Story highlights
- Endeavour's new mission is "inspiring people of all ages," the science center chief says
- The move to the California Science Center started Friday and will take about two days
- Endeavour became a museum piece after NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program last year
- The science museum says it will begin displaying the shuttle on October 30
Calling Houston. Space shuttle Endeavour is navigating La La Land.
The retired shuttle is being wheeled through Southern California's infamous roads and highways to its final resting place: the California Science Center.
The slow trek, which started early Friday from Los Angeles International Airport, will take about two days.
Officials for months planned the logistics of the urban splashdown: 12 miles of twists and turns through the Los Angeles and Inglewood street network. The removal of utility lines and streetlights and the controversial felling of some trees have made the journey possible.
Authorities hope Endeavour gets to the center, as one police commander said, "in one piece," and they want to make sure there's no damage along the way.
Science Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rudolph told reporters at a news conference that the move is "incredibly complex."
Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The crew carefully guides the space shuttle Endeavour into its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 14. Endeavour completed a 12-mile journey from Los Angeles International Airport to the science center where it will go on permanent public display.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Federico Gonzales is among the many spectators as Endeavour inches down Martin Luther King Boulevard in Los Angeles on Sunday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Doreen Andreotti photographs the space shuttle Sunday as it nears the end of its journey.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The sun rises as the space shuttle Endeavour slowly moves along Martin Luther King Boulevard to the California Science Center on Sunday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The space shuttle Endeavour makes its way down a city street under heavy escort on Saturday, October 13.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A man takes a picture from a rooftop as Endeavour makes its way toward the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People take photos from cherry pickers Saturday as the shuttle moves along Crenshaw Drive in Inglewood, California.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A 4-year-old named Levi watches Endeavour make its way down a city street on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People watch the shuttle creep along the street on Saturday from their apartment balcony and roof.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Inglewood High School cheerleaders perform near the shuttle on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A crowd gathers to take pictures of Endeavour passing through Inglewood on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The space shuttle Endeavour passes a "Shuttle crossing" sign on its way to the California Science Center on Saturday in Inglewood, California.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People watch Endeavour pass residential buildings on Crenshaw Drive. Over two days, the 170,000-pound shuttle will travel at no more than 2 mph along a 12-mile route from Los Angeles International Airport to its final home.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Kevin Alcaraz, 8, waves a flag from the crowd gathered along the shuttle's route.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour creeps down Crenshaw Drive.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour passes a downed road sign.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People watch as the shuttle makes its way up a narrow street.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A boy holds a model of Endeavour as the real thing rolls past.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A worker accompanies the space shuttle Endeavour along Manchester Boulevard.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour is on its last mission: a 12-mile creep through city streets, past an eclectic mix of strip malls, mom-and-pop shops, tidy lawns and faded apartment buildings.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Mikael Ector, 2, tries to get some rest as his dad, Michael Ector, checks out Endeavour as it arrives at the Forum on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Amir Morris, 3, wears an astronaut costume while holding an American flag as the space shuttle crawls past.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour makes a turn at an intersection.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour squeezes through a neighborhood lined with apartment buildings on the narrowest part of its journey on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Workers and officials look on as Endeavour squeezes past a tree.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour passes between traffic lights with just a few inches to spare.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Road blocks preceed Endeavour on its journey to the California Science Center.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A detail of the tiles on the underside of Endeavour as it arrives at the Forum.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A plane flies over the space shuttle Endeavour as it is moved to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Work crews set up a "Shuttle Xing" sign on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People watch as the craft arrives at The Forum on its way to the California Science Center on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Amir Morris, 3, holds an American flag as the shuttle passes by in Inglewood on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The space shuttle Endeavour is transported to The Forum arena for a stopover and celebration on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People watch as the space shuttle slowly moves along Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Crowds look on as Endeavour is transported to The Forum arena before sunrise on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Workers talk as the shuttle moves along Manchester Boulevard on Saturday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour is expected to arrive late Saturday at the California Science Center, where it will be put on permanent display.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The space shuttle Endeavour is transported to the California Science Center in Exposition Park from Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, October 12, in Los Angeles.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour moves down a main road lined with onlookers. Endeavour was flown cross-country atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to LAX on September 21.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Workers escort Endeavour on its journey.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Completed in 1991, Endeavour was built to replace the space shuttle Challenger, which disintegrated 73 seconds after take-off in 1986. This fifth and final space shuttle orbiter circled the Earth 4,671 times and traveled nearly 123 million miles during its 25 missions from 1992 to 2011.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour passes businesses and crowds on its way to permanent display at the California Science Center.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Endeavour makes its way past restaurants and shopping centers in Los Angeles.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Spectators come to watch the space shuttle Endeavour as it rests at Westchester Square during its final ground journey in Los Angeles on Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – A dog joins the crowd turned out to see Endeavour on Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – The space shuttle Endeavour is parked in a mall parking lot on its way to the California Science Center.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Spectators take pictures of Endeavour during its journey through Los Angeles.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People pose with a street sign that was removed to make way for the space shuttle Endeavour during its transport from LAX to the California Science Center.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Workers check the space shuttle Endeavour as it rests at Westchester Square on Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – People get a close view of the space shuttle Endeavour in a misty rain during a break in its journey on Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Tree trimmers cut large branches of a tree that was protruding toward the street in a last-minute effort to clear hurdles along the space shuttle Endeavour's route on Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Spectators crowd for a view of Endeavour as it passes through Los Angeles on Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – CNN iReporter Wes Smith and other space enthusiasts got a close-up view of the space shuttle Endeavour early Friday as it makes its final journey from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center. Smith says he saw the shuttle about 5 a.m. after waiting in a Los Angeles parking lot across from Endeavour's overnight holding area.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Computer-controlled transporters help move Endeavour across Los Angeles International Airport early Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Spectators take pictures of the shuttle Friday at the Los Angeles airport. Once it reaches the science museum, the shuttle will be on display for posterity. It had its first launch in 1992.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Bystanders watch as Endeavour moves out of the Los Angeles airport and onto a public street.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Members of the crowd reach over a fence for a glimpse of the shuttle. Endeavour, along with Discovery, Enterprise and Atlantis, became a museum piece after NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program last year. All four shuttles have been permanently retired from service.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Firefighters and other spectators document the move early Friday.
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Photos: Photos: Space shuttle Endeavour's last trip
Endeavour's last trip – Fan Vivian Robinson rides her bicycle covered in shuttle memorabilia, American flags and an alien doll outside the Los Angeles airport as she waits to see Endeavour.
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Shuttle Endeavour on parade 02:04
"We're off to a great start," he said. "Everything is going to plan."
The craft is making stops along the route, and officials encourage citizens to come out to take a look. But a top concern is civilian safety, and officials hope people trying to sneak a peek of the shuttle respect others' private property.
Once at the science museum, the shuttle, which had its first launch in 1992, will be on display forever.
"Endeavour's new mission is to inspire people of all ages," Rudolph said, "to inspire the next generation of scientists, explorers and engineers."
Endeavour, along with Discovery, Enterprise and Atlantis, became a museum piece after NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program in July 2011. All four shuttles have been permanently retired from service.
Named for the first ship commanded by British explorer James Cook, Endeavour rolled out of an assembly plant in Palmdale, California, in 1991 at a cost of $1.7 billion. It was the baby of the shuttle fleet, built as a replacement for Challenger, which had exploded shortly after its 10th launch.
Over the next 20 years, Endeavour flew some of the highest-profile shuttle missions, covering nearly 123 million miles in 25 flights. It flew a Spacelab mission and numerous International Space Station assembly missions and rendezvoused with Russia's Mir Space Station.
The science museum is already trumpeting the arrival of the shuttle, saying on its website that it is building a new addition to its facility and plans to begin displaying Endeavour on October 30.
