Helicoptering it to its destination was not feasible. Dismantling the shuttle would have ruined the delicate heat tiles. The route was selected after ruling out other options. With Endeavour's wings expected to intrude into driveways, residents have been told to stay indoors until the shuttle passes. One of the trickiest parts involves trundling through a narrow residential street with apartment buildings on both sides. To make room for the five-storey-tall shuttle and its 24-metre wingspan, some 400 trees were chopped down, cable and telephone lines were raised, and steel plates were laid down to protect the streets and underground utilities.Įndeavour will travel mostly on wide boulevards with some boasting as many lanes as a freeway. Several spotters along the wings are on the lookout for hazards.

An operator walks alongside, controlling the movements via joystick. The wheels can spin in any direction, allowing the shuttle to zigzag past obstacles.

Moving the 77,000-kilogram Endeavour requires a specialized 160-wheel carrier typically used to haul oil rigs, bridges and heavy equipment. While viewing will be severely curtailed due to sidewalk shutdowns, crowds are still expected. The last leg of Endeavour's retirement journey skips the tourist attractions and instead, winds through blue-collar communities in southern Los Angeles County. Last month, it wowed throngs with a dizzying aerial loop, soaring over the state Capitol, Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood Sign and other California landmarks while strapped to the back of a modified 747 before finally landing at LAX. It thundered off the launch pad 25 times, orbited Earth nearly 4,700 times and racked up 198 million kilometres.

The baby of the shuttle fleet, Endeavour replaced Challenger, which exploded during liftoff in 1986, killing seven astronauts. That's when you pull out a book to read,' he said. But with Endeavour expected to shuffle through, Fugate braced for a ho-hum day in sales. Saturday is typically the busiest day for James Fugate, who co-owns Eso Won Books in South Los Angeles. 'I'm still excited, but I'm disappointed that people aren't going to be able to stand in the streets and shout 'Yay,'' he said. But the store, which serves up sweets 24-7, will be closed Friday night. In the days leading up to Endeavour's move, the owners of Randy's Donuts sold shuttle-shaped pastries emblazoned with the NASA logo and even hung a shuttle replica inside the giant doughnut hole sign visible from the busy Interstate 405.Ĭo-owner Larry Weintraub planned to watch the shuttle creep by the roadside sign, which has been featured in several movies. The behemoth transport has caused headaches for shopkeepers along the route who counted on cheering crowds jamming the curbs to boost business. Guarded by a security detail reminiscent of a presidential visit, police enforced rolling street and sidewalk closures on Thursday night in some locations and discouraged spectators from swarming side streets. Ushering a shuttle through an urban core is a logistical challenge that took almost a year to plan. While the shuttle will have the streets and sidewalks to itself as it inches past strip malls, storefronts, apartment buildings and front lawns, it will be a stop-and-go commute as crews temporarily remove traffic lights and re-route power lines to provide clearance. The first leg was delayed about two hours by a minor problem with the shuttle's carrier. It also made several stops so crews could prune trees in the path of its 75-foot wingspan. The shuttle is crawling at three km/h on a two-day journey to the California Science Center, where it will go on display.Įndeavour went about five kilometres before stopping early Friday for a nine-hour layover as crews deal with power lines farther ahead on the route. Its final, 14-km trek will begin in the afternoon. The 170,000-pound spacecraft was cheered by hundreds of viewers Friday morning as it made its predawn journey from a Los Angeles International Airport hangar through the Westchester neighbourhood. In a massive feat of parallel parking, the space shuttle Endeavour has backed into a Los Angeles parking lot for a pause on its final journey to a museum.

Space shuttle endeavour lands at lax