![]() We did this from scaffolding erected on June 17th. Our next task was to scrape and sand off the deteriorated paint on the center fuselage and payload bay doors, an area measuring over 372 square meters (4,000 square feet). Once finished with the exterior, we cleaned the cockpit, payload bay, and aft power plant bay. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility for restoration. ![]() Tony also coordinated the removal of the OMS (Orbital Maneuvering System) pods, which were sent back to the Paul E. We also received an additional member, Tony Carp, to clean and repair the vertical stabilizer and rudder. As the month progressed we received high lift equipment which gave access to most of the top portions of Enterprise. The ladders made the decision of where to start easy - hit the low hanging fruit - landing gear, wheel wells, and the belly. Our job was to restore it to its former pristine appearance. These last tests scarred the paint on the forward fuselage and payload bay doors. They performed launch vibration tests, facility test checks, arresting barrier, and emergency crew egress tests. After it came to the Museum, Enterprise continued to be a test bed for NASA. During this time it became dirty and its paint continued to deteriorate. NASA transferred Enterprise to the National Air and Space Museum in 1985 where it was stored outdoors for two years and in a non-climate-controlled hangar for 17 years. In 1983 it was refurbished with a fresh coat of paint and new markings for the 1983 Paris Air Show and the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. When its primary test programs ended in 1979, it languished and its appearance began to deteriorate. In 1977, it served first as a test vehicle atop a modified 747 in a series of drop and glide tests from about 7,620 meters (25,000 feet). The size and scope of our task was truly daunting as Enterprise was 37 meters (122 feet) long with a wingspan of 24 meters (78 feet) and a vertical stabilizer that topped out at nearly 18 meters (60 feet) above the floor.Įnterprise was originally planned to be an orbiter but was never fully outfitted for spaceflight. There we stood with buckets of water, gallon jugs of Amway LOC, which was recommended by NASA and their contractor United Space Alliance (USA), boxes of cotton rags, and a few ladders that would only elevate us 3-3.5 meters (10-12 feet) above the ground. We had eight months to clean the exterior and interior repair and repaint damage to the faux tiles that covered the nose, belly, vertical stabilizer, and rudder then strip and repaint the center fuselage and payload bay doors. The hangar was scheduled to open to the public on October 20, 2004. There was but a single artifact in that huge hangar - OV-101, Space Shuttle Test Vehicle, Enterprise. Early on the morning of March 1, 2004, a small band of preservation specialists consisting of Anne McCombs, Steve Kautner, and Ed Mautner walked into the James S.
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