The cross-town transport was estimated at $10million, to be paid for by the science center and private donations. Some businesses lost customers because of street and sidewalk closures. Several hundred Inglewood residents suffered hours-long outages when power lines were temporarily snipped. So was driving on freeways since it was too massive to fit through underpasses. It could not be taken apart without damaging the delicate tiles.Īirlifting it was out of the question. Shuffling Endeavour through city streets was a laborious undertaking - nearly a year in the making.

Spectators watch as the Space Shuttle Endeavour is moved by four computer-controlled transporters across LAX in Los Angeles, California, as it begins it's final journey, in the early morning hours It's no longer shiny and sleek, like when it first rolled off the assembly line in the Mojave Desert in 1991 to replace the lost Challenger.Īs it cruised block-by-block, it's hard to miss what 123 million miles in space and two dozen re-entries can do to the exterior.Īt its prime,Endeavour hit speeds of up 18,00 mph or Mach 25 on re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere. The shuttle made a late-morning pit stop Saturday at the Forum - former home of the Los Angeles Lakers - where it was greeted in the arena's parking lot by a throng of cheering spectators.Įndeavour waits in the strip mall parking lot as a Hawaiian Airlines jet approaches a runway at Los Angeles International Airport early Friday morning When it reached a freeway overpass that night, it was towed by a truck. 'I remember when Columbia blew up when I was a child in school and I was fortunate last summer to go to the last shuttle launch in Florida, so it's really exciting for me to be here and watch it go through the streets.'Įndeavour hit the pavement before dawn Friday, trundling out of the Los Angeles International Airport on a remote-controlled 160-wheel carrier past diamond-shaped 'Shuttle Xing' signs. 'I grew up with the space program,' another said. It's like a once-in-a-lifetime chance,' one man told KABC-TV. Hundreds of people waiting in the predawn darkness snapped photos and gaped as the shuttle inched by with its tail towering over streetlights and its wings spanning the roadway. Road hog! An aerial view shows a sight for sore eyes - the Space Shuttle Endeavour quietly passing along a suburban street in California, as it moves from Los Angeles Airport to its new home at the California Science Center The two have been part of the fabric of America (in varying degrees) for decades Setting off last night the immense black-and-white spacecraft, its sides weathered by millions of miles in space and two dozen re-entries, crawled slowly through the streets of the Westchester neighborhood on a 160-wheeled carrier.Īmerican icons: The Endeavour makes a scheduled stop outside Randy's Donuts in Inglewood. It makes us proud,' said Dean Martinez, a project director for a nonprofit who began waiting before dawn to get a glimpse of Endeavour. Some rooted for Endeavour when it appeared it might clip a light post.'This is great for the city as a whole.

Journey home: During the two-day journey, the 170,000-pound spacecraft will travel at no more than 2 mph along a 12-mile route from LAX to its final home at the California Science CenterĪnd despite the late problems the mood for most of the day was festive.Īt every turn of Endeavour's stop-and-go commute through urban streets, a constellation of spectators trailed along as the space shuttle plodded past stores, schools, churches and front yards as it inched through working-class streets of southern Los Angeles.Īlong the 12-mile course, thousands marveled at the engineering.

Space shuttle endeavor photos