Community Corner

Space Shuttle Endeavour to Fly Over L.A. Landmarks

Space Shuttle Endeavour fly over locations include Los Angeles City Hall, Long Beach and the Hollywood Hills.

Angelinos will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness Space Shuttle Endeavour in its final moments of flight Friday morning as the shuttle, attached to a modified Boeing 747, will fly over multiple Los Angeles landmarks before touching down at LAX.

According to NASA, Endeavour will dip to 1,500 feet to give the public a better view of the shuttle as it passes over famous landmarks in the Southland including the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles City Hall, the Getty Center, Long Beach and the Griffith Observatory.

Escorted by F-16 aircraft, the shuttle is then expected to land between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on one of Los Angeles International Airport's south runways, airport officials told Patch on Tuesday. 

Find out what's happening in Encino-Tarzanawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For those who wish to see Endeavour land at LAX, the El Segundo Police Department said it will designate the 300 to 600 blocks of East Imperial Avenue in El Segundo as public viewing space.

Police also said the public can view the shuttle landing from the 700 block of West Imperial Avenue and the "greenbelt," located at the intersection of Imperial Avenue and California Street in El Segundo. 

Find out what's happening in Encino-Tarzanawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Where do you plan to watch Space Shuttle Endeavour fly over Los Angeles? Tell us in the comments!

The Los Angeles Police Department said it is urging motorists to remain focused while driving Friday morning as the shuttle flies around Los Angeles.

"This is an impressive sight that has the potential for distracting drivers and pedestrians," LAPD said in a release. "Law enforcement and transportation officials want to remind motorists and visitors not to stop on the roads or highways in order to view or take photographs of the shuttle fly over."

After completing 25 missions and traveling 122,883,151 miles in space, Friday's historic flight will mark the last time Endeavour, or any of NASA's shuttles, will ever fly through the air.

Once it lands, Endeavour will have just 12 more miles to travel as it is slowly driven through city streets to the California Science Center starting on October 12. At that time, the public will have its second chance at witnessing history.

"This will mark the first, last and only time a space shuttle will travel through 12 miles of urban, public streets," said California  Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph last month. "It’s not only one of the biggest objects ever transported down city streets; it’s an irreplaceable national treasure."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Encino-Tarzana