Engle and Truly flew the second and fourth flights. Haise and Fullerton flew onboard Enterprise for the first, third, and fifth free-flight tests. NASA chose another crew, NASA astronauts Joe Engle and Richard Truly, to alternate with Haise and Fullerton for the free-flight tests. Two crews of two were selected for the free-flight tests.
SHUTTIE ENTERPRICE SERIES
Perhaps most importantly, these free-flight tests proved that shuttle orbiters could land upon their return from space.Ĭheck out these five fast facts about this series of free-flight tests as we remember Enterprise’s historic feat! 1. The mission was a success!įour additional free-flight tests were conducted that year.īoth the captive and free-flight tests proved that shuttle orbiters could fly atop the SCA in a piggyback formation, which was necessary to ferry shuttle orbiters from Dryden, where they would be landing, to Florida, where they would launch again. The shuttle orbiter and the SCA separated and then Enterprise was flying on its own (see video below)! Haise and Fullerton glided Enterprise down to the lakebed runway and safely landed. The release happened at 8:48 a.m., slightly behind schedule. According to NASA, a crowd of roughly 65,000 visitors, 900 members of the press, and 2,000 special guests, had gathered to witness the historic event. the SCA accelerated down the runway with Enterprise atop in piggyback formation. Onboard Enterprise were two NASA astronauts, Fred Haise and Gordon Fullerton. 12, 1977, Enterprise took the next giant leap in NASA’s space shuttle Approach and Landing Test (ALT) program: free-flight.Įarlier that year, Enterprise, NASA’s first space shuttle orbiter, arrived at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California.įollowing eight captive-carry flights, which piggybacked off a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), Enterprise was finally ready for its first free-flight test.
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