Sandy exposes space shuttle Enterprise
In the midst of flooding, power outages and significant damages in New York City as a result of Hurricane Sandy, the space shuttle Enterprise appears to have been uncovered.
CNN iReporter Heather Shapiro, 28, snapped a photo of Enterprise from the window of her New York apartment building on Tuesday morning. She lives on the 21st floor.
Normally, the shuttle is shielded by a dome-like tent at the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum. This tent, which Shapiro described as a "giant gray bubble," appears to have collapsed, with the fabric draped over the shuttle.
Mashable reports, "Despite the loss of the protective structure, the Enterprise looks to be mostly fine, save some possible damage to the vertical stabilizer."
UPDATE: Susan Marenoff-Zausner, president of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, released this statement:
The rise in the Hudson River due to Hurricane Sandy caused flooding and damage to Pier 86. The pier was designed to withstand the 100 year storm. However, the unprecedented levels of water flooded the main electrical transformers and both of our backup generators.
As a result, power issues caused the Space Shuttle Pavilion to deflate. We currently are assessing the situation. The safety of our employees is most important, and when our teams are able to safely work on site, we will begin to rebuild the areas of our complex that have been affected. We are eager to reopen our doors to the public, but as of now, the Museum will be closed until further notice. Please visit www.intrepidmuseum.org for updates. We appreciate your patience and support.
CNN's David Williams contributed to this report.
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Obama–He is hard at work spending money–he is setting up a office in Myanmar–USAID-United States Aid for International Development–millions of dollars will be flowing to Myanmar
It should have NEVER went to New York, it should be in Houston, where at least one shuttle belongs.
Obama did it on purpose to screw Texas, just like when wildfires burned thousands of square miles and Obama denied FEMA help to Texas.
Obama SUCKS
Oh, you mean like George Bush did to Louisiana when he sent that village idiot, Mickey Mouse, I mean *AHEM* Michael Brown to New Orleans after Katrina????
Leave the mouse alone, he had nothing to do with this
If they cant take better care of a Space Shuttle, then move it out of there! A blown up for a roof? Are you kidding me? It could have a alot better home somewhere else!
I say we put the space shuttle orbit like our satellites so the whole world can see it if they want to and it will be safe from wind, rain, earthquakes, and air. It still has some risk of getting damaged, but on special days, say like halloween they could light it up enough too see like they have done with the international space station, correction, that is some may see depending if a 1000 mile wide hurricane is not blocking your view.
Not a good idea, ionized oxygen, radiation and micrometeors would start to tear it up within a year, contrary to popular belief, outer space is not a total vacuum, and in reality is a VERY hostile, destructive environment the only things protecting us from it on Earth are the moon's tidal pull, the Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field.
It should be in Texas
Hello?, "Houston we have a problem"
Awesome view from the apartment. While the article did not saw where the generators were, maybe they should ahve been inside the carrier. After all, it was made to withstand a hurricane when it operated as a carrier.
What a waste! the shuttle should have been left up in space in high earth orbit. A museum could have been built up in space a hundred years from now when people could appreciate them. Not now, not here on earth, when people are howling to cut the NASA budget.
The Enterprise never went into space, nor was ever capable of spaceflight.
Houston has many Apollo-era artifacts on display that they've let rot in their sub-tropical climate. Combine that indifference with the almost non-existent campaign to acquire a shuttle and the result is no shuttle for Houston..... and they don't deserve one.
Let their monument be the shattered remnants of Challenger and Columbia. A good reminder of some of the lousy decision-making at NASA HQ over the years.
David, you clearly are not informed. The folks at NASA Houston have gone to great lengths to preserve their Apollo-era artifacts. There is nothing rotting, as you incorrectly stated. Furthermore, there were great efforts to secure one of the space shuttles but political wrangling between Texas and Washington sent shuttles elsewhere. Sadly, Governor Rick Perry allowed his personal feelings toward President Obama get in the way of serving Texans' best interests.
Well, I live in Houston. And there was a huge rocket on display outside for year. They finally moved it inside about 5-6 years ago? It was rotting. So, there is some truth to what he was saying . This was going on 10 years ago. But now space center built up significantly.
Funny how you say The Governors personal feelings got in the way when it's the whole state of Texas that allows their personal feeling towards the president to get in the way.
Texas has had the economic benefits of NASA for over 50 years because of the power of Lyndon Johnson and others who put it there in the first place. Why was the headquarters for NASA located so far from Florida, where most launches took place and California, where the aerospace industry was centered?
Be happy that you got and still get all the benefits of NASA HQ.
The Shuttles and the Enterprise went to places that had solid plans to display them. The location in Los Angeles is going to be amazing with the Shuttle displayed vertically fully prepped for launch with SRB's and external fuel tank.
Having personally SEEN the very nice shuttle display on the Intrepid, I can share that it is a very fitting place for this historic item. When I visited back in August, the line to enter the museum was SIX HOURS long. Would we see that anywhere else? I seriously doubt it.
And BTW... Hurricanes don't hit Houston? And how many tourists visit Houston, especially an OFFICE BUILDING in Houston, yearly? In no time, the poor thing would have been covered in bird crap, like an old Huey outside a VFW, if placed in Houston.
Many of the comments I've seen here reek of people who really need to leave the village and see the world.
NYC is a huge attraction, to people from all over the world and from all walks of life. It's a great place to have something as inspiring as a space shuttle! How many folks worldwide plan vacations to Houston, or Dayton? Don't worry, you can count that high, you've got 10 fingers!
Why did NY get a Shuttle, when they didn't have a permanent place to put it??
Putting it on a ship with a tarp over it? Very cheesy.
It absolutely should have gone to Houston. Ending up in New York was purely political.
No, it's not PURELY political. No one goes to Houston. The shuttles were shipped to the largest culture attracted cities – ie: Large population centers with tourism and museums – ie: LA and NY
I don't mean disrespect, and I understand that Houston plays an important part of NASA lore ("Houston, we have a problem"). However, I have to agree with another poster that it's not really a tourist destination. Houston seems more like a very established commercial/ industrial city. It's almost like calling Silicon Valley a tourist place, which it isn't really.
Of course Houston deserved a shuttle. After all, the JSC was only home to Mission Control, training, and development for the Shuttle Program – and all other manned space craft programs. Houston campaigned for a shuttle, and had a plan to display it that didn't include a tent. It would have been well-complimented by the interactive NASA Exhibit that's also in Houston near the JSC.
The arguements about putting shuttles in tourist destinations is specious. If the intent was to put them in tourist attractions, why not put them in Disney Land and Disney World? They're the country's two biggest tourist attractions, and I'm sure Disney could have come up with some really cool rides to go with them, and not just stuck them in a tent.
Hey Joe, how many tourist do you have now? wait a few days, New Yorkers will be eating each other and squealing when the toilet paper runs out.
Actually, here in Seattle we should have received a shuttle at the Boeing Museum of Flight..Since Boeing did make alot of the parts for the shuttle..But no.....We get a mock up training shuttle.Now Seattle does get more visitors than Houston. But we should have received a actual Shuttle!
It really looks stupid in a tent on the back of an Aircraft carrier. I'll bet they get tired of telling kids "No the shuttle doesn't fly off the carrier, they just store it there in a giant inflatable tent for some Government reason".
Shouldv'e gone to Houston as they have an area just for it next to the Saturn V booster.
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization and not the government. Houston has the Space Shuttle full size mock up on display.
Of course it should have gone to Houston because you think it looks stupid on the back of an aircraft carrier.
Considering that New York pays a lot more in federal taxes than it gets in federal spending while Texas just about breaks even (interesting), I believe New York City should get it for being a donor state in this country as opposed to a lot of (red) welfare states.
You were way over his head with your comment, but yes, you are spot on!
The natives of Dayton, OH have a very bad case of schadenfreude right now! Had that thing gone to the National Museum of the United States Air Force like it should have, it would have been safe and dry right now!
your right, as I said in another post.... Houston and the USAF didn't get one because obama hates Texas and the military
The President doens't hate the military. And the reason that NYC got it instead, was that more people actually live and visit NYC than Houston.
Honestly, the only time I've even been there is on a layover for a flight. There is nothing interesting there anymore.
Funny, I recall NASA making this decision but go ahead and just make up more history...
The President hates the military and Texas? ... NO, the President has said time and time again that he hates that this country is way behind in education and you're a prime example of why he is trying so hard to eliminate stupidity.
Dayton would have been perfect.
Ohio voters should bear this in mind. At the USAF Museum, the Shuttle would have enjoyed the same protection and conservation that safekeeps some of our nation's most historic and treasured aircraft. It wouldn't be sitting out on a dock in the middle of a horrible storm.
The last time I was in Dayton and I saw the museum was great, but is an aircraft museum for the airplanes that the Air Force used, NOT for spacecrafts
I do not recall the USAF insignia on the shuttle. Did I miss something?
You better hope the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson is never hit by a tornado. A lot more valuable exhibits than a single space shuttle will be lost when it happens, and mark my words it will happen. It is right in tornado alley, and yes I have been there, during a bout of tornados.
The shuttle is with important ships and planes. Where it will get a new, real home. How many people will see it in NYC, compared to Houston? Raise your hands-who wants to visit Houston? Who wants to visit NYC?
Houston didn't get a shuttle because they typically vote Republican
No youre just crazy and making up stupid fodder for stupid people.
Hey moron.... did you know Houston has a Democratic mayor who is a lesbian who got re-elected? Get an education and stop making up garbage you know nothing about. Houston is a great city, but so is New York!
How many people will see it in NYC compared to Houston? With 55 MILLION annual tourists from the USA and abroad, I'd say NYC has the edge here on "who will see it." How many tourists does Houston get a year? 100,000?
I'd rather be in Philadelphia!
Yes intelligent people, please do put your generators below the expected and highly publicized storm surge during a hurricane. Certainly not on one of the upper decks of the ship. Ever heard of a place called New Orleans?
My family is planning a trip through New York and Washington, D.C. this summer. Based on what we heard from our friends, there is a lot to see in both cities, they are very close together, and most visitors make their way through both on their Northeastern vacations. You said the shuttle was in NYC?
They should have just let the piece of junk fall off in the water....be done with it. What a monumental waste of time and money it was. It accomplished NOTHING.
Yeah, we should just stay on Earth, the heck with exploration and scientific advancement. Things would be a lot better if nobody had ventured away from where they were born (Native Americans especially).
Oh Yeah, All of those fantastic Health Industry discoveries and inventions that "waste" money saving thousands of "useless" lives, huh? We would be so much better off to simply let more people die and stay ignorant and NOT advance our scientific knowledge! We could use all of the "wasted" money to KILL MORE PEOPLE! What a "great" idea!... M0R0N!...
You must be one of those Teabagger Looneytarian RepubliKKKans!
Troll or ignorant. Either way way, useless.
What scares me most, is the thought that idiots like these have a vote that is equal to mine, curiously depressing!.
...and these are the people that don't trust you to buy a large soft drink.
That was hilarious...........
Shuttle should have been sent to Texas. We would have made sure nothing happend to her.
I don't know, some inbred hick might have tried to hump after a long night of drinking.
Is that an "admission" of guilt, hmm?
Seriously.... a tent! New York gets one of the most cherished museum items in recent times, and they put it in a tent?!!!! I would have thought that the shuttle would have gone to a location that was actually willing to put up a building! (or perhaps a city that had something to do with the Space Shuttle like Houston or Cape Canaveral). Wow! Who made the decision to give New York one of the shuttles and why?
What's wrong with a tent? It's an enormous object, and the display was to be temporary. I'm sure, for the record, it was a fairly nice tent – likely rated to withstand serious weather. Just not hurricanes.
Houston didn't get a shuttle for the same reason the USAF Meuseum didn't get one, polotics, Obama hates Texas as he does the military
WOW, you are an idiot! Obama had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with that choice! The White House was not involved in deciding where the old shuttles were allocated!
If Obama had as much power and influence as right wingers think he does, he'd be one step below god.
Shows just how little NY really cares about protecting that. Space exploration isn't part of their legacy and there's no reason they deserved to get the Enterprise. Should of gone to a city that was part of space exploration, a city that would have cared for the Enterprise.
you are an imbecile I guess you never heard of Grumann aerospace, you sound like one of the inbred redneck hicks claiming that the anti science young earth creationist state of Texas should have gotten it. Perhaps they could have put it in a flat Earth exhibit.
Ahahahahaha!
Aww, look at the little troll.
I preferred the t0pless pics of Princess Kate much better 😉
Not much to see there, the girl is as flat as a desert.
On both sides!
Go Democrats, Go Go Go.... Your #1
Ahhhhh, there we go, I was wondering who would be the first T-Tard to blame Democrats for the Hurricane. Congratulations!
@ phearis – More like F-Tard
@ AngryAmerican – It's "you're" – Idiot!
Besides the shuttle going to NY instead of were it should have gone that couple that won the super lotto should have been me. I deserve it more than them!
That photo just sends chills down my spine. As much advance warning as they had you would think something else could have been done to protect the shuttle. And, I would like to add, I was really surprised when Houston didn't get a shuttle. KFC and Houston should have both received one, it goes without saying.
The shuttle, even the Enterprise concept vehicle, is designed to rocket through the air and into space at speeds in excess of Mach 20 and then re-enter the atmosphere and return to Earth. The forces put on the shuttle during a typical flight are many orders of magnitude greater then what a hurricane can do. The only danger would have been flying debris. Enterprise is on a carrier which is designed to go throught a hurricane and combat, so its not generating any debris other than a stray soda can or sign. It is also on the aft end of the ship which is sticking out in the harbor, no chance of a tree or building debris falling out there. Basically Enterprise was subject to nothing more than a pressure wash. My lawn furniture was in more danger and they turned out unscathed.
By the bye the ship Enterprise sits on top of is more of a historic and national treasure then Enterprise. She made it through with no protection just in case you were worried.
Enterprise was not designed to handle the forces of flight like the spaceworthy orbiters were. She was designed for atmospheric glide tests and nothing more.
Space shuttle Enterprise, NASA's original prototype orbiter, is sitting exposed and appears to have been partially damaged by Hurricane Sandy after the severe storm passed over New York City on Monday night (Oct. 29).
On public display aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, a converted aircraft carrier, since July, Enterprise had been protected from the elements inside a pressurized pavilion. Based on photos posted online, the inflatable structure appears to have first deflated and then been torn by the winds of the now post-tropical storm cyclone.
Photographs show the 180-foot-long (55 meters) by 60-foot-high (18 meters) pavilion's cloth exterior now lies draped over Enterprise, although much of the shuttle's nose section and part of its payload bay is uncovered. The orbiter's vertical stabilizer, or tail, is protruding out of the top of the fabric, where it appears part of the spacecraft has been torn away.
Houston had a Saturn Booster from the Apollo program that sat outside and rusted. That's one reason why they did not get the shuttle. If you cannot properly display our heritage the first time, you may not get a second chance.
They also restored the Saturn V in 1999 and built a structure around it to prevent such occurrences. They also had a plan in place to erect a facility for an orbiter.
Linda, I agree. The Johnson Space Center should have gotten one of the shuttles. 1. New Yorkers can make the short trip to D.C. to see one. 2. The Intrepid display does not adequately protect what I consider a national treasure. 3. Even L.A. should have been behind Houston on the list to send a shuttle!
Excuse me but the many aerospace firms in LA built those shuttles. They were assembled in nearby Palmdale from components manufactured all over the LA basin and powered into space by rocket engines built by Rocketdyne in Chatsworth, and LA suburb, and tested nearby. It was the engineering talent in Los Angeles that made the whole Space Shuttle program possible. Add to that the fact that LA had a plan to display a Space Shuttle dating back to 1992 that was written by the very people who engineered and built those shuttles, and a plan that was updated regularly in anticipation of someday displaying one. No city deserves a Space Shuttle more than Los Angeles.
Four words: McDonnell Douglas-St. Louis!!!
Currently known as Boeing St. Louis.
The only claim that Boeing has to the heritage of the Space Shuttle is that Boeing bought Rocketdyne, the firm that designed and manufactured the rocket motors that powered the Shuttle into space. Boeing didn't do one thing to make the Space Shuttle come to fruition. Boeing bought out the firms that did the hard work, then tries to take credit for their work. It is disgusting.
Way to protect this American jewel. Way to go NY...we knew you could screw it up. This craft should be docked in a hanger at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. We would at least have had the sense to close the hanger!
I agree completely!
I miss my annual trips to Wright-Patt with the kids. I'm in Tampa now and the kids are grown. My father plans on taking his great grandson this spring though. Tristan will be the 3rd generation that he's shared the love of aviation with! Thank you Dayton for making that happen!! : )
You are correct Wright – Patt would have been a perfect home for her!
The National Museum of the US Air Force already has a building ready. MOVE ENTERPRISE TO DAYTON NOW!
I think NY should lose it to somewhere else but it wont happen since the planes arent available to fly it anywhere so they get to keep it when it should be other more secure locations.
I just knew that NY (who never did anything to deserve it except vote Democratic) would screw it up.
I totally agree with you... those democrat New Yorkers screwed it up by creating a hurricane and making it blast through the city right?...
No you da. Responsible because they didn't protect it.
Right, because military enthusiasts running naval air museums are likely to be Democrats.
No, he simply meant that NYC (and Democrats in general), throw wads of money at projects, claim incredible accomplishments, and then never finish them either on schedule, or on time. And if the Dem unions get invloved, HOO BOY!, you'll never see the end. Of course, now that I think of it, that's probably why it was'nt in a proper shelter to begin with, union construction usually takes 5 years to finish anything in NYC.
NASA wasn't responsible for building the hangars / buildings in which the shuttles are housed. Those were furnished by the new hosts.
...and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in OH has a furnished home for it. Too bad select politicians didn't see it that way.
But NASA *was* responsible for selecting who got the shuttle. Should have been Houston or Dayton.
Why is that?
That shuttle should have been displayed in Clear Lake , Tx at mission control . Alot of cities have legit claims to getting a shuttle but Houston should have been one of those cities that received one . No offence to other cities that were involved in the space program . Politics always seem to get in the way of such decisions . I can't believe New York didn't have a better plan to house the shuttle than this .
You took the thoughts right out of my head, Keith! Housing the shuttle in a tent? Houston would have respected and treated it much better than that. Yeah, I still feel a bit burned by the whole subject, as do many others here in S.E. Texas.
I'm in FL and I think Houston got the short end of it. So much for spreading the shuttles across the country so everyone could see them. DC and NYC is no where near spread out!
So very true. This pic makes me so angry. What kind of enclosure is that? What a fine tribute to such an amazing space program.
New York is in the process of building a permanent home for this shuttle, but it has not been completed yet. This bubble is temporary so they could get it on display right away. It is only held up by positive pressure from pumps/fans, and it clearly was not strong enough to make it through this kind of storm. Also, if the power failed the pumps/fans would no longer support the fabric structure.
Houston may have felt it deserved a shuttle, but think of it this way...Houston has ALL the simulators that EVERY CREW used at one time or another..not only for the orbiter's but the ISS....fair compensation, I think....
Houston had a lot of those simulators taken away. Our full fuselage trainer was sent to Seattle and another was sent to Texas A&M.
I agree, that shuttle belongs in Texas. People in New York City have a space shuttle just 250 miles away in Virginia!
Then what does that make you? Insignificant
That could have easily been the first space shuttle take off from an aircraft carrier.
Better yet if it had come to Dayton Ohio instead. The birthplace of aviation it would have been in a covered facility from the beginning.
Where no one would see it.
Have you ever been to the NMUSAF? It's the best aviation museum in the world, plenty of people go there, and best of all, it's FREE, unlike the other museums getting orbiters.
There's no reason why the east coast should have three orbiters, and the west coast orbiter should be in Seattle.
Susan, I wish that Seattle had a west coast orbiter- Endeavour went to LA, Discovery to DC and Atlantis to Kennedy Space Center. Enterprise went to NY. Seattle got the shuttle trainer but- people can actually go inside the trainer unlike the others.
Who the hell would ever want to be caught in the festering cesspool that is Dayton Ohio no body would come to see the shuttle there, You need a gallon of clorox just to clean yourself off after passing through with the windows rolled up.
You're obviously an utter moron, Dayton has many fine eating establishments, such as....umm...er...waitaminute.......I'll get back to you on that.
If NASA wasn't in such a big hurry to lay off all the shuttle workers, they could have housed it in a safer place untill NY had a more secure hanger
Welcome to the era of "no new taxes".
NASA wasn't responsible for building the hangars / buildings in which the shuttles are housed. Those were furnished by the new hosts.
The sad part is that the Museum of Flight in Seattle already had a facility built specifically for an orbiter and actually offered to house Enterprise until New York got their facility built (they don't even have the money to start it yet). The NASA Administrator (Charlie Bolden) refused. Now the poor orbiter is reaping the consequences.
Yes Nathan you are right. I spoke to the Seattle museum staff. Like I said, NASA is in such a hurry to lay of all the shuttle workers, they wanted to get rid of the shuttle ASAP. I know , I'm one of the ones that got laid off along with 9,000 others. Now Obama pays the russians to fly our astronauts who are still employed
KC – It's definitely sad. The sucky part is that shuttle had to go so we could fund the next program (SLS). Without a drastic budget increase, there was no way both could be funded simultaneously. As for paying the Russians, that was always the plan for the gap (remember that President Bush initiated the end of shuttle in 2004). It just sucks that we're having to do it for so long. It's why I'm excited about the commercial crew initiatives (started in 2006). Hopefully those will be up and running in 2015/2016 as planned.
@KC, it was Bush who killed the Shuttle program without authorizing a replacement, not Obama.
@KC, also, under Obama, we now have 4 PRIVATE aeronautics companies launching or testing next generation spacecraft. Two of these are focused on in-orbit and manned activities, the other two focused on mining asteroids and processing the minerals in space-based manufacturing plants. Democrats take us forwards, Republics take us back to the dark ages in fear of a malignant god monster.