Ars Technica:
The space shuttle Enterprise has been ensconced aboard the USS Intrepid for just over two years. It sits in a silent warehouse, dramatically lit so it appears to be cruising in a dark vacuum. Tourists can wander around or under it at the exhibit; they can even walk up some stairs and get nose-to-nose with the Enterprise, staring down its long axis through a thick layer of glass.
While the whole thing evokes space exploration, the Enterprise has never actually made it out of Earth’s atmosphere.
I saw the Enterprise at The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution years ago and, even though I’m not a Star Trek geek, I was sad a ship named “Enterprise” never made it into space.
The Enterprise orbiter was not fully space-worthy to begin with. It was built to test the flight aerodynamics, avionics, and other landing systems (and it did a fantastic job.)
I went down to SoCal last year and visited the Endeavour, which is now on display at the California Science Center right near USC. Very impressive. I saw it being launched at the Kennedy Space Center on STS-113, but missed its flyover of the SF area on its way to the museum. (I was setting up my iPhone 5, which I had received about an hour before the flyover. Oops.)
I am a Star Trek geek.
I well remember the petition campaign to get it named being circulated throughout Trek fandom, lacking certain important information.
Had I known this was going to just be an atmospheric test vehicle, a bone thrown at some of the most ardent supporters of our space program, I’d not have bothered.
I’ve been to the Intrepid museum to see this vehicle. It only made me sadder about the fact that our space program has become so moribund.