columbia-investigation-foam-impact-test-breaks-reinforced-carbon-carbon-panel/ |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |url=https://missionjuno.swri.edu/3pubs/ttoday/fall03/pdfs/fall2003.pdf |title=On the Leading Edge |journal=Technology Today |first1=James D. |last1=Walker |first2=Donald J. |last2=Grosch |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=2–9 |date=Fall 2003 |issn=1528-431X |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090607/https://missionjuno.swri.edu/3pubs/ttoday/fall03/pdfs/fall2003.pdf |archive-date=February 18, 2018}} On July 7, using a leading edge from Atlantis and focused on panel 8 with refined parameters stemming from the Columbia accident investigation, a second test created a ragged hole approximately {{cvt|16|by|16|in|cm}} in the RCC structure.{{cite news |url=https://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/030707impacttest/ |title=Foam impact test blows hole in shuttle wing panel |work=Spaceflight Now |first=William |last=Harwood |date=July 7, 2003 |access-date=February 17, 2018 |archive-date=December 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213054355/https://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts107/030707impacttest/ |url-status=dead}} The tests clearly demonstrated that a foam impact of the type Columbia sustained could seriously breach the protective RCC panels on the wing leading edge.

The board determined that the probable cause of the accident was that the foam impact caused a breach of a reinforced carbon-carbon panel along the leading edge of Columbia{{'s}} left wing, allowing hot gases generated during re-entry to enter the wing and cause structural collapse. This caused Columbia to tumble out of control, breaking up with the loss of the entire crew.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/us/test-shows-foam-was-likely-cause-of-shuttle-s-loss.html |title=Test Shows Foam Was Likely Cause of Shuttle's Loss |work=The New York Times |last1=Wald |first1=Matthew L. |last2=Schwartz |first2=John |date=July 8, 2003 |access-date=February 16, 2018 |archive-date=February 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217202840/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/08/us/test-shows-foam-was-likely-cause-of-shuttle-s-loss.html |url-status=live }}

File:Shuttle Enterprise at 1984 World Fair New Orleans 27 August 1984.jpg in New Orleans.]]

In 1984, Enterprise was on display during the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition (World's Fair) in New Orleans.

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| width = 250

| image1 = Space shuttle enterprise.jpg

| alt1 = Enterprise on display in a black hangar filled with other space artifacts including the tops of Mercury and Gemini capsules, rockets and satellites, a Manned Maneuvering Unit, and other space artifacts. An American flag hangs on the wall of the hangar in the back. The Shuttle is resting on its landing gear with the payload bay doors closed, and museum visitors are kept away by stanchions. 13 visitors are visible in this picture, one group is wearing matching yellow shirts. There is ample room for more visitors.

| caption1 = Enterprise on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

| image2 = Enterprise and Discovery.jpg

| alt2 = Enterprise and Discovery meet, rolling on their landing gear, seemingly nose to nose, along a paved path at Dulles airport. A throng of people standing on grass in the foreground has gathered to see the spectacle. Both orbiters have aeroshells covering the engine area.

| caption2 = Enterprise (left) stands with Discovery on the latter's delivery to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

}}

From 1985 to 2003, Enterprise was stored at the Smithsonian's hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport before it was restored and moved to the Smithsonian's newly built National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles, where it was the centerpiece of the space collection.{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everydaylife/nasm_enterprise.html |title=Shuttle Enterprise at Center of Museum's Space Hangar |work=NASA.gov |first=Jim |last=Wilson |date=October 29, 2004 |access-date=November 28, 2007 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306144538/https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everydaylife/nasm_enterprise.html |url-status=live }} On April 12, 2011, NASA announced that {{OV|Discovery|full=no}}, the most traveled orbiter in the fleet, would replace Enterprise in the Smithsonian's collection once the Shuttle fleet was retired, with ownership of Enterprise transferred to the Intrepid Museum in New York City. On April 17, 2012, Discovery was transported by Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to Dulles from Kennedy Space Center, where it made several passes over the Washington D.C. metro area.{{cite news |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/discovery_departure.html |title=Discovery Departs Kennedy Space Center |work=NASA.gov |first=Anna |last=Heiney |date=April 17, 2012 |access-date=April 17, 2012 |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419055006/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/discovery_departure.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/space-shuttle-discovery-makes-final-flight-over-washington-dc/2012/04/18/gIQAMtqcQT_story.html |title=Space shuttle Discovery makes final flight over Washington D.C. |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Brian |last=Vastag |date=April 18, 2012 |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419055930/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/space-shuttle-discovery-makes-final-flight-over-washington-dc/2012/04/18/gIQAMtqcQT_story.html |url-status=live }} After Discovery had been removed from the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, both orbiters were displayed nose-to-nose outside the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center before Enterprise was made ready for its flight to New York.{{cite web |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/when-enterprise-met-discovery |title=When Enterprise Met Discovery |last=Camusci |first=Tiffany |date=August 31, 2018 |website=National Air and Space Museum |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=January 9, 2020 |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721043238/https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/when-enterprise-met-discovery |url-status=live }}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Space Shuttle Enterprise

| image = Space Shuttle Enterprise is lifted by crane (7402535806).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Enterprise being lifted onto the deck of Intrepid in June 2012

| nrhp_type =

| designated_nrhp_type =

| location = New York City

| added = March 13, 2013

| visitation_num =

| visitation_year =

| refnum = 13000071

}}On December 12, 2011, ownership of Enterprise was officially transferred to the Intrepid Museum in New York City.{{cite news |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-121211a.html |title=Intrepid Museum Celebrates Ownership of Space Shuttle Enterprise |work=CollectSpace.com |first=Robert Z |last=Pearlman |date=December 12, 2011 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112135412/http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-121211a.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/placement/enterprise_transfer.html |title=NASA Transfers Enterprise Title to Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City |work=NASA.gov |first=Kris |last=Rainey |date=December 11, 2011 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-date=February 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211074602/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/placement/enterprise_transfer.html |url-status=live }}{{cite press release |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8987493.htm |title=NASA Transfers Title to Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City |publisher=PRWeb.com |first1=Deborah |last1=Raskin |first2=Luke |last2=Sacks |date=November 22, 2011 |access-date=March 27, 2012 |archive-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129152844/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8987493.htm |url-status=dead }} In preparation for the anticipated relocation, engineers evaluated the vehicle in early 2010 and determined that it was safe to fly on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft once again.{{Cite news |url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/enterprise-good-condition-potential-sca-ferry-smithsonian/ |title=Enterprise in good condition for potential SCA ferry from Smithsonian NASM |work=NASAspaceflight.com |first=Chris |last=Bergin |date=March 14, 2010 |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316230551/http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/enterprise-good-condition-potential-sca-ferry-smithsonian/ |url-status=live }} At approximately 13:40 UTC on April 27, 2012, Enterprise took off from Dulles International Airport en route to a fly-by over the Hudson River, New York's JFK International Airport, the Statue of Liberty, the George Washington and Verrazano-Narrows Bridges, and several other landmarks in the city, in an approximately 45-minute "final tour". At 15:23 UTC, Enterprise touched down at JFK International Airport.{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/space_shuttle_enterprise_lands.html |title=Space shuttle Enterprise lands safely in New York, after soaring over northern N.J. |work=NJ.com |agency=Associated Press |date=April 27, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605022525/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/space_shuttle_enterprise_lands.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304811304577369602130310414 |title=A Shuttle Meets Its City |work=The Wall Street Journal |first1=Pervaiz |last1=Shallwani |first2=Alison |last2=Fox |date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805120814/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304811304577369602130310414 |url-status=live }}

The mobile Mate-Demate Device and cranes were transported from Dulles to the ramp at JFK and the shuttle was removed from the SCA overnight on May 12, 2012, placed on a specially designed flat bed trailer and returned to Hangar 12.{{cite news |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-030112a.html |title=Space shuttle Enterprise lands in New York City on April 23 |work=CollectSpace.com |first=Robert Z |last=Pearlman |date=March 1, 2012 |access-date=March 22, 2012 |archive-date=March 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305024610/http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-030112a.html |url-status=live }} On June 3 a Weeks Marine barge took Enterprise to Jersey City. The Shuttle sustained cosmetic damage to a wingtip when a gust of wind blew the barge towards a piling.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/06/space-shuttle-enterprise-damaged-en-route-to-new-home/ |title=Space Shuttle Enterprise Damaged On Way to New Home |work=ABC News |first=Alexandra |last=Ludka |date=June 5, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607051156/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/06/space-shuttle-enterprise-damaged-en-route-to-new-home/ |url-status=live }} It was hoisted June 6 onto the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan.{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/space_shuttle_enterprise_to_sp.html |title=Enterprise to spend day in Jersey City |work=NJ.com |agency=Associated Press |date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203144155/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/space_shuttle_enterprise_to_sp.html |url-status=live }}

Enterprise went on public display on July 19, 2012, at the Intrepid Museum's new Space Shuttle Pavilion, a temporary shelter consisting of a pressurized, air-supported fabric bubble constructed on the aft end of the carrier's flight deck.{{cite news |url=https://phys.org/news/2012-07-space-shuttle-enterprise.html |title=Space shuttle Enterprise set to open to public |work=PHYS.org |first=Alex |last=Katz |date=July 18, 2012 |access-date=November 3, 2022 |archive-date=November 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104041037/https://phys.org/news/2012-07-space-shuttle-enterprise.html |url-status=live }}File:Enterprise nicked tail Sandy jeh.jpg]]

On October 29, 2012, storm surges from Hurricane Sandy caused Pier 86, including the Intrepid Museum's visitor center, to flood, and knocked out the museum's electrical power and both backup generators. The loss of power caused the Space Shuttle Pavilion to deflate, and high winds from the hurricane caused the fabric of the Pavilion to tear and collapse around the orbiter. Minor damage was spotted on the vertical stabilizer of the orbiter, as a portion of the tail fin above the rudder/speedbrake had broken off.{{cite news |url=http://www.space.com/18282-shuttle-enterprise-intrepid-hurricane-damage.html |title=Space Shuttle Enterprise Damaged by Hurricane Sandy |work=Space.com |first=Robert Z. |last=Pearlman |date=October 30, 2012 |access-date=October 31, 2012 |archive-date=November 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101194400/http://www.space.com/18282-shuttle-enterprise-intrepid-hurricane-damage.html |url-status=live }} The broken section was recovered by museum staff. While the pavilion itself could not be replaced for some time in 2013, the museum erected scaffolding and sheeting around Enterprise to protect it from the environment.{{cite news |url=http://www.space.com/19004-space-shuttle-enterprise-repairs-museum-reopen.html |title=Shuttle Enterprise Being Repaired as Museum Home Reopens Friday |work=Space.com |first=Robert Z |last=Pearlman |date=December 20, 2012 |access-date=January 9, 2012 |archive-date=December 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222231816/http://www.space.com/19004-space-shuttle-enterprise-repairs-museum-reopen.html |url-status=live }}

By April 2013, the damage sustained to Enterprise{{'s}} vertical stabilizer had been fully repaired, and construction work on the structure for a new pavilion was under way.{{cite news |url=http://www.space.com/20896-space-shuttle-enterprise-nyc-museum.html |title=Space Shuttle Enterprise's New Home Takes Shape at NYC Museum |work=Space.com |first=Robert Z |last=Pearlman |date=April 30, 2013 |access-date=June 17, 2013 |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606034833/http://www.space.com/20896-space-shuttle-enterprise-nyc-museum.html |url-status=live }} The pavilion and exhibit reopened on July 10, 2013.{{cite news |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/space-shuttle-enterprise-reopens-nyc-visitors |title=Space shuttle Enterprise reopens to NYC visitors |agency=Associated Press |series=The Big Story |first=Jon |last=Gerberg |date=July 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820150804/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/space-shuttle-enterprise-reopens-nyc-visitors |archive-date=August 20, 2013 |url-status=live}}

Enterprise was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 2013, reference number 13000071, in recognition of its role in the development of the Space Shuttle Program. The historic significance criteria are in space exploration, transportation, and engineering.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13000071.htm |title=Space Shuttle Enterprise |work=NPS.gov |publisher=National Register of Historic Places |first=Daniel A. |last=Bagrow |date=March 13, 2013 |access-date=March 22, 2013 |archive-date=May 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507170041/http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13000071.htm |url-status=dead }}

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File:Enterprise 1977 Approach and Landing Test mission patch.png|Enterprise ALT program logo

File:Space Shuttle Enterprise 747 separation.ogv|Space Shuttle Enterprise 747 separation

File:S79-31980.jpg|Enterprise makes its first appearance mated with an external tank and SRBs en route to Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center

File:Space Shuttle Enterprise Move to Intrepid (201206060005HQ) DVIDS724620.jpg|Enterprise enroute to its new home aboard USS Intrepid

File:Space Shuttle Enterprise Move to Intrepid (201206060012HQ) DVIDS723125.jpg|Enterprise underway on the Hudson River

File:Shuttle Enterprise Flight to New York (201204270023HQ).jpg|Enterprise over New York. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Enterprise{{'s}} present home, can be seen below

File:Space Shuttle Enterprise 2018.jpg|Enterprise at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in 2018

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• [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html Enterprise (OV-101)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192118/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html |date=March 3, 2016 }} at NASA.gov
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn7C6HBfu90 Enterprise (OV-101) Approach and Landing Test (1977)]

{{Memory Alpha|Enterprise (OV-101)|Enterprise (OV-101)}}

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• [https://www.popsci.com/science/star-trek-space-shuttle-enterprise/ How Star Trek fans changed the name of NASA’s first space shuttle]. A declassified memo shows that 'hundreds of thousands of letters' called for a renaming. By Keith Wagstaff, Jan 11, 2025, Popular Science.

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Enterprise

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Enterprise

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