To boldly go

This picture was taken around my third birthday:

NASA's space shuttle Enterprise actually never made it to space - it wasn't even fitted with engines or thermal shielding.  Enterprise, or OV-101, was created as an orbital test vehicle.  She became airborne by riding on the back of a specially modified 747; this way NASA engineers were able to evaluate its aerodynamic characteristics (flying brick).  Later in 1977, OV-101 was released from its Boeing training wheels and landed safely on a runway.

If you are in the Northern Virginia area, you can visit Enterprise at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles.