Endeavour Arrives At California Science Center

The final mission of the Endeavour has been completed. The shuttle has arrived at its final home, the California Science Center. From the article: "After a dramatic three-day parade through city streets, Endeavour arrived at its new home at the California Science Center shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday amid cheers from thousands gathered to witness a piece of history. 'Mission 26 — Mission Accomplished,' Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a news conference at Exposition Park, the shuttle rising behind him as a backdrop. The mayor was referencing the shuttle’s 25 space missions and its journey across the city. The 85-ton orbiter pulled up next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and ground to a halt so that the mayor and others could officially mark its arrival at the park near the USC campus. 'Today everyone in the city of Los Angeles is an astronaut,' said L.A. Fire Department Chief Brian Cummings at the news conference."

Comments

Arrived at it is final home?

[Stormwatch]

Yuo feil inglesh forevar!

LA Astronauts?

[toygeek]

'Today everyone in the city of Los Angeles is an astronaut,' said L.A. Fire Department Chief Brian Cumming

I hope for the sake of the astronauts that the reverse isn't true.

Yes lets all celebrate!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes lets all celebrate our national decline as represented here by our voluntary loss of manned space flight capability! Your parents saw us put men on the moon... not just once but repeatedly. Now we can't even get our ass off the planet without help from the Russians. Damn that calls for a parade!

Re:Yes lets all celebrate!

[cfryback]

My thoughts exactly. I get that the shuttles were aging technology. But NASA did describe them as "pickup trucks", well I've seen some beat up pickup trucks on farms that still keep going.

I saw the Challenger disaster live, but without risk there is no gain. Several lessons were learned from that.

It is a sad end to an era, and people seem to be cheering it on.

Now it is the Russians and for-profit industry that will make those science/adventure movies reality.

My visit

[Tablizer]

I visited the Shuttle just after midnight just before it entered Martin Luther King Blvd. I hoped that by being there late at night I could avoid the crowds and poor parking. (Unfortunately, it also avoided restrooms.) They had engine problems twice that delayed it for at least 3 more hours.

They used a zig-zag pattern to avoid trees and poles. They pre-removed or trimmed trees and poles in kind of an alternating pattern from the left and right side. They probably made a choice over whether the left or right side of a given section of road would be easier to clear, and veered away from the non-cleared side. In some places there were inches to spare.

One street-light that was unbolted and laid down was curiously still on. Somebody bumped a safety cone up against the light, and I moved it away to avoid burning it.

It was odd seeing a multi-billion-dollar space-ship rolling through lower-middle-class neighborhoods. It gave one a true sense of democracy. And being Los Angeles, there were ethnic groups from all over the globe there to watch the spaceship go by.