SPACE SHUTTLE COCKPIT LANDING GEAR FULL

It was scheduled to be unveiled on Constitution Day, September 17, 1976. This prototype orbiter was originally named “Constitution” in honor of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. The story of Enterprise’s name illustrates how popular culture can inspire science. NASA intended to use Enterprise for atmospheric tests and then refit it for spaceflight. Enterprise was a prototype-an early model-that conducted critical tests of this new design. The space shuttle blended rocket and airplane technology. Two huge doors on the top of the orbiter can open to load cargo (which could be as large as a school bus) and when the spacecraft reaches orbit in order to deploy its contents. That’s because there is a 60-foot (18.2 meter) long by 15 foot (4.5 meter) diameter payload bay between the cockpit and the vertical tail. The view deck can be accessed from the stairs on the left or the lift to the right.įrom the view deck, you will notice that the body of the orbiter is like a long box. The best place to see the entire vehicle at once is from the view deck just in front of the nose and cockpit windows. On the orbiters that went to space, this area is completely covered with the famous insulation tiles, as these areas are subjected the most to the blistering heat of reentry. The entire underside and nose of the orbiter is black. The orbiter is primarily two colors, black and white. As you walk under and around the 137-foot-long (41.8 meter) orbiter, you will notice that the landing wheels are in the down position and that each main wheel tire is just under 4 feet (1.2 meters) in diameter.

SPACE SHUTTLE COCKPIT LANDING GEAR FULL

The wing you are standing under is almost 10 feet (3 meters) from the deck, and the orbiter’s full wingspan is 78 feet (23.8 meters). Most people’s first impression is that Enterprise is much larger than they expected. An aerodynamic tail cone covers the rocket engine nozzles at the back of the orbiter. The orbiter is shaped like a bulky airplane, with its nose pointed toward the rear of the Pavilion and its delta, or triangular, wings extending from about halfway back. You must first navigate a long tunnel and at the end you will emerge under the right wing of the orbiter. You will not immediately see Enterprise when you enter the Space Shuttle Pavilion. (Photo courtesy of NASA) Exhibit Description (Photo courtesy of NASA) Approach and Landing Test program pilots Gordon Fullerton, Fred Haise, Joe Engle, and Richard Truly. Go to transcript Enterprise on the first of five glide test flights at Edwards Air Force Base on August 12, 1977. Historical videos and images are used throughout to further illustrate important details. Using his unique perspective, having flown on two space shuttle missions, Massimino explains the history and challenges of the shuttle program. Video description: Retired NASA astronaut Mike Massimino stands under the orbiter Enterprise in the Space Shuttle Pavilion. These pioneering tests paved the way for the orbital flights of later shuttles, beginning with the first flight of the space shuttle Columbia in 1981.Įnterprise on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.Enterprise was a prototype, the first of its kind and conducted critical tests within Earth’s atmosphere in 1977.Enterprise, known to NASA as OV-101, was completed in 1976.

Space shuttle cockpit landing gear