The Tribute Continues to our Explorers and Shuttle Mission (A Real Shuttle Photo Blog)

Touchdown Enterprise.   Mission Complete
April 27, 2010-A Great Day in History!!!!!


Update: Space Shuttle Enterprse flew to her final Home Today.
Many people cheered the homecoming of Enterprise includng Spock! These great photos are from Space.com (link below).

Shuttle Enterprise Touches Down in New YorkCredit: collectSPACE.com / Robert Z. PearlmanNASA's prototype space shuttle Enterprise touches down at New York's JFK International Airport on April 27, 2012.

SCA and Enterprise on the Runway at JFK AirportCredit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.comClara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor, got this shot of Enterprise and the SCA at JFK airport after they landed, April 27, 2012.

Front View of SCA and Enterprise After Landing at JFK AirportCredit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.comClara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor, got this shot of Enterprise and the SCA at JFK airport after they landed, April 27, 2012.

Closeup of Shuttle Enterprise Flying Over New YorkCredit: David Dozier/David Dozier PhotographyDavid Dozier took this great shot of Enterprise and its 747 jet carrier aircraft during the prototype orbiter's final flight on April 27, 2012.

Shuttle Enterprise from Chelsea PiersCredit: Andrea ThompsonAndrea Thompson, Managing Editor of our sister site Our Amazing Planet, caught the Enterprise flying over the Hudson from Chelsea Piers on April 27, 2011.

Enterprise and SCA on Final Approach to JFK AirportCredit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.comClara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor, got this shot of Enterprise and the SCA at JFK Airport as they were about to land, April 27, 2012.

Enterprise and SCA Flying Near Pier 86, ManhattanCredit: Denise ChowSPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow photographed the Enterprise and SCA flying near Pier 86 by the USS Intrepid in New York City, future home of the Enterprise. Photo taken April 27. 2012.

Enterprise and SCA Fly Overhead Above the Hudson RiverCredit: Tom ChaoSPACE.com producer Tom Chao saw the Enterprise fly overhead from Pier 64 at 24th Street, Manhattan, April 27, 2012.

Enterprise and SCA Seen from the Deck of the USS IntrepidCredit: Rachael RettnerRachael Rettner of our sister site, MyHealthNewsDaily, took this photo from the deck of the USS Intrepid off Manhattan's west side, future home of the Enterprise. Photo taken April 27, 2012.

Please see the remaining photos at this link:
http://www.space.com/15448-space-shuttle-enterprise-photos-final-voyage.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Leonard Nimoy and Space Shuttle EnterpriseCredit: Tariq Malik/SPACE.comLeonard Nimoy of "Star Trek" fame says a few words after NASA's prototype space shuttle Enterprise touched down in New York City on April 27, 2012.

http://www.space.com/15458-leonard-nimoy-shuttle-enterprise-star-trek.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

NEW YORK — Science fiction met fact with a "Star Trek" twist here today (April 27) when the space shuttle Enterprise, named in honor of the starship from the beloved television show, came face-to-face with Spock — Leonard Nimoy, that is.

The "Star Trek" actor was on hand at John F. Kennedy International Airport when the shuttle Enterprise flew in atop a jumbo jet Friday morning. Enterprise was delivered from Washington, D.C. to the Big Apple, where it will eventually go on display at Manhattan's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

"This is a reunion for me," Nimoy said during a ceremony after Enterprise's touchdown. "Thirty-five years ago, I met the Enterprise for the first time."

Nimoy recalled the naming of the space shuttle orbiter, which was built as a prototype for NASA's reusable spaceship fleet. Though Enterprise never reached space, its test flights through the atmosphere in the late 1970s helped pave the way for the rest of the shuttles. [Photos: Final Voyage of Shuttle Enterprise]

This concludes the Update of Enterprise.
Below is the tribute post I did last week, which includes more about  Enterprise and Endeavour.







Hi Everybody!       Do You Want To Ride?

The Flight Deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour 
Image Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper (Launch Photography), Spaceflight NowExplanation: What would it be like to fly a space shuttle? Although the last of NASA's space shuttles has now been retired, it is still fun to contemplate sitting at the controls of one of the humanity's most sophisticated machines. Pictured above is the flight deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour, the youngest shuttle and the second to last ever launched. The numerous panels and displays allowed the computer-controlled orbiter to enter the top of Earth's atmosphere at greater than the speed of sound and -- just thirty minutes later --land on a runway like an airplane. The retired space shuttles are now being sent to museums, with Endeavour being sent to California Space Center in Los Angeles, California, Atlantis to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Merritt Island, Florida, and Discovery to the Udvar-Hazy Annex of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. Therefore sitting in a shuttle pilot's chair and personally contemplating the thrill of human space flight may actually be in your future.Developing Gallery: Flyover of Space Shuttle Discovery atop a 747
Thank You ~Thank You~Thank You
To All Explorers Involved in the Shuttle Missions:
Because of Your Dedication and Efforts to put these Super Shuttles in Space, The World is a Better Place.
You have carried the precious cargo of the finest camerasand brought Home the Universe for All to See.
You have shown us the beautiful Nature of our own Planet.
You have given us Beauty and Truth.
Thank You from all of Us at the World  Class Nature Blog!!




TRIBUTE TO THE SPACE SHUTTLESJUST PUSH PLAY>

REMEMBERING  SHUTTLE  ENDEAVOURTHIS SHUTTLE TO BE MOVED LATER IN THE YEAR WHEN PROCESSING COMPLETEJUST PUSH PLAY

FINAL LAUNCH FOR SHUTTLE ENDEAVOURJUST PUSH PLAY

FINAL LANDING FOR SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR

JUST PUSH PLAY>

How End of Shuttle Era Could Usher in New Space Age

by Denise Chow, SPACE.com Staff Writer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — On Tuesday (April 17), NASA delivered the space shuttle Discovery to its new home in Washington, D.C., marking the true beginning of the end to the agency's venerable shuttle program. But more than 1,600 miles away (2,575 kilometers), NASA's chief heralded the beginning of a new age of space exploration.

"Just because the shuttle is retired doesn't mean NASA is shuttered — far from it," NASA administrator Charles Bolden told the audience here at the 28th National Space Symposium. "I believe the best is yet to come. Our bigger dreams are just starting to come to fruition."

After 135 flights, the agency retired its space shuttle program to focus on the development of a new capsule and rocket for deep space exploration. The mothballed orbiters will now be placed on display at museums across the country.

Discovery, the most-flown shuttle in NASA's fleet, was the first to be delivered its museum destination. The workhorse orbiter will now be placed on public display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Discovery was flown piggyback on a modified Boeing 747 jet Tuesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Washington Dulles International Airport. [Photos: Shuttle Discovery's Historic Delivery]

"[T]his morning, we accomplished an incredible milestone in a series of milestones as we phase out the most incredible program, probably, in the history of human spaceflight," Bolden said.

The shuttle prototype vehicle, Enterprise, will be the next to travel to its new home. Enterprise was previously housed at the Udvar-Hazy Center, but it will now be moved to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York on April 23.

The shuttle Endeavour will travel to the California Science Center in Los Angeles later this year. Atlantis, the third remaining space-flown orbiter, will be placed on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex.

The handoff of Discovery, and the beginning of its new life on public display, represents a transfer of the space shuttle program from NASA to the American public and the rest of the world, Bolden said.

But the end of the shuttle program does not mean that NASA is slowing down, he added. Bolden listed the various robotic science missions that are still ongoing, including the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn, the planet-hunting Kepler space telescope, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Red Planet.

He also highlighted upcoming milestones, such as the Curiosity rover's scheduled landing on Mars in August, the Juno spacecraft's arrival at Jupiter in 2016, and the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope — a sophisticated observatory that is being billed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope — in 2018.

The agency is also developing a new heavy-lift launch vehicle, called the Space Launch System, and a capsule, called the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, that will be used for deep space exploration missions.

Bolden also discussed continuing efforts to help private companies develop a new fleet of spacecraft to ferry supplies — and one day, astronauts— to and from the International Space Station. On April 30, California-based SpaceX is slated to launch its unmanned Dragon capsule on a test flight to rendezvous and dock with the orbiting outpost.

If successful, SpaceX will be the first private company to accomplish the feat.

"This will be a historic milestone," Bolden said.

But the NASA chief also discussed the challenges facing the agency, including how to operate in anincreasingly tight fiscal environment. In his fiscal year 2013 budget request, President Barack Obama set out $17.7 billion for NASA, with significant cuts to the agency's planetary science department. [NASA's 2013 Budget: What Will It Buy?]  "Some tough decisions had to be made, but I believe we have the right balance to accomplish great things," Bolden said. "Despite constrained economic times, we have made substantial choices — sustainable choices — to provide stability and continuity to existing priority programs, and set the pace for opening the next great chapter in exploration." 

Bolden expressed NASA's commitment to fostering American innovation and American ingenuity, and stressed that the agency's ambitious initiatives represent a new era of exploration for the country.  "It's about keeping the U.S. the world leader in space exploration, and showcasing our knack for solving problems and improving life here on Earth," he said. "It's going to be an amazing ride. As Discovery lands at [the National Air and Space Museum], we see the fruits of the last time we embarked on a mission to do something no one else had done: to build a reusable space vehicle, and to demonstrate an expanding flexibility and capability to live and work in space, as we have been doing for almost 12 years now. As NASA transfers the shuttle orbiters to museums across the country, we also embark on an exciting new space exploration journey. The future is literally happening right now, and NASA intends to lead the march to it."

http://www.space.com/15321-nasa-shuttle-era-space-age-future.html

From Space.com complete Shuttle Update:
http://www.space.com/15268-space-shuttle-museum-flights-coverage.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
NASA's Space Shuttle Museum Flights: Complete Coverage

SPACE.com Staff

Date: 19 April 2012 Time: 07:00 AM ET

The final chapter is about to close on NASA's 30-year space shuttle program.

The space agency's three remaining orbiters — Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis — each made their last flights in 2011, and are now being prepped for retired life in museums. Discovery has been gifted to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., while Endeavour is bound for the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis is due to stay close to home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Additionally, the prototype orbiter Enterprise, which never flew to space, is set to move from its current home at the Smithsonian to New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

UPDATE for 7 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 19

Space shuttle Discovery will roll into the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., today, marking the end of its storied career as NASA's most traveled space plane. Discovery arrived at Dulles International Airport near the Smithsonian annex, which is just outside Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and was removed from its carrier plane on Wednesday. Today's ceremonies to welcome Discovery at 11 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) today and can be seen on NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.htmlFull Preview Story: Space Shuttle Discovery, NASA's Workhorse Orbiter, to Join Smithsonian Today

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, flies into the sunrise above Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 17, 2012. The ferry flight, destined for Washington, D.C., marked the final departure for Discovery from its home for three decades. 
CREDIT: collectSPACE/Ben Cooper


All Below Articles may be seen at space.com

Shuttle Ferry Flight Coverage:

Thursday, April 19

Space Shuttle Discovery, NASA's Workhorse Orbiter, to Join Smithsonian Today  
NASA's most traveled spacecraft, the space shuttle Discovery, is set to become a museum artifact today when it rolls into the Smithsonian.  
Space Shuttle Discovery: 5 Surprising Facts About NASA's Oldest Orbiter 
The space shuttle Discovery is going on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum just outside Washington, D.C., this week after taking one last flight atop its a modified Boeing 747 jet from  NASA's Florida spaceport on Tuesday (April 17).  
Delivering and Displaying the Space Shuttles
See more updates from SPACE.com partner collectSPACE.com, dedicated to space history and memorabilia coverage 

Wednesday, April 18

10 Cool Facts About NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery 

NASA's space shuttle Discovery is the world's most traveled winged spaceship and the oldest in the U.S. fleet.
Crane Ballet to Hoist Space Shuttle Discovery from Carrier Plane " href="/cms/articles/15319-space-shuttle-discovery-museum-cranes">
Crane Ballet to Hoist Space Shuttle Discovery from Carrier Plane 
The space shuttle Discovery will be hoisted off its ferry plane today (April 18) in a complicated ballet of cranes. 

Tuesday, April 17

Space Shuttle Discovery Lands in Washington D.C. for Smithsonian Display 
Space shuttle Discovery, NASA's fleet leader and the world's most flown spacecraft, lifted off for the last time on Tuesday (April 17) to be delivered to the Smithsonian for its permanent display.

Photos: Space Shuttle Discovery's Final Voyage (to Museum )
See photos of space shuttle Discovery's final flight to the National Air and Space Museum's annex hangar in Chantilly, Va.

Space Shuttle Discovery Takes Off on Final Flight to the Smithsonian  
Space shuttle Discovery, NASA's fleet leader and the world's most flown spacecraft, lifted off for the last time on Tuesday (April 17) to be delivered to the Smithsonian for its permanent display.  
Space Shuttle Discovery to Take Last-Ever Flight Today 
The space shuttle Discovery will take to the skies one more time today (April 17), but not on the power of its own engines.

Monday, April 16

Space Shuttle Discovery Takes Final Flight This Week ... to Smithsonian 
NASA's most-flown space plane — will take one last flight this week, but will never leave the planet again. The shuttle's final mission is a piggyback ride atop a jumbo jet so Discovery can take its place as a space icon at the Smithsonian Institution.

Spot the Shuttle: How to See Discovery on Final Flight to the Smithsonian 
Space shuttle Discovery will take to the air on Tuesday morning (April 17), flying piggyback atop a NASA jumbo jet from Florida to Washington, D.C. to be delivered to the Smithsonian for display. Those along its flight path are in store for low passes, historic flybys and overall, quite the sky show.

Space Shuttle Viewing Locations List:

NASA Map for Best Viewing Locations

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/nasalife/features/discovery_dc_viewing.html

National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
http://airandspace.si.edu/discovery

Dulles International Airport
http://www.mwaa.com/dulles/4827.htm

Reagan National Airport
http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/reagan.htm

Sunday, April 15

Space Shuttle Discovery Mounted Atop Jumbo Jet for Ride to Smithsonian 
NASA mounted space shuttle Discovery on a jumbo jet Sunday (April 15), in preparation for the retired orbiter's delivery to the Smithsonian. The paired air- and spacecraft are expected to depart Florida for Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning (April 17), weather permitting.

Saturday, April 14

Winds Delay Space Shuttle Discovery's Lift Atop Smithsonian-Bound Jet 
NASA's scheduled pairing of the space shuttle Discovery with its jetliner ride to the Smithsonian was postponed on Saturday afternoon (April 14) after wind gusts prevented workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from safely hoisting the retired spacecraft atop the modified-Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).

Space Shuttle Museum Delivery Flights Get 'Final Mission' Patch 
It may not be heading back into space and its crew members aren't astronauts, but space shuttle Discovery's final flight has its own mission patch.

Friday, April 13

How NASA Moves Space Shuttles: The Ultimate Piggyback Ride
NASA's space shuttles are gearing up to make their final voyages — this time flying piggyback a special Boeing 747 jet on the way to museum retirement homes.

Now Boarding: Inside NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
Space shuttle Discovery's ride to retirement, NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), has come a long way since it first took to the air in the 1970s as an American Airlines passenger jumbo jet.

Tuesday, April 10

NASA Jumbo Jet Arrives to Ferry Shuttle Discovery to Smithsonian
Space shuttle Discovery's chartered ride to retirement has arrived.

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, flies into the sunrise above Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 17, 2012. The ferry flight, destined for Washington, D.C., marked the final departure for Discovery from its home for three decades. CREDIT: collectSPACE/Ben Cooper  View full size image

The final chapter is about to close on NASA's 30-year space shuttle program.

The space agency's three remaining orbiters — Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis — each made their last flights in 2011, and are now being prepped for retired life in museums. Discovery has been gifted to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., while Endeavour is bound for the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Atlantis is due to stay close to home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Additionally, the prototype orbiter Enterprise, which never flew to space, is set to move from its current home at the Smithsonian to New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

UPDATE for 7 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 19

Space shuttle Discovery will roll into the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., today, marking the end of its storied career as NASA's most traveled space plane. Discovery arrived at Dulles International Airport near the Smithsonian annex, which is just outside Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and was removed from its carrier plane on Wednesday. Today's ceremonies to welcome Discovery at 11 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) today and can be seen on NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

THE  SHUTTLE  ENGINE 

JUST PUSH PLAY>

THE  ENTERPRISE  FLIES  NEXT!


Your photostudy tonight will be:  Remembering the Enterprise, NASA Photos! Enjoy!
http://www.space.com/12903-photos-space-shuttle-enterprise-star-trek.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Crew of the Enterprise?Credit: NASAIn 1976, NASA's space shuttle Enterprise rolled out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities and was greeted by NASA officials and cast members from the 'Star Trek' television series. From left to right they are: NASA Administrator Dr. James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley, who portrayed Dr. "Bones" McCoy on the series; George Takei (Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott); Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); series creator Gene Rodenberry; an unnamed NASA official; and, Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov).

Enterprise and the MoonCredit: NASA/KSCNASA's space shuttle Enterprise stands atop the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A highlighted against the darkened Florida sky and a bright moon during testing of the high-intensity lighting system on June 2, 1980. The xenon lights would be used in launch preparations.

Enterprise's First AppearanceCredit: NASAThe test shuttle Enterprise made its first appearance mated to supportive propellant containers and boosters as it was rolled from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center en route to the launch pad, some 3.5 miles away, on May 1, 1979. Enterprise underwent several weeks of fit and function checks on the pad in preparation for STS-1, on which its sister craft Columbia took astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into space for a 54-hour test mission.

Shuttle Enterprise, a Formation FlyerCredit: NASA/JSCThe Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" rides "piggy-back" atop the NASA 747 carrier aircraft during the second free flight of the Shuttle Apporach and Landing Tests (ALTs) conducted on September 13, 1977 at Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. One chase plane can be seen in the left background, another appearing to be directly under the Boeing 747.

Space Shuttle Enterprise in FlightCredit: NASA/DFRCThe Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free of NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) during one of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California in 1977 as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT).

Space Shuttle Enterprise Has LandedCredit: NASA/JSCThis scene was photographed when the NASA 747 carrier aircraft and five T-38 aircraft flew over the Shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" while it was parked on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. The Orbiter 101 had just completed a five-minute, 28-second unpowered mission during the second free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted September 13, 1977 at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

Shuttle Enterprise Gets a LiftCredit: NASAAn aerial view of NASA's orbiter Enterprise being hoisted into the Marshall Space Flight Center's Dynamic Test Stand for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration test on Oct. 4, 1978. The test marked the first time ever that the entire Space Shuttle elements, an Orbiter, an External Tank (ET), and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB), were mated together. The purpose of the vibration tests was to verify that the Space Shuttle performed its launch configuration as predicted.

Enterprise Shuttle's California PadCredit: Air Force/TSGT Doug GrubenAn overall view of Space Launch Complex Six. The space shuttle Enterprise, mated to an external tank and solid rocket boosters, is resting on the launch mount in a 1985 test.

Enterprise Under LightsCredit: Air Force/SSGT Steve MartinA nighttime view of the space shuttle Enterprise, mated to an external tank and solid rocket boosters, resting on the launch mount next to the access tower at Space Launch Complex Six in 1985

Enterprise: A West Coast Space ShuttleCredit: Air Force/Walt WeibleSpace Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Space Launch Complex (SLC) #6, commonly known as "SLICK 6", during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures in 1985.

Goodnight Everybody-We are safely back at Home,  Planet Earth. This last video brings it all home!  Enjoy!   Kisses and Hugs To Everybody!

just push play>

....this is brendasue signing off from Rainbow Creek.

Image Credit

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120418.html


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