Enterprise on Barge Floats By - Tomorrow 6/3

[naked rev. trish]

will fly up the Hudson past the Intrepid and onto JFK to prepare for permanent installment at the museum.

[Alice]

Thanks for the heads up. A sad time for some of us though:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... sian-taxi/
DE BORCHGRAVE: Lost in space: NASA’s $63M Russian taxi rides
By Arnaud de Borchgrave The Washington Times Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Space Shuttle Discovery flying piggyback on a Boeing 747 for its “Last Hurrah” flight around the Washington Monument and the White House was a grim reminder of misplaced and misspent priorities.
The storied 30-year space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia, April 12, 1981, ended last July, when Atlantis landed back on Earth. Since then, the price of a Russian taxi ride aboard the Soyuz to reach the International Space Station has skyrocketed from $55.8 million per seat - with a guarantee of no less than six trips to 12 round trips - to $63 million per seat, in 2013-14.
It was the shuttles - Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour, Atlantis - and the 355 crew members who flew 135 missions over 30 years that built, hunk by hunk, the football field-sized lab in Earth orbit and launched the Hubble Space Telescope that allowed humanity to see billions of times farther into space than we ever could before.
The program’s shutdown comes after blowing $1 trillion on the Iraq war that put Iran’s mullahs in the driver’s seat in Baghdad, and half a trillion dollars (and counting) in Afghanistan, where the Taliban enemy, taking a page from the U.S. defeat in Vietnam, surprise-attacked several widely scattered targets simultaneously,
The longest period of war in U.S. history, with its grim toll of 6,345 U.S. troops killed and 46,300 wounded in both Iraq and Afghanistan, unlike World War II, did not produce hosannas of praise and gratitude. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans are also dead, and still more injured. By Afghan exit time in 2014, the two wars will have cost the U.S. taxpayer $3 trillion.
America ’s “outstanding public debt” as of April 17, 2012, at 9:30 p.m. was $15,658,555,381,084.56 - that’s almost $16 trillion. And it has been increasing $4 billion per day since Sept. 28, 2007.
Future historians will shake their heads in disbelief over the trillions thrown at Iraq and Afghanistan with very little to show for it - except the biggest U.S. Embassy in the world in Baghdad, one originally built for 2,000 U.S. diplomats in residence (vs. 87 next door at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey). Today, the Baghdad site is an embarrassing white elephant.
These delusions of grandeur were inspired by President Bush 43, who thought we had gone to Iraq to punish Saddam Hussein for trying to kill his dad. To this day, he does not seem to realize that Dick Cheney was both vice president and White House svengali. Iraq was a sleight of hand, for a different agenda.
This reporter was present at the vice president’s house for dinner 11 months before the invasion of Iraq, when the Iraq operation was described to me as “a done deal.” It was to be part of a larger geostrategic plan known as the “Clean Break” report written in 1996 by a study group of American “neocons,” chaired by Richard Perle, for Benjamin Netanyahu, about to become prime minister of Israel for the first time.
Discovery’s last journey to the Air and Space Museum ( Washington Dulles International Airport branch) was a grim reminder of where history may say we took a wrong turn.
What elicited the admiration of the world were not U.S. feats of arms in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan (where 70 percent of Americans say we don’t belong), or a “securing the realm” plan for Israel, but the way we defeated the evil Soviet empire without war, along with displays of technological prowess and humanitarian assistance. The U.S. also launched the first American female and the first black astronauts into space.
Decades after John Glenn rocketed into space on the first American manned orbital mission, he added another milestone to space history in 1998 when at the age of 77, he returned to space - as a payload specialist aboard Discovery.
During the 213-hour flight, he participated in multiple experiments on the aging process in space to countering the effects of old age on Earth. A tad more useful for humanity than fruitless attempts to democratize Afghanistan.
All we need from Taliban chieftain Mullah Omar is a pledge to sever any link with al Qaeda terrorists. He did that three months before 9/11 - but we still don’t believe him. So why not test him instead of wasting blood and treasure through the end of 2014?
• Arnaud de Borchgrave is editor-at-large of The Washington Times

[A_Malicous_Duck]

sad to think we traded our space program for a war in iraq.

[Narrows Born]

This event has been postponed due to expected inclement weather.

It must be a wonderful sight! I saw a picture of Discovery being piggy-backed! Awesome!

[naked rev. trish]

Watch Space Shuttle Flyover at Intrepid – Tentatively Rescheduled for April 25

NASA has tentatively rescheduled Enterprise’s flight to NYC for Wednesday, April 25. The flight was originally scheduled for April 23rd but had to be postponed due to weather. As East Coast weather continues to change, check back here for future announcements should this date move again.

Come to Intrepid on Wednesday, April 25 to watch the historic flyover of Enterprise and the NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), the 747 bringing the space shuttle to New York City.Enterprise

Be among the first to welcome Enterprise to NYC as she flies up the Hudson River at a relatively low altitude – mounted atop the 747 - while passing her future home, the Intrepid Museum. The Museum and Pier 86 will open at 10am and the flyover is expected to occur soon thereafter.

Date and time are subject to change due to weather, flight patterns and NASA operational conditions. Schedule change information will be updated here as we receive it from NASA so be sure to check back.

http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/shuttle/

[VirginiaDave]

Moved to Friday at 9:30 now.

[Laertes607]

when I first saw this thread, I thought: the starship, Enterprise?? LOL

[VirginiaDave]

[naked rev. trish]

thanks Dave!

[beerman]

why dont they do this on the weekend
then fly over the VZ
at 10 am so everybody can see this
i mean they keep changing the date n time anyway

[naked rev. trish]

route

[BacciMia]

why dont they do this on the weekend
then fly over the VZ
at 10 am so everybody can see this
i mean they keep changing the date n time anyway

i agree. i would love to see this live.

[italiana71]

That was effin awesome!!! Just flew over our house!

[c'est Moi!]

Just heard what sounded like a big plane fly by...

oops, what she said probably(I was inside)

[Observateur]

It just zipped past us (in BR) within past two minutes -- really close. Felt as if it was right over the roof.

[BacciMia]

i'm jealous!

[Observateur]

I'm doing work at home, was at desk facing the window, heard a huge roar and saw it coming up from the Verraz. It was very close/low altitude and didn't go over the water -- went over houses between Colonial/Ridge. Also was slow enough that you could really see it.

[BacciMia]

awesome.

[Observateur]

It was pretty awesome ... as in "surreal," seeing this (these) big aircraft flying low-and-slow over the sidestreet.

[italiana71]

It flew over again, but going towards the bridge. Got to see it again! Why did it make two fly overs, anyone know?

[Alice]

It flew over again, but going towards the bridge. Got to see it again! Why did it make two fly overs, anyone know?

Trish posted the schedule. It went up the river, then turned around, going to JFK. I watched from my office at West 57th and 11th. Beautiful, but sad. The end of an era.

[BacciMia]

i wish you guys took/posted pics. i'm sure we'll all catch it on the news, youtube, etc. though.

[italiana71]

I wish I took pictures too but I didn't think it would be so low. I didn't think I'd be able to see lettering and logos, etc. It was incredible!!!! What a freakin' thrill.

[BacciMia]

wow, was really low then to see logos and all! good for you guys.

[Observateur]

I thought of taking a pic but just wanted to really watch it.
Whoo, it was SO close. And as Alice said: beautiful, but sad.

[VirginiaDave]

I will post some crappy iPhone pics once I get to wifi. I was in Red Hook talking to two other Ridgites and we laughed when we realized it was going right over the neighborhood.

[beerman]

,

[BacciMia]

thanks, beerman! sweet.

[Observateur]

I will post some crappy iPhone pics once I get to wifi. I was in Red Hook talking to two other Ridgites and we laughed when we realized it was going right over the neighborhood.

Like REALLY right over the neighborhood. If it were a half-block farther east it might have taken the roof off of PS 185.

[beerman]

what is crazy is its smaller the a airliner, yet they tak al that stuff up into space

[naked rev. trish]

Enterprise

[beerman]

Enterprise

show off

[Observateur]

what is crazy is its smaller the a airliner, yet they tak al that stuff up into space

They knew how to pack wisely.

[Observateur]

Enterprise

show off

BOTH pics are very cool.

[naked rev. trish]

not great but the closest I could get with my point and shoot

[Observateur]

not great but the closest I could get with my point and shoot

Hey -- that's close!

I can't get over the sight of that thing coasting slowly and beautifully above the BR treetops. I thought it would be a distant dot or that I'd miss it altogether.

Edited to add: The view from the top floors of PS 185, facing Ridge, must have been totally mind-blowing.

[maggies]

WOW those are great shots! I can't believe how quiet it was I thought it would be like a roar.

[Observateur]

WOW those are great shots! I can't believe how quiet it was I thought it would be like a roar.

From my location, at least, it was a monstrous huge roar. That's what tipped me off.
And yes -- such great pics.

[maggies]

I was in the back at Fairway so maybe the sound got absorbed somehow over the water. It was awesome to see. I love those photos NRT. Mine turned out terrible.

[naked rev. trish]

Thanks. It's a Lumix 16x optical. I've become somewhat of an expert at shooting through the windows of 2 WFC -- though there are just times of the day where it's impossible to get a clear shot. I debated heading down to the ground level but I'm glad I didn't.

[Observateur]

Great job, NRT.

[naked rev. trish]

Thanks.

[Observateur]

Thanks.

I can use your photos to remind me of what I saw, since they're the up-closest ones I've seen.

[VirginiaDave]

Horrible quality but here are my pics from Red Hook.

[VirginiaDave]

[Horse]

So when is it supposed to land on the Intrepid?

That will be another sight watching it get from Kennedy to the West Side.

Barge?

[naked rev. trish]

Yes, Barge -- sometime in June or July.

[VirginiaDave]

Yes, Barge -- sometime in June or July.

Should be able to get incredible shots from the pier that day.

[naked rev. trish]

Wait, so were you standing next to maggies VDave?

[VirginiaDave]

I was in the back at Fairway so maybe the sound got absorbed somehow over the water. It was awesome to see. I love those photos NRT. Mine turned out terrible.

That's where I was too. I think the wind was all we could hear.