Timelapse: Shuttle Enterprise Removed from 747 Aircraft

By Nancy Atkinson - May 14, 2012 at 2:16 PM UTC | Missions

Yesterday, space shuttle Enterprise was removed from NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at JKF Airport in New York. You can watch an entire night's activities in a little over a minute, and even watch the Moon rise over the action. Enterprise will be placed on a barge that will bring Enterprise via tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. This will happen in June, and then the shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. The museum is still working on their permanent display home for Enterprise.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com