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Instead, the shuttle, atop the jetliner, will leave Ellington at sunrise on Thursday (Sept. In addition to the SCA, Ellington supports NASA's Super Guppy cargo plane, the now retired Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) Gulfstream jets, and NASA's fleet of T-38 two-engine astronaut training jets.īefore the weather delayed its Florida departure, the SCA and Endeavour were to scheduled to stay in Houston for two days. Endeavour was on its way from California to Florida to be readied for its first mission, STS-49, which launched a year later.Įllington Field is the aircraft operations base for Johnson Space Center. On May 9, 1991, Endeavour arrived at the same air field during a refueling stop on its very first ferry flight. EDT, 0200 GMT).Įndeavour's Ellington arrival on this, its final flight, brings this particular shuttle's history full circle. Public viewing of the aircraft and Endeavour will begin a half hour after the vehicles are safely secured and continue until 9 p.m. EDT 1545 GMT), the SCA is expected to land at Ellington Field in Houston and taxi to NASA Hangar 990. The SCA with Endeavour will also navigate a low flyover of NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC).Īt approximately 10:45 a.m. Hobby airports as well as the downtown skyline and the San Jacinto Monument. EDT 1400-1530 GMT) and fly near a variety of landmarks in the greater Houston area, including the George Bush Intercontinental and William P. The ferry flight is expected to enter the Texas Gulf Coast region between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. The two sites tested the shuttle engines and built the external fuel tanks, respectively. The first leg on Endeavour's cross-country trip is taking it Houston, the home of the space shuttle program, Mission Control and NASA's astronaut corps.Īfter leaving Florida, the SCA with Endeavour is expected to follow the I-10 traffic corridor along the Gulf Coast, at times lowering to 1,500 feet (460 meters) to perform low flyovers of the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Before then, it will make flyovers and stopovers at NASA facilities and centers, as well as take scenic tours over many California landmarks. The ferry flight is scheduled to touch down at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday (Sept. In April 2011, NASA awarded Endeavour to the California Science Center (CSC) in Los Angeles for its permanent display.
The SCA with its last shuttle passenger aboard was originally scheduled to takeoff on Monday, but a low pressure front and associated thunderstorms along the planned flight path necessitated NASA postponing the takeoff to Wednesday. It then headed west to cross out of the Sunshine State.Įndeavour's final departure from Florida had been delayed twice by weather. The air- and spacecraft duo flew over Kennedy and its visitor complex, the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base before returning to the landing facility for one last low pass. EDT (1122 GMT) liftoff marked the start of the final ferry flight for the 30-year space shuttle program era.Īfter taking to the air, Endeavour, riding piggyback on the SCA, embarked on a series of flyovers of Florida's Space Coast. The retired orbiter, mated to the space agency's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) took off from the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, which was the same runway where Endeavour made its 25th and final return from space in June 2011. Rather than riding on rockets and heading into orbit however, the space shuttle Endeavour was mounted atop a jumbo jet and is destined for a California museum's display. For the last time in history, a space shuttle soared into the skies over Florida on Wednesday (Sept.