The Final Free Flight of the Enterprise

2 minutes, 1 second.

That’s how short the final flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise was on this day in 1977. Forty years ago, the beginning of the Shuttle era came to a close with the final free flight of the one Space Shuttle that never flew in space.

The Enterprise was used to conduct a series of Approach and Landing Tests that started in February of 1977 and ended on October 26th, 1977. These tests validated the flight capabilities of the Space Shuttle, ensuring that the orbiters could land and be ferried on a modified Boeing 747.