Enterprise at SLC-6, Vandenberg, CA - 1985

[orb]

Prior to the Challenger disaster, the Department of Defense planned to launch the Shuttle from the U.S. West Coast, Space Launch Complex 6, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on military Space Shuttle missions, but that was scrapped after the STS-51-L tragedy in 1986.

Spaceflight Now posted some neat photos in seven galleries, of the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise (OV-101) in Vandenber's Orbiter Maintenance and Checkout Facility hangar, and standing assembled with external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters atop Space Launch Complex 6 for testing. It was October 1985.

Presented below images show selected from the galleries photos as thumbnails, to get the impression of what each gallery contains, even before opening. However, not for each gallery there were included all of their picture miniatures in such summary, so to make sure you saw all of them, open the gallery of your interest. To open a chosen gallery, you can click either on image or hyperlinks that are assigned to this gallery.

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 Gallery 1:

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Vandenberg's space shuttle hangar

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The Orbiter Maintenance and Checkout Facility was constructed on North Vandenberg to house the space shuttle for postflight deservicing and preflight preparations before moving to the launch pad. The prototype orbiter Enterprise is pictured here in the OMCF during testing of the hangar.

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Credit: William G. Hartenstein photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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 Gallery 2:

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Enterprise travels along Vandenberg roads

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Space shuttle Enterprise rides a special 76-wheel motorized trailer over the hilly landscape of Vandenberg Air Force Base enroute from the Orbiter Maintenance and Checkout Facility toward Space Launch Complex 6.

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Credit: William G. Hartenstein photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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 Gallery 3:

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Enterprise goes to Space Launch Complex 6

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The Enterprise, NASA's prototype space shuttle orbiter, rides a special 76-wheel motorized trailer over the hilly landscape of Vandenberg Air Force Base to reach Space Launch Complex 6 for attachment to the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters in 1985.

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Credit: U.S. Air Force photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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 Gallery 4:

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A space shuttle stands at SLC-6

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The space shuttle Enterprise stands fully assembled with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters atop America's West Coast launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The prototype orbiter was stacked at Space Launch Complex 6 in 1985 to practice procedures and check out the newly constructed pad for the Air Force's planned military space shuttle missions to polar orbit.

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Credit: U.S. Air Force photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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 Gallery 5:

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Nighttime views of Enterprise atop SLC-6

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During Enterprise's time spent checking out Space Launch Complex 6, the space shuttle was captured in this series of nighttime photographs at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

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Credit: U.S. Air Force photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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 Gallery 6:

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Space shuttle launch control room

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Take a look inside the launch control room built for the space shuttle program right at the SLC-6. Reporters and photographers got to tour the room and the pad when space shuttle Enterprise stood there for testing.

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Credit: William G. Hartenstein photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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 Gallery 7:

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Final look at the West Coast space shuttle

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Later photographs from 1985 provide another look at the only time a space shuttle vehicle ever stood at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 6. The program of launching military space shuttle flights into polar orbits from California would be cancelled before any missions ever took off and the SLC-6 pad eventually transferred to the Delta 4 rocket.

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Credit: U.S. Air Force photos​

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SOURCE: SPACEFLIGHT NOW

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JAN. 5, 2011, BY JUSTIN RAY​

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[IronRain]

Thanks, nice photo's!

 

[Izack]

Wow! The images of Enterprise on the highway are especially interesting.

Semi-unrelated: The link to this blog entry from the O-F home page lead to an 'invalid blog specified' redirect for quite some time after this was posted, but it's fixed now.

 

[Carmen A]

Very nice

 

[orb]

Semi-unrelated: The link to this blog entry from the O-F home page lead to an 'invalid blog specified' redirect for quite some time after this was posted, but it's fixed now.

That's because I have edited it after posting to fix some formatting glitches (using only preview function isn't sufficient for all the time), and I set time for publishing it to 2 hours after posting (in any case I'd need a major edit). I forgot to change it back when the blog entry was all fine.

 

[River Crab]

.o. ...Fantastic!

I have a soft spot for Enterprise, partly because I live near her (for now). The pics really do have an air of fantasy to them; a formerly planned orbit-capable vehicle, looking towards a future that didn't happen...

 

[Starshipexplorer]

Thanks orb. I didn't realize this about the Enterprise. Really nice pics I still should have a orginial newspaper story of when the Enterprise was rolled out at commissioning, with some of the TOS Star Trek cast present.