Space shuttle to take two days to cover 12 mile journey inside Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Oct 13: NASA space shuttle Endeavour which normally has a speed of more than 18,000 miles per hour or Mach 25, on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, will take two full days to cover a 12 mile distance through the streets of Los Angeles to finally rest at its place in the museum. Setting off from Los Angeles International Aiport to California Science Center on Friday night, Endeavour will spend two days traveling the 12 mile distance at a top speed of 2 mph. The huge black-and-white spacecraft, its sides weathered by millions of miles in space and two dozen re-entries, crawled slowly through the streets of the Westchester neighbourhood on a 160-wheeled carrier. The space craft was escorted by a security entourage as it moved across the tarmac but was briefly delayed after a minor problem developed with its trailer. The problem was quickly repaired and it reached the street shortly after 2 a.m. PDT Friday. Hundreds of people in the predawn darkness snapped photos and gaped as the spacecraft inched by with its tail towering over streetlights and its wings spanning the roadway. 'I'm speechless. It's like a once-in-a-lifetime chance,' one man told KABC-TV. 'I grew up with the space program,' another said. 'I remember when Columbia blew up when I was a child in school and I was fortunate last summer to go to the last shuttle launch in Florida, so it's really exciting for me to be here and watch it go through the streets.' The shuttle made stop-and-go progress, with some halts to check its balance on its 160-wheeled carrier and to prune trees in its path as it rolled past strip malls, storefronts, apartment buildings and front lawns. 'It's still a work in progress,' Scheier said. The shuttle was to travel three miles and then stop in a private lot for a nine-hour layover as crews deal with power lines father ahead on the route. Ushering a shuttle through an urban core is a logistical challenge that took almost a year to plan.Guarded by a security detail reminiscent of a presidential visit, police enforced rolling street and sidewalk closures as early as Thursday night in some locations and discouraged spectators from swarming side streets. The behemoth transport has caused headaches for shopkeepers along the route who counted on cheering crowds jamming the curbs to boost business. 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. Co-owner Larry Weintraub planned to watch the shuttle creep by the roadside sign, which has been featured in several movies. But the store, which serves up sweets 24-7, will be closed Friday night. '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.Saturday is typically the busiest day for James Fugate, who co-owns Eso Won Books in South Los Angeles. But with Endeavour expected to shuffle through, Fugate braced for a ho-hum day in sales. 'We don't close because we're slow. That's when you pull out a book to read,' he said. The baby of the shuttle fleet, Endeavour replaced Challenger, which exploded during liftoff in 1986, killing seven astronauts. It thundered off the launch pad 25 times, orbited Earth nearly 4,700 times and racked up 123 million miles.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. The last leg of Endeavour's retirement journey skips the tourist attractions and instead, winds through blue-collar communities in southern Los Angeles County. Moving the 170,000-pound Endeavour requires a specialized 160-wheel carrier typically used to haul oil rigs, bridges and heavy equipment. The wheels can spin in any direction, allowing the shuttle to zigzag past obstacles. An operator walks alongside, controlling the movements via joystick. Several spotters along the wings are on the lookout for hazards. To make room for the five-story-tall shuttle and its 78-foot 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. Endeavour will mostly travel on wide boulevards with some boasting as many lanes as a freeway. While there have been advance preparations, there is remaining work to be done during the move, including de-energizing power lines. Southern California Edison warned of outages in the suburb of Inglewood.One of the trickiest parts involves trundling through a narrow residential street with apartment buildings on both sides. With Endeavour's wings expected to intrude into driveways, residents have been told to stay indoors until the shuttle passes. The route was selected after ruling out other options. Dismantling the shuttle would have ruined the delicate heat tiles. Helicoptering it to its destination was not feasible. Endeavour is the second of three remaining shuttles to head to its retirement home. In April, Discovery arrived at the Smithsonian Institution's hangar in Virginia.