Maybe watching Curiosity land on Mars reminded you how cool space exploration was. Or maybe it was Mohawk Guy. Either way, all you long-time and newly-minted nerds out there will be thrilled to know that that will be neither a bird nor a mere plane you see overhead on September 20th. That will the Space Shuttle Endeavor hitching a ride on a NASA Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier on its way to LAX. Once it arrives, writes The Source:
It then will be transferred to a United Airlines hangar where it will stay until final preparations are made for its move on the morning of Oct. 12. The move to the Science Center will take two days, as the 58-foot-tall shuttle is transported under raised transmissions lines and across the 405 Freeway to Inglewood City Hall for an official launch ceremony Oct. 13. It then will be transported to the intersection of Martin Luther King and Crenshaw boulevards for a celebration of Mission 26. The shuttle is expected to reach the California Science Center in Exposition Park that evening.
The Shuttle will not be open for viewing until October 30, and viewing will require a timed ticket, according to the Science Center website. If you think that the 20 minutes you will get to cozy up to the Endeavour won't be enough to get your nerd on, the Science Center is looking for volunteers to help welcome and manage crowds as well as answer guests' questions about the exhibit. You will be able to tell visitors fun Shuttle facts like the Endeavour has orbited the earth 4,671 times and traveled a total of 122,883,151 miles. Just make sure you are 18 years old and can commit to taking one four-hour shift a week for a six-month period.
The map of the route for "Mission 26: The Big Endeavour" can be found here.
