Space Shuttle Enterprise Heads to New York

The Space Shuttle Enterprise takes off for its new home aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum next month.

On April 23^rd, the NASA orbiter, which is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Virginia, will arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport atop the space agency’s shuttle carrier aircraft.

 “We are immensely excited about Enterprise’s landing at JFK and are readying the Intrepid for her arrival,” Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum President Susan Marenoff-Zausner said in a news release.  “Introducing Enterprise to New York is a landmark occasion and marks the beginning of Enterprise’s next mission, which is to inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers and researchers and serve as a reminder that anything is possible.”

While Enterprise never logged any miles in space, it did pave the way for NASA’s 30 year shuttle program.

Enterprise will spend two months at the airport before being loaded onto a barge and shipped up the Hudson River to its new home in June.  Along the way it’ll sail past the Statue of Liberty and World Trade Center site.

The shuttle will go on display in a temporary, climate controlled tent until a permanent home can be built.

“The arrival of Enterprise is a monumental occasion for all of us,” said Intrepid’s co-chairmen, Charles de Gunzburg and Richard Santulli, in a joint statement.  “Not only can we marvel at her greatness firsthand, but she will enrich the City of New York, its inhabitants and millions of visitors from around the world.”