NASA | Space Shuttle Era

By Elizabeth Howell October 09, 2012

The first space shuttle, Enterprise, never made it to space. In fact, Enterprise was not capable of spaceflight; it was built without engines or a heat shield. Nevertheless, it made major contributions to the space shuttle program as a test vehicle and it also helped popularize the program.

Enterprise also served as a source for parts after the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003. (Enterprise's parts were used to test out a theory that falling foam had damaged Columbia's wing during launch.) Enterprise also survived Hurricane Sandy in 2012 shortly after the shuttle was moved to New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. While the shuttle and its pavilion were damaged in the storm, the display re-opened in 2013 after a new pavilion was constructed.

Enterprise was the culmination of decades of research in "lifting bodies." Between 1963 and 1975, the Air Force and NASA researched methods of flying winged vehicles back from space and landing them like an aircraft. Six different prototypes were manufactured and flown in 223 glide tests, providing a set of information that was used for the shuttle and similar concepts developed by NASA.

Enterprise at a glance

• • First taxi test: Feb. 15, 1977

  • First captive-inert flight: Feb. 18, 1977

  • First captive-active flight: June 18, 1977

  • First free flight: Aug. 12, 1977

  • Last free flight: Oct. 26, 1977

  • Time in space: None (test orbiter)

  • Notable: Enterprise was a test space shuttle not intended for flights in space. It was used for test flights, public relations goodwill tours, and as a source for parts during the investigation into the Columbia space shuttle disaster that took place in 2003.

Star power

The spacecraft was originally designated Constitution. NASA planned to roll out the shuttle on Sept. 17, 1976, which was Constitution Day. But fans of the television show "Star Trek" saw things a little differently. As the shuttle was being developed, fans of the science fiction series organized a campaign and sent letters to the White House asking for the name Enterprise.

It is said that then-president Gerald Ford got tens of thousands of these letters. Recognizing the chance to cash in on popular sentiment, the name was changed to Enterprise.

When Enterprise was brought out of its manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif., NASA naturally held an event to celebrate it. Most of the original cast from Star Trek attended the unveiling, posed for pictures in front of the shuttle, and lent a little star power to the space program.

Flying deadstick

Enterprise was used in five "drop tests" in California, allowing NASA astronauts to get a feel for how the shuttle would fly during the descent back to Earth.

The space shuttle was designed to land on Earth as a deadstick; it would not be powered; the pilots would guide it to the surface using turns and computer guidance. Getting the landing exactly right, on the first time, would be crucial; there was no easy way to turn around and make a second attempt. Enterprise would fly several glide tests, leaving the back of an aircraft and flying unpowered to the ground. ...