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The first to be built it never orbited or even went into
space.
June 1974
Work begins. Designated OV-101.
1976
Named Enterprise by President Jerry Ford.
after 100,000 people wrote him to request it be
named after the star ship on the TV series Star Trek.
NASA wanted to call it Constitution.
It had no engines.
It served as a 130-ton test bed.
It was bolted to the back of a 747 released
at altitude and allowed to glide to a landing.
Aug. 1977
Fred Haise and Charles Fullerton were the 1st to glide in it
after it was released at an altitude of 4.5 miles.
It landed at Edwards AFB, California after a 5 min. 30 sec. glide.
5 glides were conducted over the next 2 yrs.
Astronauts Joe Engle and Richard Truly
also piloted the Enterprise. |