Space Shuttle Enterprise

Starship Enterprise? No, just the space shuttle and space station. Credit: NASA

The Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle Orbiter. Originally, it was going to be named the Constitution, but enough people wrote in and got the name changed to honor the show Star Trek.  The crew of the television show actually appeared at the unveiling of the Space Shuttle. Construction began on the shuttle in 1974 and its first flight was in 1977. Because of its nature as a test shuttle, Enterprise was not used in space. Instead, over a nine month period, it was subjected to a wide variety of tests in Earth’s atmosphere to determine how well it would hold up under actual space flight.

The first test involved the shuttle being strapped to a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to measure how it handled in certain ways such as breaking and structural loads. Enterprise was flown both manned and unmanned during these tests because scientists needed to test the shuttle’s manual controls. Due to this testing, the scientists realized that the shuttle could land like an airplane. The astronauts Fred Haise, Gordon Fullerton, Joe Engle, and Dick Truly all flew the shuttle. Additionally, the spacecraft was tested at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. They hooked it to the launch gear and tested ground vibrations to ensure that it would work on take-off.

After extensive testing, the shuttle had parts removed to be used in other shuttles that would make it to space. The first shuttle toured a number of other countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy, as well as several different American states. After it had completed its tour, the shuttle was placed in the Smithsonian Institute on display.

Enterprise almost made it to space. After Challenger exploded, NASA considered fixing Enterprise and using it in space. However, they decided to build a whole new shuttle out of spare parts instead. Enterprise was again put to use after the Columbia incident in 2003. In order to determine what could have caused the accident, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board tested the strength of the fiberglass on the Enterprise. This helped them determine the cause of the Columbia incident.

Columbia was eventually moved from the Smithsonian Institute to the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Visitors are not allowed to enter the spacecraft, but they can view it from the outside. The first Space Shuttle is only part of a very large exhibit of space artifacts in the center.

Universe Today has articles on shuttle descent video and Atlantis returns home

For more information, you should check out Shuttle Enterprise  and Space Shuttle stories.

Astronomy Cast has an episode on US Space Shuttle.

My name is Abby Cessna. I am a freelance writer and student who has written for Universe Today since June of 2009. I am attending Drexel University this fall as a junior majoring in International Studies.

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