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| The space shuttle Enterprise is seen mated on top of the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at Washington Dulles International Airport, Saturday, April 21, 2012, in Sterling, Va. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalis |
Washington, DC, USA (April 23, 2012) — NASA managers, in coordination with Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum officials, have tentatively selected Wednesday, April 25 as the date to ferry space shuttle Enterprise from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The decision was made at the conclusion of the Enterprise Ferry Flight Readiness Review (FRR) and is dependent on the outcome of a weather briefing Tuesday morning.
A large region of low pressure dominating the east coast has made it difficult to reliably predict an acceptable day for the flight.
Once officially approved, NASA’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) with Enterprise mounted atop will fly at a relatively low altitude over various parts of the New York City metropolitan area on Wednesday, April 25.
The Federal Aviation Administration is coordinating the flight, which is scheduled to occur between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. EDT, weather permitting. The exact route and timing depend on weather and operational constraints.
Several weeks following the arrival, Enterprise will be “demated” from the 747 and placed on a barge that will be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion. The Intrepid continues work on a permanent exhibit facility to showcase Enterprise that will enhance the museum’s space-related exhibits and education curriculum.
For more information about NASA’s transfer of space shuttles to museums, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/home/index.html