Restored 'Star Trek' Starship Enterprise Model Arrives at Its New Home

— -- The studio model of the famous "Star Trek" Starship Enterprise went back on display Tuesday with a fresh coat of paint and new lights in the recently renovated Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

It was taken off of display in 2014 so a team of special effects professionals and advisers could begin the two-year task of restoring the ship. Using primary sources, they painstakingly worked through the model inside and out. The National Zoo supplied X-ray technicians to capture the interior of the ship. UV analysis of the paint was conducted and the conservators were even able to find photographs of the ship with the public's help to guarantee that the correct coloring was used throughout the exteriors.

The 11-foot long ship is the original studio model used in every episode of the 1960s original series. During the series' run, the ship took on a few different looks and received its final retouching in August of 1967 near the time of the airing of the episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” This is the look that the conservators hoped to replicate.