

Rendering! (Original photo via christinyca)

As the Space Shuttle Discovery flew over Washington D.C. earlier this morning, we are reminded that the Space Shuttle Enterprise (our space shuttle) will be coming home to New York City on April 23rd. NASA announced that the shuttle will fly into the city on top of a 747 next Monday, and they're bringing the ol' gal in at low altitudes, creating an amazing photo op.

The Federal Aviation Administration will coordinate the flight (NASA calls it "the World's Greatest Piggyback Ride"), which is scheduled to occur between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Before landing at JFK, the shuttle will fly over the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, where it will eventually be housed. To reach that destination, it will be placed on a barge and brought up the Hudson River.

The shuttle will placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid (expect to see it starting this summer), while a permanent facility gets built. Until next week's flight, check out how they strap a shuttle to a 747 in this video.