NASA Invites Californians To Participate In Endeavour Flyover

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Sep 20, 2012, 06:44 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA invites Californians to participate in space shuttle Endeavour's historic flyover of the state Friday, Sept. 21.

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The orbiter, atop its 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), is scheduled to fly over northern California and a large area of the Los Angeles basin beginning at about 8:15 a.m. PDT, one hour later than originally planned. NASA, the California Science Center, and the Federal Aviation Administration delayed the start of the flight to increase the probability that fog over the San Francisco area will dissipate before the flyover.

During the four-and-a-half hour flight, social media users are encouraged to share their Endeavour sightings using the hashtags #spottheshuttle and #OV105, Endeavour's vehicle designation.

Members of the public are encouraged to share their photos of the SCA and Endeavour on NASA's Flickr group at:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/spaceshuttleendeavour

For official NASA images of the SCA and Endeavour, see the NASA HQ Photography Flickr account at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto

At 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT), NASA Television will air the departure of Endeavour from Edwards Air Force Base as it begins its California flyover:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The SCA and Endeavour will salute NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and the Edwards Air Force Base area after takeoff with a low flyby northbound to Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Any time after 9:30 a.m. PDT, watch for Endeavour from viewing locations that include the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Chabot Space and Science Center, the California State Capitol, Exploratorium, Lawrence Hall of Science and Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Next the aircraft will travel south, making a pass over NASA's Ames Research Center and Vandenberg Air Force Base before heading into the Los Angeles area.

Any time after 11:30 a.m., watch for flyovers of Endeavour passing regional landmarks such as its future home at the California Science Center, Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, Disneyland, The Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles City Hall, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, Malibu Beach, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the Queen Mary, Universal Studios and Venice Beach, among others.

Finally, the SCA and Endeavour will land about 12:45 p.m., at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for an arrival ceremony before Endeavour is taken off the 747. The orbiter will be transported to the California Science Center next month.

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 canceled.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/transition

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA