TBA
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105)'s arrival in Los Angeles! Aboard a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) and escorted by a pair of NASA F/A-18's, Endeavour had a cross-country journey from Florida, flying over several significant areas to the Space Shuttle over the years. Landing/refueling stops in Houston, El Paso, and Edwards Air Force Base (California) before a a final flight up to the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento before overflying Los Angeles and a final landing at LAX.
Final home for Endeavour is Los Angeles' California Science Center.
Overflights of Getty Center, JPL, the Hollywood sign, downtown LA, Disneyland, Huntington Beach, Malibu, Space X, and other areas of Los Angeles marked the last minutes of Endeavour's final flight. Scott, Frances, and I gathered at LAX off Imperial Ave, a few blocks east of the official media viewing area (which was jam packed) for our photos and were treated by not one, not two, but three flyovers of Endeavour over LAX, the second and third of which were incredibly low over the runways.
So awesome.
Final approach was a few minutes after the third flyover. Spectators at higher points in the area along Imperial Ave (especially friends in taller buildings occupied by Boeing, Raytheon, and others!) probably got better photos of the last few minutes of Endeavour in the air, but we weren't disappointed by what we saw, which was full of awe, excitement, and maybe a little disbelief that this was the final flight of Endeavour and Endeavour's arrival in Los Angeles.
Welcome home, Endeavour!