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The Shuttle prototype flies free after being released from NASA's 747 carrier aircraft. Enterprise was used for testing approach & landings as well as launch pad roll outs. Initially it was planned to be outfitted as the second active orbiter after Columbia but it was soon determined that it was far too heavy to see active flight duty and so the rest of the fleet was assembled to new blueprints; whilst Enterprise was consigned to the role as a ‘hangar queen’ - donating parts & acting as a test bed for refinements as well as crash landing tests. It was finally donated to the Smithsonian in 2000 for restoration & display in a purpose built hangar. There are very few good quality original photos of Enterprises early life so I took this thirty year old shot of one of its maiden flights & gave it a creative makeover in Adobe CS3, Noise Ninja and DFT 55mm.

Credit: NASA/JPL.