Thirty-five years ago, this week, workers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., gathered at roadsides, windows, and rooftops to see the shuttle orbiter Enterprise pass Marshall's central administrative complex en route to Marshall's dynamic test stand.
Thirty-five years ago, this week, workers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., gathered at roadsides, windows, and rooftops to see the shuttle orbiter Enterprise pass Marshall’s central administrative complex en route to Marshall’s dynamic test stand. There, a series of vibration tests helped engineers understand how the entire shuttle spacecraft would respond to launch conditions. Enterprise arrived in Huntsville on March 13, 1978, where testing continued through March 1979. The tests marked the first time ever that a shuttle orbiter, external tank, and solid rocket boosters were vertically mated.Image credit: NASA/MSFC