Space Shuttle Endeavour Lands in Los Angeles

Space shuttle Endeavour landed at the Los Angeles International Airport Friday after an aerial tour over California landmarks.

Attached to a 747 jumbo jet, the shuttle landed at about 1 p.m. after a nearly five-hour flyover of the state. An American flag was stuck out of the hatch of the jet by a crew member.

The tour took the shuttle Endeavour over the state Capitol, Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood Sign, Disneyland and other landmarks on its way to the Los Angeles International Airport. It is there that the shuttle will be prepped for its journey over city streets in mid-October before it reaches its final home at the California Science Center. 

Since Endeavour flew over iconic areas, law enforcement cautioned motorists not to "gawk and drive."

"We want people to take in this majestic show," Los Angeles police Cmdr. Scott Kroeber said earlier this week. "But if you're driving, please drive and don't try to take in the show simultaneously."

Extra officers were placed along  the freeways near the airport in an effort to ensure that traffic flowed smoothly during the shuttle's aerial tour.

During its 25 missions, the Endeavour spent 299 days in space and orbited Earth almost 4,700 times, and logged 123 million miles.

The shuttle will remain at an airport hangar for the next several weeks in preparation for its ground tour of Los Angeles.

Part of the preparation for this tour includes 400 trees being cleared along the 12-mile route to make room for the shuttle. Due to the negative reaction to this move, museum officials have pledged to replant double the number of chopped trees.

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

Below are images of the shuttle tweeted by spectators as they watched the shuttle fly over California: