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Hurricane Sandy Damages Space Shuttle Enterprise
SchrodingerZ writes "The now decommissioned Space Shuttle Enterprise appears to have been damaged by super storm Sandy, as it blew through New York City. The shuttle is currently on display on the deck of the USS Intrepid, as part of the Sea, Air, and Space museum on pier 86. The storm tore through the shuttle's inflatable pavilion which housed it, leaving a deflated mess over the space craft. It appears that the pavilion has damaged the vertical stabilizer on the tail of the craft. The museum has yet to comment on the situation. This is not the first time the Enterprise has been damaged however. As it was being towed through Jamaica Bay en route to its new home in Manhattan, the barge was hit by wind and forced the spacecraft's wingtip into a railroad bridge pylon ."
That would be dangerous !!
Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes, or we're all dead.
After this, I bet she'll never fly again. ;o(
Thank you, Edward Snowden.
"Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
Enterprise is a huge part of the history of human science an exploration. Damage to it is news. I bet you'd complain that it was a slow news day if a major storm blew through Paris and water damaged the Mona Lisa too, eh?
that's why we can't have nice things.
THey would have been better off leaving them at one of NASA'a hangers, really any abandoned hanger, and opening it up as a touring center, they could have made money off of it, however I am sure they still are making money off of the Shuttles from the museums in which they now reside. The amount of money and time, not to mention the destruction they caused to ship the shuttles. The things that I would want to see from the Shuttles have been removed, as if other countries have not already figured out how to build/use the equipment.
You are comparing apples to pears. "Enterprise" is a chunk of metal and carbon that, granted, had its part in human space exploration. Being a chunk of metal and carbon, however, it can be replaced; and if it were to go lost, not many humans would spill tears over it. Mona Lisa, on the other hand, is a work of art, with "art" in the sense of "created for beauty", hundreds of years old and held dear by many more humans than said chunk of metal and carbon. Moreover, Mona Lisa was crafted by an individual now long dead and of reputed genius, which can not be said of Enterprise. Last but not least, I do believe that in the wake of Sandy ravaging New York, there is more important news than damage having been done to a chunk of metal and carbon. QFD.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
To be fair, the Mona Lisa is also a piece of mostly carbon and a lot of poisonous metal.
It's also not really that beautiful, and lives more on its reputation than its actual appearance.
And we have technology today to accurately replicate its "beauty" and give the viewer the exact same experience viewing it as they have today, so really, your arguments for not giving the Enterprise any sentimental value can be applied to any "art" you choose.
That "more important news" is on other sites. If you came to /. looking for that news, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?
rewriting history since 2109
New York was the least deserving. I'm not knocking New York itself, but the one at the Smithsonian isn't all that far away and they don't have a Space Center there.
The only reason New York has a shuttle is it was the shuttle that was left after all the deserving blue states got one. Johnson deserved to get the Enterprise at the least, one of the others by any real world measurement of the situation. Texas is a red state, and granted Houston is more likely to get a hurricane than New York most of the time, but the partisan politics of the Enterprise sitting there at all is sickening. I don't care what your political leanings are, the obvious partisanship in the decision is as wrong as Google's current single sided issue promotion on their resources.
You are comparing apples to pears. "Enterprise" is a chunk of metal and carbon that, granted, had its part in human space exploration. Being a chunk of metal and carbon, however, it can be replaced; and if it were to go lost, not many humans would spill tears over it. Mona Lisa, on the other hand, is a work of art, with "art" in the sense of "created for beauty", hundreds of years old and held dear by many more humans than said chunk of metal and carbon. Moreover, Mona Lisa was crafted by an individual now long dead and of reputed genius, which can not be said of Enterprise. Last but not least, I do believe that in the wake of Sandy ravaging New York, there is more important news than damage having been done to a chunk of metal and carbon. QFD.
If you consider the mona lisa "some paint on a canvas" it is replaceable too.
The Enterprise is much more than some piece of metal and carbon as the mona lisa is more than fabric and paint.
Storm was never to be expected.
As was the flooding and the other damage.
Americans appear SO CARELESS....
You are comparing apples to pears. "Mona Lisa" is a chunk of dried paint and canvas that, granted, had its part in the history of art. Being a chunk of crusty paint and canvas, however, it can be replaced; and if it were to go lost, not many humans would spill tears over it. Enterprise, on the other hand, is a work of breakthrough engineering, science, and exploration, held dear by many more humans than said chunk of crusty dried paint on canvas. Moreover, Enterprise was crafted by many indivituals in a cooperative feat of engineering not seen since Apollo, many of those engineers being unsung geniuses who went on to further humanity through their engineering, which cannot be said for Leonardo Da Vinci, now long dead and no longer contributing to humanity. Last but not least, I do believe that you are a troll.
*slap*
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BMO
Hm. You quite craftily inverted my argument, to show that what is true for Mona Lisa may also be true for Enterprise. I'll grant you that point. Insulting me, OTOH, is not a major contribution to this discussion. I, last but not least, do certainly NOT believe that you are a troll, which belief may be unjustified. I do believe, however, that this discussion merits to be deepened, whatever you may be. I suppose this proves beyond reasonable doubt I am not a troll. Can you prove you are not one ?*
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
So by your thinking it was worthwhile that all those years ago someone thought to save the Mona Lisa so that people could enjoy it today... but it's not worthwhile to save Enterprise today because you don't care... right?
You've demonstrated nothing aside from your arrogance.
Taunting him and saying this fail of a thread needs to continue does little more than prove you a troll.
You made a crass statment based on your own opinion, have been shown the falacy of your logic, accept that most of us feel differently and keep quite.
Too bad they don't name hurricanes after men - like Kahn.
Headline: "Kahn damages Enterprise. Caretaker is quoted as screaming, 'Kaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhnnnn!'"
Can you prove you are not one ?*
Can you prove that you did not make a post just to be a contrarian jerk?
Seriously.
The Enterprise is on topic for this page. Damage to the Enterprise *is* news for nerds. The Mona Lisa is not unless an article is discussing the chemical composition of the paints that is scientifically interesting. The burned out neighborhood of Breezy Point is not. Your first post should be modded into oblivion as flamebait/troll if not your second one.
And calling you out as a troll is not an insult if you've behaved as one. Which you did.
Posting with no karma bonus because meta-discussion is also off-topic.
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BMO
A piece of FOAM can rip through the wing, killing everyone on board and completely destroying the shuttle.
A piece of inflatable vinyl tarp can damage the vertical stab by simply falling onto it.
Damn... I'd hate to see what would happen if someone scowled at it harshly.
Just saying...
I agree with everything you've said! This childish bickering is so stupid!
We should be like the countries in the Balkans, Africa and Middle East where they fucking kill each other over really important things like religion or the fact that the 'others' don't practice the same religion the "right" way.
Or fucking killing them because they belong to another tribe.
Yes siree, we Americans are lazy and we lost our edge and now other parts of the World are doing it better than us!
Actually the article is interesting to those who work in the AEC industry. It's a classic example of what goes wrong when you don't account for EVERY variable and prepare contingency plans for events. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xox9BVSu7Ok
"we wonder why education in red states is so lacking in comparison"
No we don't. Republicans are ideologically against public funding, that includes education. The red states do badly because they're starved of money except for a few private schools that are very well funded. If only brains and money coincided it would be fine, but sadly some times the smart people who would benefit most from education are the ones who can't afford private schools.
Plus it doesn't help when Republicans on the science committee spout religious mumbo jumbo like this:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-paul-broun-evolution-hell-20121007,0,4628858.story
"Evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory are major underpinnings of mainstream science. And Georgia Republican Rep. Paul Broun, a physician who sits on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, says they are “lies straight from the pit of hell.”
So it's no 'surprising' it's the inevitable consequence of a free market.
Enterprise is a huge part of the history of human science an exploration. Damage to it is news. I bet you'd complain that it was a slow news day if a major storm blew through Paris and water damaged the Mona Lisa too, eh?
Enterprise is nothing more than a footnote. It is a Space Shuttle in name only. It was never launched and only did a couple of gliding landings. In fact, its design as a prototype significantly differs from the other orbiters to such a degree than when Columbia blew up, the replacement orbiter Endeavour was built out of spare parts instead. The main mission of the Enterprise was to visit foreign countries and to sit in the Smithsonian Museum.
"Cap'an,she can't take much more a' this!"
Looks like the shuttle will get treated just like the Interpid's Concorde. Mistreated and abused.
They shouldnt have given them Enterprise unless there was already a permanent home for her.
You must get really tired of all those people going "wooosh" at you. Wooosh, WOOOSH!
Enterprise Kahn.
Google it, then hit ebay to see if you can score a sense of humor. British made ones are the best. Even if they put such a drain on your system that your taste buds and sex drive will decline. But at least you will get a geek joke on a geek site.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Yet another reason why Dayton deserved one.
The Intrepid Museum was a bad choice. Those assholes can't manage the exhibits at all.
One of the shuttles belongs at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, at Wright-Patterson AFB, in Dayton, Ohio. As someone else stated on /. - they know how to take care of aircraft there. They have a proven track record, unlike those motherfuckers in NY.
Yes, I am passionate about this. I lived in Dayton, and will say that the NMUSAF is one of the finest aviation museums in the world.
And, yes, it is free to everyone. Open nearly every day of the year.
http://www.airforcemuseum.com/
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_the_United_States_Air_Force
The Dutch are perfectly willing to help the US build solutions. They were willing before Katrina and Sandy and they are willing after. After Katrina, the dutch saved New Orleans from further disaster, will New York be the same?
And if you think the US is stupid for waiting until AFTER a disaster to do something, http://www.deltawerken.com/89
The Delta Works weren't started until AFTER the flood.
Humans are lazy.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Plenty of letters left in the alphabet...
If its busted, I guess they're going to have to build another. Of course they'll have to send it to space a few times, to give it that vintage look.
New York was the least deserving
New York City is the biggest tourist destination in the United States. That makes New York a deserving place to put a retired Space Shuttle. New York City has many museums. DC is number 4, so the Smithsonian would be a natural fit.
"The now decommissioned Space Shuttle Enterprise appears to have been damaged by super storm Sandy"
Enterprise sat in the Udvar-Hazy center for almost 20 years before being sent to NYC. I don't know when it was officially decommissioned, but it has been effectively so for some time as NASA handed it over to the Smithsonian in 1985.
Enterprise was never a space shuttle. It was a glider/test platform that was going to be refitted to be a space shuttle. But that was more expensive than building Endeavour. Enterprise never had engines, and it was covered in fiberglass, not thermal tiles. In the end it was cheaper to build Endeavour from spare parts.
Oh shut up
No worries...the french will let the Mona Lisa get stollen again soon enough. It was mostly the art crowd crying the first three times. I think it was three times right?
Yes she just moved to a new home, but Enterprise has been a museum piece for over 25 years.
Not like anyone should have taken down such a wind prone structure.. Idiots!!!
Never loan your space shuttle to New York. They don't take care of their toys.
If a large storm went north along the coast without actually going over land, would it not continue gathering energy?
"How high's the water, Mama?"
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
The variable in question being the widely known (but little mentioned) fact that New York would get a devastating Hurricane at some time in the future.
Still true.
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
A couple extra guy wires might have helped.
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
You'd think sometime since 1942, they'd have brought thought tech to market.
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
NYC didn't deserve to have a shuttle in the first place. The Enterprise should have gone to Houston.
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
that tech that tech
Living in Houston, close to the Johnson Space Center, I can't help but laugh that the shuttle that ended up where it doesn't belong, got damaged... This thing should have ended up and the Johnson Space Center, or Kennedy Space Center, not in New York City...
As far as the Mona Lisa is concerned. There is only one original Mona Lisa, and it HAS impacted art, and believe it or not, the Sciences over the centuries, having a much greater impact than say the multiple Space Shuttles. Not that the Shuttle program had a minor impact, quite the opposite... But to argue one is of greater societal worth than the other is utter foolishness.
Crusty dried paint on canvas is part of the expression of the human condition, and that is in itself of great value to a large segment of the human population.
So we'll need some Climate Change before the arctic has to fear.
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
Not likely. While the bubbles do have an internal structure to them, it's not rigid, and only designed to provide a small amount of additional strength. They're really held up by internal air pressure, and it's likely that the bubble was punctured by debris, thus letting the pressure escape and collapsing the bubble. The only way that guy wires would have helped is if the enclosure was a tent, rather than a bubble. If it was a tent, the fabric would be secured to structural elements, most likely aluminum or steel poles. Of course, given the severity of the winds, it's likely that the poles would have bent or broken, which would have been much more catastrophic for Enterprise, as it would probably have punctured the skin of the craft and damaged it in multiple locations.
Actually, the Mona Lisa was painted on wood, not canvas...
I didn't RTFA, but I presumed that there was a shelter of some significance protecting this artifact from ablation or decay. I was trying to engineer some sort of plywood shield in my head, but posted for brevity. Packing a load for transit on the highway bears some resemblance to this, in essence, aside from the 360 degree aspect of winds. I'm sure the Home Depot was all out of plywood by the time anyone started thinking of what to do. -hoboroadie
The carrier rather than the orbiter is reported to be decommissioned. Next three years will be to remove nuclear reactor and related items, then the vessel will be chopped and sold for scrap. I'd not be surprised if there is a group leading an effort to preserve this first nuclear aircraft carrier. I can see it now, William Shatner hired to promotions for fundraising, "I was the first commander of this ship!" Yeah, I know he's an actor, not a Navy officer (but some of his fans will say, "Of course he did, he's the damned Captain after all!).
Back to On Topic, Enterprise was more than demonstrating approach and landing tests, a ***major*** test for fly-by-wire control system. Particularly on its last flight where vehicle had pilot induced oscillations (PIO) issues. Many internal systems had to be tested such as APU. Plus cooling systems (flash evaporator I think was demonstrated on these flights) as this baby packs a lot of electrical equipment that simply cannot be air-cooled like other things that go flying. It also had similar weight and aero characteristics to validate 747 transport which was extremely important for future orbiters (gotta get them from Palmdale and Edwards to KSC somehow).
mfwright@batnet.com
Gee, I'm so glad Enterprise is safe in New York City, and not at NASA headquarters in Houston, where it might be damaged in some kind of natural disaster!
How Did the submarine USS Growler do in the storm ? Any damage ???