Endeavour Inches Closer to USC
Slowly but surely, the Endeavour is inching towards USC, the last leg of its 12-mile journey.
The Endeavour began its crawl to the California Science Center on Saturday from Inglewood at The Forum. The shuttle was expected to arrive late Saturday night, but trouble with trees and a broken transporter delayed the shuttle's arrival to Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
The move is expected to cost around $10 million and fundraising has begun to provide a permanent hangar for the Endeavour. The exhibit to see the Endeavour will be open on Oct. 30th.
On Sunday morning, crowds lined the streets of Martin Luther King Blvd. leading to the Science Center gates. Men, women and children were all excitedly waiting for the Endeavour to loom above them.
"It's history, it feels like the end of the world with seeing so many people on the streets, the lights and seeing all of this crowd," said Ilse, a local resident.
But not everyone thinks the Endeavour's arrival is worth all the fuss.
"I don't really approve of all of the trees being cut down, the trees have been there for years. They should've taken it down Figueroa and had everyone over there," said William Harris, a local resident.
The Los Angeles Police Department released some fun facts to highlight the Endeavour's journey through the streets.
Fun Facts About The Endeavour's Move:
- The Endeavour has traveled 122 million miles over 25 missions;
- It is 122 feet long, 78 feet wide, and stands 5 stories tall at the tail;
- Its combined weight with the transporter is 170,000 lbs (80 tons);
- 2,180 steel composite plates were laid down to distribute its weight and protect L.A.'s infrastructure;
- 67 traffic signals and 48 mast arms had to be removed;
- The Endeavour is the largest object ever to be moved through the streets of Los Angeles.
