Space Shuttle Enterprise

NASA’s Space Shuttle program started in 1972 with the contract for the first Space Shuttle, and beginning construction of the Space Shuttle Enterprise in 1974. This shuttle was originally planned to be named Constitution, but a write-in campaign convinced NASA to rename the shuttle after the Starship Enterprise made famous from the Star Trek series.

In September 1976, Space Shuttle Enterprise was rolled out for its dedication ceremony. Recognizing the roots of its fictional namesake, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and most of the cast of the original television series were on hand for the dedication.

Beginning in February 1977, Enterprise made its maiden voyage atop a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). This flight was used to measure the structural loads and ground handling and braking systems. After nine test flights coupled with the SCA, Enterprise went on to have five solo flights under the control of the astronauts.

After the test flights, Enterprise was mated with an external tank and solid rocket boosters in 1979 and tested in a launch configuration at Kennedy Space Center. Because Enterprise was built without engines or functional heat shields, it was never capable of space flight, but it provided vital information for the successful Space Shuttle program.

Originally, Enterprise was supposed to be refitted for orbital flight, but during the construction of the Space Shuttle Columbia, the final design was changed. Because of the expenses involved with dismantling the orbiter and having subcontractors all across the country make alterations, refitting Enterprise was terminated. NASA determined it would be less costly to build the Space Shuttle Challenger than refit the Enterprise.

When all testing had been completed on the Enterprise, the shuttle was disassembled. Certain parts of the shuttle were reused in the construction of other shuttles and the remainder was sent on an international tour through France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom. It also toured the states of California and Alabama and was on display at the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition.

In November 1985, Enterprise was brought to Washington, D. C. and became the property of the Smithsonian Institution. In 2003 the Space Shuttle Enterprise was moved to the new Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport and is now the centerpiece of the space collection.