sharkmouth Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 (edited) Not true. The Smithsonian trasferred the title for Enterprise back to NASA and it was NASA who made the ultimate determination to send Enterprise to NYC. The Smithsonian knew they were getting Discovery all along since it was the highest time shuttle. But they didn't have a hand in Enterprise's final destination. Point taken, the Smithsonian didn't trade the Enterprise to NY but the point I was making was that the Enterprise WAS at the Smithsonian. I think the two no brainers were the Smithonian and the USAF museum. Even though I am a New Yorker, I actually am not thrilled about having the Enterprise at The Intrepid. Not because I don't think they will care for it but simply because the history, due to a lack of space travel, seems like an expensive allocation of prime space on the carrier. I thought Houston would have received it. Regards, Edited April 29, 2012 by sharkmouth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Point taken, the Smithsonian didn't trade the Enterprise to NY but the point I was making was that the Enterprise WAS at the Smithsonian. Even though I am a New Yorker, I actually am not thrilled about having the Enterprise at The Intrepid. Not because I don't think they will care for it but simply because the history, due to a lack of space travel, seems like an expensive allocation of prime space on the carrier. I thought Houston would have received it. Regards, I don't even thing Houston would have been a good choice. Sure they were mission control but they don't have the people to care for these types of artifacts. An ari museum with people with this expertice would have been the best facility for these craft to go to, thus I feel Seattle and Dayton were better choices than NYC and Los Angeles. I don't see your point about the Smithsonian. Enterprise could have gone to a better location than NYC. I've seen what is already on the deck of the Intrepid and I don't like what I see. I'd be more comfortable if a permanent facility would have been ready in NYC. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 (edited) I don't see your point about the Smithsonian. Enterprise could have gone to a better location than NYC. I don't disagree that the Enterprise should be in a better place than NYC. I personally don't care for that spacecraft. However, you wrote that it should have gone to the Smithsonian or the USAF Museum. My response was to point out that it already was at the Smithsonian and they gave it back to NASA to make way for the one they ended up with. Why couldn't they have two shuttles in their collection? I don't know. Regards, Edited April 30, 2012 by sharkmouth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfgun33 Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 I don't even thing Houston would have been a good choice. Sure they were mission control but they don't have the people to care for these types of artifacts. An ari museum with people with this expertice would have been the best facility for these craft to go to, thus I feel Seattle and Dayton were better choices than NYC and Los Angeles. I don't see your point about the Smithsonian. Enterprise could have gone to a better location than NYC. I've seen what is already on the deck of the Intrepid and I don't like what I see. I'd be more comfortable if a permanent facility would have been ready in NYC. I don't agree. I think Houston should have gotten one. They have all of the other space vehicles there. They would have made a special building for it. A lot of the training for the Shuttles and ISS is there. And yes, Space Center Houston is geared for the kids so that maybe one day they would become part of the space program. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 A lot of the training for the Shuttles and ISS is there. That was the reason I thought Houston would (should) get it, since the Enterprise was a testbed of sorts and it fits the training theme. Regards, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 I've been to Houston and I am not all that crazy about the place as when you get there right in the first open area, you see NO spacecraft, just a big playground with a bunch of screaming kids running around on it (and I imagine the employees there use A LOT of aspirin for headaches from the noise). The cool stuff (i.e. actual spacecraft) is all locked away further back and in corners. And to see the real gems, you have to go on the Level 9 tour to get to JSC (worth it IMHO as it is for adults only) or the place where the Saturn V is housed. Don't cry too much for Houston not getting a flight orbiter as they are getting the Explorer, which was KSC's full size orbiter mockup at the visitors center there. I've seen Explorer up close and it is almost a dead ringer for a flight orbiter (complete with two wings and a tail, unlike the simulators which are fuselages only). It has a section built inside it where museum goers can go in to see the flight deck area behind glass and the payload bay area. It has already been built to withstand gulf weather, so it can be stored outside without rotting and it doesn't require kit gloves to handle. It has already been partially disassembled and moved from the KSC Visitors Center to make space for the start of construction of the new building to house Atlantis, it is just awaiting a barge to transport it by sea to Galveston Bay, where it woull be trucked up to Spaceport Houston. The logistics of transporting it will be easier than landing a shuttle at Ellington, chopping a crapload of trees down (I am talking A LOT of trees), removing streetlights and trucking it over the roads to JSC because a real shuttle can't be taken apart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasonW Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Well, Enterprise never weathered re-entry ... Gregg And she has been fully restored and sitting indoors at the Udvar-Hazy facility at Dulles for the last six or seven years. I got some pictures of her undergoing restoration there back in 2004. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sig Saur & Son Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) Here she is about to leave. We would have gotten killer shots had they used Runway 1C. The high winds however, required a Runway 30 departure. Note how clean Enterprise is compared to Discovery. http://www.airfighters.com/photo/97562/M/USA-NASA/Boeing-747-123-SCA/N905NA/ Edited May 1, 2012 by Sig Saur & Son Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VA-115EFR Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 And she has been fully restored and sitting indoors at the Udvar-Hazy facility at Dulles for the last six or seven years. I got some pictures of her undergoing restoration there back in 2004. PLEASE share!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Anyone know what the plan is for the 747 carrier? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Anyone know what the plan is for the 747 carrier? Unknown at this time. Of course, NASA 905 will still be needed to ship Endeavour to California this September. NASA 911 has already been retired and parts from it are being used as space for NASA's 747 SP SOFIA airborne telescope. I suppose 905 might be kept operational at least for a little while as one of the SCAs was used a few years ago to transport the Boeing Phantom Ray drone (although that program I believe has been cancelled now). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Captoveur Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 And she has been fully restored and sitting indoors at the Udvar-Hazy facility at Dulles for the last six or seven years. I got some pictures of her undergoing restoration there back in 2004. Give it a few years sitting at the Intrepid. She will look worse than all of them in no time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 For the last several weeks, as I commute into NYC, I have seen the shuttle lifted off the barge onto the deck of the carrier and left outside for about a week. Then an inflatable tent (of the type used to cover tennis courts) was erected around her. So it seems that the Intrepid museum plans to protect the Enterprise but I still wish it is sent to Houston and aircraft that actually served their countries in the capacity for which they were designed reclaim that wasted deck space. Regards, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I don't disagree that the Enterprise should be in a better place than NYC. I personally don't care for that spacecraft. However, you wrote that it should have gone to the Smithsonian or the USAF Museum. My response was to point out that it already was at the Smithsonian and they gave it back to NASA to make way for the one they ended up with. Why couldn't they have two shuttles in their collection? I don't know. Regards, I didn't say the Enterprise should go to the Smithsonian, I said it was a no brainer to place a Shuttle in the Smithsonian and Dayton. I know and I knew the Enterprise was at the Smithsonian. And no I didn't think the Smithsonian deserved two. I think it was a good choice to move the Enterprise and put a space orbiter in it's place. I do not think New York was a good choice for the Enterprise. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Here is a Houstaon paper's article on the new Space Shuttle Pavilion: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Space-shuttle-Enterprise-set-to-open-to-public-3716656.php#photo-3210251 Regards, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) Looking over at the aircraft carrier during my commute into the city, I noticed several more inflatable tents over aircraft... maybe they are taking seriously the care of the artifacts. The South Korean electronics company Sam sung (who sponsored the grand opening of the Space Shuttle Pavilion) was instrumental in providing the funds. If that is the case, I don't mind that white elephant on the deck. I still wonder where the displaced aircraft went. Regards, Edited July 23, 2012 by sharkmouth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moose135 Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) Sharkmouth, three aircraft were moved from the Intrepid to make room for the Enterprise. A Supermarine Scimitar, a Douglas F3D Skyknight, and a MIG-15 were moved to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum at Schenectady County Airport in upstate Glenville, NY. I think it is only a temporary relocation until the Intrepid builds their permanent facility for the Enterprise. Edited July 22, 2012 by Moose135 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sharkmouth Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Sharkmouth, three aircraft were moved from the Intrepid to make room for the Enterprise. A Supermarine Scimitar, a Douglas F3D Skyknight, and a MIG-15 were moved to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum at Schenectady County Airport in upstate Glenville, NY. I think it is only a temporary relocation until the Intrepid builds their permanent facility for the Enterprise. Thanks Moose1353, I hope they do come back. Regards, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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