The Enterprise has officially arrived.
Now, don't confuse the space shuttle Enterprise with the Starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Only one of those vehicles ever went to space--and it was the fictional one.
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The Enterprise has officially arrived. Now, don't confuse the space shuttle Enterprise with the Starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Only one of those vehicles ever went to space--and it was the fictional one.
The NASA orbiter OV-101, unlike the Star Trek ship for which it was named, never did make a trip to space. But it was the first of six shuttles built--actually a prototype incapable of spaceflight--and completed crucial tests that helped lead the way for the five shuttles that followed.
In April, Enterprise was flown to New York from its previous home at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in Washington.
It was the floated on a barge around Manhattan, ultimately making its way to the aircraft carrier-turned-museum Intrepid, where it is now available for public viewing.
The Intrepid is celebrating its newest arrival with a five-day SpaceFest on the carrier's flight deck.