Space Shuttle Enterprise (OV-101) Leaves Huntsville Thursday, December 12, 1978
Headed north on Rideout road from the dynamic test stand seen in the far background
These first series of shots were taken near Apollo Road where I worked at Materials Processing
in Building 4711. Click here for pictures and descriptions of the electron beam welder that was used
to help develop the weld parameters for the main engine of the Space Shuttle.
Closeup of the Enterprise (Sorry about the coffee stains)
All of the power lines crossing Rideout Road and other obstructions had to be removed before the
shuttle could be brought through. Enterprise was used for vibration tests at Huntsville's MSFC.
These tests were basically done to see what, if anything, would shake loose during the stress of launch.
Continuing down Rideout Road to the RSA airfield. The Enterprise was more than a mockup, like the
shuttle Pathfinder
or Explorer. The Enterprise was partly functional. It was used in manned free-flight
glide and landing tests, being carried aloft by a modified Boeing 747 and released.
Even though there were no functional engines on the Enterprise, it still had engines that were
weighted and balanced so as to approximate the existence of functional engines. The shroud on the
tail covered the "engines" to protect them during mated flight.
This is the cranes and gantry at Redstone Airfield that was used
to lift the Enterprise orbiter on to the back of the Boeing 747.
Way out there is the Boeing 747. I couldn't get any closer to it, just by itself, before the mating.
The orbiter being hooked up to the cranes and gantry.
Pushing the mated 747/orbiter back to the very edge of the RSA runway
The mated 747 and Enterprise at full throttle and slowly picking up speed
The nose wheels of the 747 have just lifted.
Next stop, Kennedy Space Center. Then to Vandenburg AFB, the Paris Air Show,
the New Orleans World's Fair, the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Finally, the Enterprise has a home at the new National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in northern Virginia
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