19771776 Club
Enterprise cut loose over the Mojave and flew free for the first time
Explosive bolts sever the shuttle from its 747 carrier, and Fred Haise and Gordon Fullerton glide it down alone.
For months, the prototype shuttle Enterprise had only ever flown bolted to the back of a modified 747. On August 12, 1977, over Edwards Air Force Base, that changed. Commander Fred Haise and pilot Gordon Fullerton rode Enterprise as the carrier aircraft nosed into a shallow dive, then explosive bolts severed the connection and the shuttle dropped free, flying a tailcone-equipped glide down to a landing under its own control. It was the first of five free flights in NASA's Approach and Landing Tests…
