Space Shuttle Enterprise Damaged by Superstorm Sandy [PICS]

Superstorm Sandy, the storm that continues to wreck havoc across the American northeast on Tuesday, caused intense flooding and wind damage across the tri-state area, leaving several people dead. Among its apparent victims: The Space Shuttle Enterprise.

The Enterprise has been housed under a protective structure at New York's Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum since July. That structure appears to have gone completely missing in the storm's aftermath, leaving the Enterprise exposed to the elements.

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Image Credit: John de Guzman

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Image Credit: Denise Chow

Oddly, the Intrepid Museum's own "live webcam" shows the structure still intact. Most likely, the camera stopped updating as the storm was rolling in.

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Despite the loss of the protective structure, the Enterprise looks to be mostly fine, save some possible damage to the vertical stabilizer. Mashable has several messages out to the museum about the status of the Enterprise, and we'll update this post with any response.

For reference, here's what the Enterprise looked like under the protective shell:

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