Metro

Intrepid shuttle coming in for a landing

It’s the final frontier for the space shuttle Enterprise.

The NASA orbiter was finally placed on the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum (above) after a multi-day tour of the city, traveling by barge from a New Jersey marina and past the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center.

“I’m thrilled to see the Enterprise up close. It’s an iconic moment,” said Lee Umphrey, 53, of Hell’s Kitchen, one of hundreds who lined the Hudson River waterfront to glimpse the majestic spacecraft.

Doug Herner, 37, a rigger from Manhattan, especially enjoyed watching a 190-foot-high floating crane harness and hoist the 150,000-pound shuttle off the barge.

It was then lifted 70 feet onto the Intrepid’s flight deck at Pier 86 at 48th Street.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. It’s the end of the space program, and it’s a lucky thing for New York that we get it,” Herner said.

A climate-controlled nylon bubble, similar to ones used over indoor tennis courts, will cover the Enterprise’s 78-foot wingspan and 137-foot-long frame. The $3 million exhibit opens on July 19.

“It’s a special day. We’ve been champing at the bit to show her off to New York and the world,” said Intrepid Museum spokesman Luke Sacks.

Space buff Patrick Gillease, 46, of Peekskill, played hooky from work just to see the shuttle propelled onto the flight deck.

“It’s a shame they can’t put a glass house around where millions of people can see it,” Gillease said.

The Enterprise was never launched into space, nor was it designed to do so. Instead, it was used in NASA tests. It was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington in 1985.

Three space shuttles that rocketed into orbit have also been donated to museums.

In April, the Enterprise was flown from Washington to Kennedy Airport on the back of a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

“You’re looking at a national treasure here,” boasted Eric Boehm, a museum curator of aviation and aircraft restoration.