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Author
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Topic: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space: shuttle Enterprise
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Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 06-05-2012 06:27 PM
   
"Are you sure this is not the time for a colorful metaphor?" |
Greggy_D
Member Posts: 1005
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 06-05-2012 07:26 PM
Jay, what color of Testors Model Paint is that? |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 06-05-2012 07:43 PM
Oooooh, you are mean!  Looks more like it could be Krylon black to me.Seriously though, as a patch job it looks kind of ugly (reminds me of an episode of "I Love Lucy"). But, at least it will act as a form of quick and dirty corrosion control until they can get some proper replacement foam pieces made. At least the black shows that the elevon structure itself didn't get pranged. |
Greggy_D
Member Posts: 1005
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 06-05-2012 07:57 PM
Jay, you are much too kind.The museum should not have declared Enterprise as "repaired". Far from it in reality. This is seriously turning into Amateur Hour. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1739
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 06-06-2012 09:22 AM
To clarify NYC carelessness — it was a bit of humor but it is a city where the pace of life (look at all the car accidents) lends to these things and we are almost numb to it. It wasn't done on purpose but the attitude is almost certain to be, "it's no big deal." |
SpaceAngel
Member Posts: 397
From: Maryland
Registered: May 2010
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posted 06-06-2012 03:00 PM
Which way will "Enterprise" be facing; New York or New Jersey side? |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 1114
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 06-06-2012 03:14 PM
Looks like it will be Jersey. |
SpaceAngel
Member Posts: 397
From: Maryland
Registered: May 2010
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posted 06-06-2012 03:16 PM
Like yeah, I see that!
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-06-2012 06:52 PM
collectSPACE Space shuttle Enterprise lands at New York City's Intrepid museumFor the first time in history, a space shuttle landed aboard an aircraft carrier, but instead of catching an arresting wire at high speed, the winged orbiter was gently lowered onto the flight deck by crane. Space shuttle Enterprise, NASA's 1970's prototype for its now-retired spacecraft fleet, arrived at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City at 12:55 p.m. EDT (1655 GMT) on Wednesday (June 6) after a morning sea trek by barge from a port in Jersey City, NJ. The Intrepid, which is docked on Manhattan's west side, is a retired World War II aircraft carrier that is now used to house aerospace and maritime exhibits. The craning operation to deliver the 150,000 pound (68,000 kilogram) Enterprise on the museum's steel-enforced flight deck took about four hours to complete.  |
Spaceguy5
Member Posts: 427
From: Pampa, TX, US
Registered: May 2011
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posted 06-06-2012 09:46 PM
Do they have a time frame for when its bubble will begin construction (and especially be completed)? I hope it doesn't meet the same fate as the Concorde, which still doesn't have its enclosure. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-06-2012 10:12 PM
Intrepid officials said today that construction would begin immediately* but that they did not have a date yet when it would be completed. It is not a pre-fab balloon, it will require work to construct but that work is set to get started as soon as tomorrow. *Construction actually began before Enterprise arrived with the frame for the shelter being installed on the flight deck. |
Bram
Member Posts: 28
From: Tremelo, Belgium
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted 06-07-2012 08:11 AM
During the move of space shuttle Enterprise to Intrepid, did anyone enter the shuttle cockpit? Are there any recent pictures of the Enterprise cockpit? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-07-2012 08:53 AM
I believe there was some ballast installed in Enterprise's crew compartment for the ferry flight. The hatch was opened for a few days while it was still at the Udvar-Hazy Center. Intrepid's aviation curator said yesterday he planned to go inside both the cabin and payload bay as part of the process of getting Enterprise ready for display. As for what it looks like inside, one of the interns who worked to photo-document Enterprise during its 2004 restoration recently shared some photos on his blog. |
MrSpace86
Member Posts: 1618
From: Gardner, KS
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 06-07-2012 09:11 AM
It was brought up by another member that Enterprise was getting saltwater and such on it during the trip. Are there plans to "wash" Enterprise? Will it do it any harm? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-07-2012 09:17 AM
Intrepid's curator said yesterday that they will clean Enterprise using the same methods that the Smithsonian used when the shuttle arrived at the Udvar-Hazy Center in 2003. |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3413
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 06-07-2012 10:57 AM
The website says "Intrepid’s Space Shuttle Pavilion, including Enterprise, will open to the public on July 19th." That's a pretty quick build. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-07-2012 03:08 PM
@IntrepidMuseum: Pavilion build continues on the flight deck  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-07-2012 03:58 PM
@IntrepidMuseum: Inflatable pavilion is in place over Enterprise  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-08-2012 09:47 AM
Back on Pier 84, watching as work continues on raising the pavilion. 
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-08-2012 02:22 PM
Views from the Intrepid's flight deck: 
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-08-2012 02:24 PM
The best public view from Intrepid's island: Weeks Marine crane barge departing:  |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 06-08-2012 06:34 PM
Is it just me, or does Enterprise sitting on the flight deck backwards make it look like it is mooning the Intrepid's island? |
MattJL
Member Posts: 57
From: New Jersey, US
Registered: May 2012
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posted 06-09-2012 01:13 PM
Where are they planning on storing the tail cone? I'd imagine that they're removing it after they get the pavilion up. |
Ben
Member Posts: 1917
From: United States
Registered: May 2000
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posted 06-09-2012 01:35 PM
The tailcone is not being removed. It will be displayed as it was on an ALT touchdown with the tailcone. |
MattJL
Member Posts: 57
From: New Jersey, US
Registered: May 2012
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posted 06-09-2012 01:58 PM
Huh. I'm a bit surprised by that decision. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-09-2012 02:29 PM
The Intrepid intends to use Enterprise to tell the story of its test flight history, for which the tailcone was an integral part. According to the Enterprise's new curator, they are considering eventually restoring Enterprise to its 1977 original appearance. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1527
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 06-09-2012 04:56 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...they are considering eventually restoring Enterprise to its 1977 original appearance.
Does that include an intact wing tip? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-09-2012 05:11 PM
Yes, of course. The plan, as I understand it, is to repair the wingtip before the July 19 opening of the pavilion. |
SpaceKSCBlog
Member Posts: 119
From: Merritt Island, FL
Registered: Nov 2011
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posted 06-09-2012 05:26 PM
The other tail cone is currently in the Vehicle Assembly Building awaiting the delivery of Endeavour to Los Angeles. Don't know what happens to it after that.Glad to hear that one will remain on Enterprise. That's certainly very appropriate. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1646
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 06-09-2012 06:21 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The Intrepid intends to use Enterprise to tell the story of its test flight history, for which the tailcone was an integral part.
Of the five (free) flights that took place, weren't the last two flown without the tailcone? |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 06-09-2012 06:39 PM
Correct. There were five free flights total. Three had the tailcone on, two had the cone off. And if Intrepid is indeed interested in restoring the ole girl back to her 1977 appearance eventually, I consider that VERY cool. I know where they can find some reference photos (but of course, so does Dennis Jenkins). Now if they can find the original flight instrumentation test boom and add that back, it would be even cooler.Glad to hear they plan to put a proper repair on the wing before the grand opening as well. |
SpaceAngel
Member Posts: 397
From: Maryland
Registered: May 2010
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posted 06-09-2012 06:53 PM
Is it, or was it possible to fish out part of "Enterprise" wingtip from the river after its incident? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-09-2012 07:26 PM
The polyurethane foam pieces that broke off were not recovered. The Intrepid will fabricate new tiles out of similar foam.(I don't know for sure, but I have to imagine that in its 30 year history, those pieces were not the only mock tiles Enterprise has lost or had replaced.) |
APG85
Member Posts: 310
From:
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 06-09-2012 09:23 PM
I'm suprised the Smithsonian never made an effort to restore the flight deck back to it's original configuration. It would be nice to see the instruments and seats reinstalled even if the original ones cannot be located and replicas have to be fabricated... |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-09-2012 10:14 PM
My understanding is that the Smithsonian did make an effort to find the original controls — and the original aerospike — to no avail. With the end of the shuttle program however, more early hardware is coming forward and if you look earlier in this thread, the Intrepid report receiving instruments from a surplussed simulator that may have originally been installed in Enterprise... |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 06-09-2012 11:01 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
(I don't know for sure, but I have to imagine that in its 30 year history, those pieces were not the only mock tiles Enterprise has lost or had replaced.)
You are correct Robert. I've got some imagery (from an official NASA source) of Enterprise after the ALT tests being used in test applications of real tile materials from time to time (mainly AFRSI on parts of the cockpit roof and some spots on the side) as a testbed. At the conclusion of those test applications, it looks like the spots were refurbished back to the fake foam tiles. When I saw Enterprise at Udvar Hazy in 2006, I also noticed that her left main gear door had some real used tile retrofitted to it and the tiles looked chipped (HRSI tiles are smaller than the fake tiles on Enterprise, so they were easier to spot). At the time I wasn't sure if NASA or the Smithsonian did it. But in hindsight, I think NASA did it for the Columbia accident investigation as they likely fired foam at it in the same tests done with the RCC panels at the Southwest Research Institute to see how well HRSI stood up to ET foam impacts. NASA had a reasonably good software program called "CRATER" to predict damage to tile, but of course it was useless for predicting RCC damage. As far as general wear and tear to the rest of Enterprise's fake TPS, we may never entirely know. At least the bird didn't have stuff nicked off of it like what happened to one of the Buran airframes in Gorky Park (where treasure hunters were popping fake tiles off of it). |
MrSpace86
Member Posts: 1618
From: Gardner, KS
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 06-11-2012 09:30 AM
I think it's unfortunate that they will "restore" Enterprise back to it's ALT appearance. That would be like try to "restore" a flown Space Shuttle back to it's initial rollout appearance. My vote would be to leave it as is. I would also remove the tailcone in order to show the main engines. I know they are just mockups but they are still rather nice and fun to look at. The tailcone can always be displayed nearby or something. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 48663
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-11-2012 09:42 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MrSpace86:
That would be like try to "restore" a flown Space Shuttle back to it's initial rollout appearance.
A bit different: Enterprise's appearance was changed in the early 1980s for display reasons only. NASA had the orbiter painted to more closely resemble the flown orbiters for its trip to the 1983 Paris Air Show. |
mikej
Member Posts: 483
From: Germantown, WI USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 06-11-2012 07:34 PM
Maybe in the future, when transporting an irreplaceable artifact, they'll put it on a barge that's wider than the artifact... you know, so that the artifact doesn't stick out over the edge... |
MattJL
Member Posts: 57
From: New Jersey, US
Registered: May 2012
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posted 06-12-2012 03:31 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Spaceguy5:
This does not look like a repair to me.
"Quick! Someone call the Airfix spare parts hotline!"
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