Space Shuttle Endeavour Makes Final Flight Departing to New Home in California

Space Shuttle Endeavour Makes Final Flight Departing to New Home in California

Space shuttle Endeavour is lowered onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/ Kim Shiflett

Final preparations are well underway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as Space shuttle Endeavour awaits its final flight from NASA’s KSC. Instead of blasting off on a launch into space, however, this final flight for Endeavour is atop the back of the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).

In this photo, Space shuttle Endeavour is lowered onto the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility where the pair is scheduled to depart. Instead of landing on the Runway at KSC, Endeavour will take off on the back of the SCA at about 7:15AM eastern time on Monday the 17th of September. Tickets to watch Endeavour’s departure up close are still available via the Kennedy Space Center web site.

Endeavour will set out on a multi-day flight to its new home in the California Science Center. Scheduled arrival of Endeavour at the Los Angeles International Airport is on Thursday, Sept. 20 with the final move to the science center in October. NASA’s hope is to use the retired shuttle fleet, being spread around the country, on a new mission inspiring future explorers.

Watch live streaming video of Shuttle Endeavor’s Departure Flight from KSC on NASA TV online here


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Shuttle Atlantis, the final space shuttle to fly, returning to Earth from mission STS-135 on July 21, 2011, will remain at the Kennedy Space Center, taking its place alongside a number its rocket forerunners in the KSC Visitor Complex. Atlantis will be on display for visitors to the space center taking the place of a space shuttle mock-up which has now been moved to the Johnson space center in Houston, Texas.

Over their decades of service, beginning with Columbia on April 12, 1981, the Space Shuttle fleet, which also included Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, spent over 30 years serving mankind. Their missions included taking people into orbit, launching and recovering and repairing satellites, conducting cutting-edge research and the construction of the largest structure in space, the International Space Station.

About D Robert Curry

D Robert Curry - with over 2 decades of experience in the IT sector and an avid aviator, Mr. Curry covers all Science & Technology and Aviation realted news stories. drcurry@newstaar.com