Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first orbiter of the United States' Space Shuttle program, built by Rockwell International for NASA and unveiled on September17, 1976. Originally named Constitution, it was renamed following a campaign by Star Trek fans, taking the name of the fictional USSEnterprise, itself named after the World WarII aircraft carrier USSEnterprise. Lacking engines and a functional heat shield, Space Shuttle Enterprise was incapable of spaceflight. It completed eight crewed flights in 1977, during five of which it was released from a modified Boeing 747 and glided to a landing. Plans to refit it for orbital missions were abandoned, and since 2012 it has been displayed at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. This 1976 photograph shows Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry (third from right, in dark brown), members of the Star Trek cast, and NASA administrators attending Enterprise's rollout ceremony at Rockwell's plant in Palmdale, California.
