Space shuttle Enterprise time-lapse shows painstaking process

Last month, the space shuttle Enterprise arrived at New York City's JFK International Airport on the back of a 747 jumbo jet. Its ultimate destination: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan.

[Photos: Last journey continues for Enterprise]

NASA recently posted a time-lapse video of the shuttle being removed from the back of the jet. As you might expect, it's a rather painstaking process involving a lot of workers and some impressive machinery. It begins at dusk, lasts all through the night, and finally ends as the sun begins to rise the next morning.

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Now that the shuttle is no longer tied to the 747, it will be (gently) placed on a barge and then pulled via tugboat up the Hudson River to the museum. Visitors will be able to check it out starting this summer.