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By Jay Lloyd

NEW YORK, N.Y. (CBS) — The dramatic New York City display of the space shuttle Enterprise opens today.

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Here on the World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid, now a museum ship, the space shuttle looms large on the flight deck.  It towers over planes and helicopters that served more than 70 years on the front lines.

(A torpedo bomber, its wings folded, sits on the hangar deck of the USS Intrepid. Credit: Jay Lloyd)

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Even the visitors to this impressive exhibit span the generations.  Dan Zajackowski, for example, came to see the Intrepid and relive the World War II experience of his 93-year-old grandfather, who served as a carrier sailor.

“Aside from fighting a war, just living on a ship like this is pretty incredible,” notes Zajackowski.

On the hangar deck, replica space capsules and a 1940s-era torpedo bomber are side by side.

(Visitors are invited to experience the cramped quarters inside a replica Gemini space capsule. Credit: Jay Lloyd)

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What impresses Zajackowski (at left in capsule) the most?

“Just imagining these planes taking off and landing in such a short space.”

It is truly a getaway for the imagination. It’s the Sea, Air, and Space Museum aboard the USS Intrepid, on the Hudson River at 46th Street.

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