Enterprise was the name of the first Space Shuttle, rolled out during the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial era.
NASA held the rollout ceremony for the prototype shuttle on September 17, 1976. The vehicle was originally intended to be named Constitution, but a large campaign by Star Trek fans encouraged NASA to choose Enterprise instead. The name honored the fictional starship from the television series.
Enterprise was designated OV-101 and was built for atmospheric approach and landing tests rather than orbital missions. It was carried aloft by a modified Boeing 747 and released for unpowered glide tests, helping engineers study how the shuttle would fly and land.
Enterprise never went into space, unlike Columbia, the first operational shuttle to reach orbit. The shuttle’s rollout formed part of a broader period in which NASA connected major public programs with the Bicentennial, including exhibits and patriotic displays at Kennedy Space Center.