Spacemike - Space Shuttle Enterprise Mike O'Hara

Enterprise - America's First Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle Enterprise rolled out of the factory on September 17, 1976. The Enterprise played a critical role in the shuttle program. Originally, the Enterprise was to be named the "Constitution" in celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States which occurred the same year as the rollout, but a strong movement by Star Trek fans convinced NASA to name the spacecraft after the fictional ship featured in the television series. The original Star Trek crew was on hand for the rollout. The shuttle was then involved in a battery of tests in the air and on the ground. The first series was of test had the unmanned shuttle attached atop a 747 while in-air tests measured the integrity of the vehicle. This was followed by three in-air tests where the shuttle was manned with a crew at the controls, but the shuttle remained attached to the 747. Finally, there were five flights where the shuttle was ferried to altitude and released for "Approach and Landing Tests" (ALT). The first flights used a tailcone to ensure an extra measure of precaution. Only on the last two flights was the tailcone removed and the shuttle exposed to the true aerodynamics if would face as it re-entered the atmosphere.

A little known fact is that in the original contract NASA had with Rockwell both Enterprise and Challenger were to be test articles. In 1978, NASA decided not to convert Enterprise into a spaceworthy vehicle, but awarded Rockwell a supplemental contract to convert Challenger into an operational space shuttle.

In March of 1978 after the approach and landing tests were completed the Enterprise underwent ground tests for vibration and "fit" tests. The shuttle was flown to the Marshall Space Flight Center and mated to an external tank and boosters and subjected to vertical ground vibration tests. A year later in April of 1979 the shuttle was flown to the Kennedy Space Center and was mated again to an external tank and solid rocket boosters and using the Apollo-era crawler was transported to the launch pad for a "fit-check" verification. This was the practice vehicle that provided training for when the actual orbiters would arrive and ensured integration with the launch complex. In November 1984 the Enterprise was flown to Vandenberg Air Force Base and used for the same "fit-check" at the United Stated Air Force Space Shuttle launch complex. The shuttles were to be shared with the Defense Department to fly secret payloads into orbit from the west coast launch site. Problems with the launch complex and the loss of Challenger changed the shuttle's role in launching payloads. The visit of Enterprise to the Vandenberg complex was the only time a shuttle would visit the site.

The Enterprise made numerous appearances including the World's Fair and the Paris Air Show before being officially retired and turned over to the Smithsonian Institution in November 1985. The Enterprise is on display today at the McDonnell Space Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Click on any image for a larger version

	A view of the Space Shuttle Enterprise as it resides in the McDonnell Space Hangar. As close as the public can get to a shuttle. After the retirement of the current shuttle fleet it has been widely speculated that one of the current orbiters will take the place of the Enterprise and the Enterprise would be relocated to another space museum possibly at the US Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
	I took this photo on December 3, 2005. The Reinforced Carbon Carbon (RCC) panels on Enterprise were removed in the spot where foam struck the Shuttle Challenger's left wing. The panels were then used in a test to simulate the effects of damage a foam strike might do to the Reinforced Carbon Carbon. A piece of foam was fired from an air canon at the panel and recreated the damage that occurred on Columbia. As suspected, it inflicted a gaping hole in the Shuttle's wing.
	A view of the aft section of the Enterprise. During the initial approach and landing tests this was covered by an aerodynamic tailcone. The Enterprise was not equipped with actual Space Shuttle Main Engines. This fixture was meant to accurately represent the shape of the engines and OHMS to see what affect it would have on the handling during glide.
	Another view of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The Enterprise is exactly the same size and configuration as the actual orbiters.

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