Shuttle Enterprise arriving at JFK (big photos)

Two gorgeous photographs shot by C.S. Muncy of the retired NASA space shuttle Enterprise landing at New York City's John F. Kennedy airport earlier today.

The original test shuttle piggybacked on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The duo flew from Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC., and landed at 11:22 AM Eastern after flying over famous sights of NYC including the Statue of Liberty, and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, which is the shuttle's new home. Robert Pearlman has more at Space.com/MSNBC.

• [Sagodjur]

  Anyone else disappointed that  the space shuttle Enterprise arrived in NYC instead of the Starship Enterprise?

  • [Timothy Krause]

    Those cats beam down all the time, man. All the time.

  • [t3kna2007]

    I’m disappointed the name Enterprise was wasted on a test article rather than used on an operational shuttle.  Given that the naming was the result of a write-in campaign, I’m probably not the only one.

    Can you imagine? “Houston, Enterprise here …”  “Station, Enterprise arriving.”  Imagine being the astronaut who actually gets to say that. 

    Excuse me while I go change my nerd-shorts.

  • [Halloween_Jack]

     I’d be more disappointed if they couldn’t get the Prime Directive right just one fucking time.

• [Rich Keller]

  I see this and I can’t stop hearing an imaginary David Attenborough narration about how the male circumnavigates the world several times as part of an elaborate courtship display.

• [Noah Hicks]

   Houston we have a problem, your shuttle is in New York…

• [sincarne]

  The Verge has some amazing shots of the fly-by: http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/27/2980852/nasas-space-shuttle-enterprise-new-york-fly-pictures

  • [Mark Duanburge]

    Surely I’m not the only one who is disappointed with the photos on that link and also on this BoingBoing article? The shuttle arriving at JFK photos are nothing special.

    Given that this is “America’s greatest spacecraft flying over the world’s most magnificent city” the photos so far are pretty lacklustre.

    Awaiting decent shots from Boston Big Picture and The Atlantic.

• [Webbie]

  “Everybody remember where we parked.”

• [Donald Petersen]

  Has no-one ever deadheaded inside the orbiter’s cockpit during one of these?  Imagine the tourist revenues!

• [jeligula]

  This just in: the space shuttle moved three feet since the last story about the space shuttle moving.

• [David Waugh]

  That must have got the attention of passengers in those other planes! “Did I just see..? Nah, couldn’t have been…”

• [Joseph Finn]

  Otherwise known as the Space Shuttle that should be being prepared to be installed at the Adler Planetarium right now.

• [Kevin Baker]

  It still amazes me that you can strap something the size of the shuttle onto the back of a more-or-less stock airplane and it’ll still fly.

• [Stef of Ing]

  A great photo of the Enterprise over New York… 
  http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m35foiJI6a1qzz0iho1_1280.jpg 

• [Christopher Lee]

  Mommy? What are those planes doing?

  Well…uh…the little plane is sick and the big one is taking it to the hospital.

• [Jon Heibeck]

  I keep seeing pics of the shuttles piggybacked but never see anything about HOW they get it there.

  • [Donald Petersen]

    Look here: 
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Carrier_Aircraft

    Scroll down and you’ll see a couple of videos of the 747 approaching the Mate-Demate Device with the eagerly waiting Orbiter mounted therein.  Probably NSFW.

• [quitterjunior]

  Tyrion and Shae?  Anyone?  

• [HJB]

   For a fantastic video of the Enterprise Space Shuttle flying piggy back over New York Harbor, see:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaRHEGiirq4&feature=youtu.be