Star Trek Journey: Enterprise Takes Flight Again

Just like the Starship Enterprise, the US space shuttle Enterprise continued its 35-year journey this past Friday. The original space shuttle prototype took off from Washington D.C. on its final journey to New York's Kennedy International Airport, but not before wowing New Yorkers who watched it fly past New York city landmarks. Part of the distribution of the space shuttles to several museums, the Enterprise will be added to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum later this year. The Enterprise never undertook a mission to space, but it nevertheless was a crucial part of the shuttle program. It was used in various tests that contributed to later models and missions. When it was originally constructed the ship was to be called the Constitution, but after a passionate letter-writing campaign by Star Trek fans, President Gerald Ford renamed it after the iconic 1960's starship captained by James T. Kirk. The effort to name the first shuttle after the television series spaceship nearly ten years after the show left the air demonstrated the powerful influence of Star Trek and the passion of its fans. Carried on the back of a modified 747, the Enterprise was met by no other than Leonard Nimoy who played Spock. Nimoy spoke briefly after the shuttle landed at Kennedy Airport saying: "This is a reunion for me. Thirty-five years ago, I met the Enterprise for the first time." Back in the 70s Nimoy and the rest of the Star Trek crew were introduced to the new ship that would take the name of the fictional starship. New York Senator Chuck Shumer summed it up best: "To the Enterprise and to the Intrepid Museum I say, live long and prosper in your final resting place."