Space Shuttle Endeavour To Make Historic Final Ferry Flight

Aug. 7, 2012

Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

Michael Curie
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
michael.curie@nasa.gov




MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-173

SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR TO MAKE HISTORIC FINAL FERRY FLIGHT

WASHINGTON -- Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop NASA's modified
747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), will make the final ferry flight
of the Space Shuttle Program era when it departs Monday, Sept. 17,
from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida headed to Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX).

On Oct. 11, 2011, NASA transferred title and ownership of Endeavour to
the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Under the terms of a
Space Act Agreement with the science center, NASA will safely
transport Endeavour to LAX for a planned arrival on Thursday, Sept.
20.

In cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, the SCA is
scheduled to conduct low-level flyovers at about 1,500 feet above
locations along the planned flight path. The exact timing and path of
the ferry flight will depend on weather conditions and operational
constraints. Some planned flyovers or stopovers could be delayed or
cancelled. If the ferry flight must be postponed for any reason, an
additional advisory will be issued.

At sunrise on Sept. 17, the SCA and Endeavour will depart Kennedy's
Shuttle Landing Facility and perform a flyover of various areas of
the Space Coast, including Kennedy, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor
Complex, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base.


The aircraft will fly west and conduct low flyovers of NASA's Stennis
Space Center in Mississippi and the agency's Michoud Assembly
Facility in New Orleans. As it arrives over the Texas Gulf Coast
area, the SCA will perform low flyovers above various areas of
Houston, Clear Lake and Galveston before landing at Ellington Field
near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Weather permitting, the SCA and
Endeavour will stay at Ellington the remainder of Sept. 17 and all
day Sept. 18.

At sunrise on Wednesday, Sept. 19, the aircraft will depart Houston,
make a refueling stop at Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas, and
conduct low-level flyovers of White Sands Test Facility near Las
Cruces, N.M., and NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air
Force Base in California, before landing around mid-day at Dryden.

On the morning of Sept. 20, the SCA and Endeavour will take off from
Dryden and perform a low-level flyover of northern California,
passing near NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif.,
and various landmarks in multiple cities, including San Francisco and
Sacramento. The aircraft also will conduct a flyover of many Los
Angeles sites before landing about 11 a.m. PDT at LAX.

Media representatives interested in obtaining credentials for
Endeavour's arrival at LAX Sept. 20, visit:

http://www.eventcredentials.com/Endeavour/

Social media users are encouraged to share their Endeavour sightings
using the hashtags #spottheshuttle and #OV105, Endeavour's orbiter
vehicle designation.

After arrival at LAX, Endeavour will be removed from the SCA and spend
a few weeks at a United Airlines hangar undergoing preparations for
transport and display. Endeavour then will travel through Inglewood
and Los Angeles city streets on a 12-mile journey from the airport to
the science center, arriving in the evening on Oct. 13.

Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the science
center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion,
embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in
space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.

Endeavour completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited
Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles.

For information about NASA's transfer of space shuttles to museums,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/transition

For more about NASA missions and programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


-end-



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