Space Shuttle Enterprise (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first orbiter of the Space Shuttle system. Rolled out on September 17, 1976, it was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform atmospheric test flights after being launched from a modified Boeing 747.[1] It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield. As a result, it was not capable of spaceflight.[2]
Originally, Enterprise had been intended to be refitted for orbital flight to become the second space-rated orbiter in service.[1] However, during the construction of Space ShuttleColumbia, details of the final design changed, making it simpler and less costly to build Challenger around a body frame that had been built as a test article.[1] Similarly, Enterprise was considered for refit to replace Challenger after the latter was destroyed, but Endeavour was built from structural spares instead.[1][3]
Enterprise was restored and placed on display in 2003 at the Smithsonian's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.[4] Following the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet, Discovery replaced Enterprise at the Udvar-Hazy Center, and Enterprise was transferred to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, where it has been on display since July 2012.[5]
^ abcdJenkins, Dennis R (2007). Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-9633974-5-4.
^Slovinac, Patricia; Deming, Joan (June 2010). Avionics Systems Laboratory/Building 16: Historical Documentation. NASA. JSC-CN-22284. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013.
^Cite error: The named reference name was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center". NASA. October 23, 2003. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
^D'Orazio, Dante (July 18, 2012). "NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise aboard the USS Intrepid in pictures". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
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