Enterprise to make New York fly-over

NEW YORK, April 26 (UPI) -- The retired space shuttle Enterprise will meet the Statue of Liberty as it flies to New York City and its new museum home Friday, officials said.

NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with Enterprise mounted atop will fly at a relatively low altitude over parts of the New York metropolitan area on its way from Washington Dulles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport, the space agency reported.

Weather permitting, the flight -- to be coordinated by the Federal Aviation Administration -- is scheduled to occur between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. EDT.

Several weeks after its arrival, Enterprise will be separated from the 747 and placed on a barge that will be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, NASA said.

The Intrepid museum is constructing a permanent exhibit facility, to be completed in June, to showcase Enterprise and enhance the museum's space-related exhibits, officials said.