![]() Challenger exploded shortly after launch in 1986, and Columbia broke apart upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere in 2003. Two other shuttles – Challenger and Columbia – were destroyed in accidents that killed all aboard. His wife had watched the launch of his mission but missed the landing, so it was great for her to see the shuttle in the air, he added. “It is the most amazing spacecraft ever built, by far.” “The space shuttle is really a testament to American engineering and ingenuity,” he told CNN affiliate KOLD. On Thursday, it flew low over Tuscon, Arizona, where Mark Kelly, who was the commander on the last Endeavour mission, watched with his wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords. NASA said the shuttle will be moved over roads on October 12-13 to its final spot at the science museum. All four shuttles have been permanently retired from service. Its final destination is the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it will go on display for posterity.Įndeavour, along with Discovery, Enterprise and Atlantis, became a museum piece after NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program in July 2011. Photos: Space Shuttle Enterprise in the Big AppleĮndeavour will need to be removed from its perch atop the Boeing 747 that carried it cross-country from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The space agency encouraged onlookers to share their sightings of the airborne spectacle on social media via the hashtags #spottheshuttle and #OV105, the later being Endeavour’s “vehicle designation.” ![]() It was the final leg of a three-day, three-stage cross-country trip that NASA designed to show off Endeavour in the sky to the American public. NASA had delayed Friday’s takeoff by an hour hoping to reach San Francisco under clearer skies, according to the space agency’s website. ![]() PT on Friday, leaving Edwards Air Force Base, California,for a farewell tour through the Golden State’s skies over Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This is like the end of an era of man traveling in space, especially with Neil Armstrong just dying.”Įndeavour, ferried by jet, lifted off for the last time at 8:17 a.m. On Friday, Endeavour, atop a modified jumbo jet, will do several flyovers in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles – weather permitting.Ī crowd 5,000-strong, according to the Los Angeles County office of emergency management, gathered on a bluff overlooking the airport to watch Endeavour’s low-altitude flyover and final touchdown.ĭaniela Derderian brought her son Michael, 7, and her daughter, Angela, 5, to the landing. ![]()
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