It will be quite a sight to see. The Space Shuttle Endeavour will inch through Los Angeles streets from LAX to the California Science Center for two days at upwards of 2 mph next month.
“In six weeks, Endeavour is coming back home to California,” California Science Center president Jeffrey Rudolph said at a press conference on Wednesday. “This will mark the first, last and only time a space shuttle will travel through 12 miles of urban public streets. It’s not only one of the biggest objects transported down city streets, it’s an irreplaceable national treasure.”
Endeavour is scheduled to arrive at LAX on Sept. 20, where a team will lift it off of its transport plane using cranes and a giant sling and move the shuttle to a hanger, where final preparations will be made to transport it to its new home. The road trip is scheduled for Oct 12.
It will be a tough journey, and the shuttle will have less than a foot of clearance at some points, the LA Times reports. Trees will be cut back and power lines will be raised to make room for the important new city resident.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, said he expects people to come from across the country to witness the move.
“Building the Endeavour was a marvel of ingenuity and engineering,” he said. “And moving the Endeavour will also be a marvel of ingenuity and engineering.”