Shuttle Enterprise lands after soaring over NYC skyline

An unusual flying object came to New York from Washington on Friday -- the space shuttle Enterprise.
Enterprise zoomed around the city, riding piggyback on top of a modified jumbo jet. Its trip included flyovers over parts of the city and landmarks including the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on Manhattan's west side, before landing at its temporary home, Kennedy Airport.
"Touchdown at JFK!" NASA declared on Twitter.
At the Kennedy tower, air traffic controllers had been busy fielding inquiries from circling pilots, who were informed they'd be delayed from landing because of "special activity." Some wondered how much longer they would be in the air. Others asked where they should look to get the best view.
When the big event occurred, the controller said to the shuttle craft: "Welcome to New York, and thanks for the show."

A little earlier, as the shuttle passed Manhattan, people gathered on rooftops to gawk. It was chased through the air by a NASA plane, and in the Hudson River by numerous ferries and other boats.


Before the landing, residents throughout the tri-state area lined the Hudson River, tumbled out onto sidewalks and scrambled onto rooftops in the hopes of getting a glimpse, camera phones held high.


The Enterprise was affixed atop a specially modified 747 that had taken off earlier in the morning from Dulles International Airport near Washington. The sight was enough to cause even the most jaded New Yorkers to stop and stare skyward.


The Big Apple had been waiting for the moment all week. The Enterprise was originally supposed to arrive Monday, and then Wednesday. But those plans were canceled due to bad weather.


The Enterprise is one of four NASA shuttles that are going into retirement throughout the United States, after a fierce political battle over which cities would get one.


Technically, the Enterprise is not a real space shuttle. It was a prototype and a test orbiter that never flew into space. Still, the Enterprise was critical to the tests necessary to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for flights that followed with space shuttle Columbia.

The Enterprise is ultimately headed for its new retirement home at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum this summer in Manhattan. Last week, the space shuttle Discovery was delivered to Dulles, en route to its final destination at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.


The California Science Center in Los Angeles will get the space shuttle Endeavour, and Atlantis will go to the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex at Cape Canaveral, Fla.


After the Enterprise is delivered to Kennedy airport, it will be moved via tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid museum.