Sandy Causes Space Shuttle Pavilion To Deflate

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Superstorm Sandy has caused the pavilion that houses the Space Shuttle Enterprise to deflate at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum to deflate.

Record levels of water rushing up from the Hudson River flooded both the main power source and backup generators at the museum Monday, according to a statement from museum president Susan Marenoff-Zausner.

She said the resulting power problem caused the pavilion, which is similar to a giant bubble of material that houses the shuttle Enterprise, to deflate.

The shuttle Enterprise itself was draped in protective cloth.

Marenoff-Zausner says rebuilding will begin when is safe enough to work, but that the museum is closed.

A statement on the museum Web site said it would be closed at least through Wednesday. The statement advised visitors to keep checking the Web site for further details.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise made its public debut at the museum just last July. It opened to the public 43 years to the day after Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

The infamous shuttle was never actually sent to space, but instead was used as a test spacecraft.

In April, it was flown to New York from Virginia on the back of a 747 and was welcomed to the Big Apple with cheers and fanfare.

The museum charges an extra $6 on top of its regular admission price to view the shuttle.

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