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This Article is From Apr 28, 2012

After soaring over New York, 150,000-pound space shuttle lands at JFK

After soaring over New York, 150,000-pound space shuttle lands at JFK
New York: New York City was abuzz as the space shuttle Enterprise arrived on Friday, flying low over high-profile locations, including the Statue of Liberty, while perched on the back of a 747 jet.

New Yorkers watched from rooftops and sirens wailed as the shuttle glided up the Hudson River and back down minutes later on its way to its temporary home at Kennedy Airport.

NASA is wrapping up the shuttle programme, and the Enterprise will become part of New York's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

Excited spectators watched the shuttle from outside the museum.

"It made me feel empowered," said Jennifer Patton, a tourist from Ohio, wiping a tear from her eye.

"An absolutely amazing time. I wanted to give Harry a day that he could actually remember for his life," said Adam Schechter, who was watching the flight with his son Harry.

The Enterprise was never used in an actual space mission but was a full-scale test vehicle in the air and on the ground.

The shuttle flew from Washington on Friday morning.

The Enterprise will stay at Kennedy Airport for a few weeks until it's taken off the 747 jet it rode to New York.

After that it will be put on a barge in early June and brought up the Hudson River to the Intrepid, where it will be put on the flight deck.

The museum anticipates opening the shuttle exhibit to the public in mid-July.

NASA's shuttle programme ended last year.

The Enterprise's place at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington has been taken by the shuttle Discovery.

Shuttle Endeavor is going to Los Angeles, and shuttle Atlantis is staying at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre.

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