Endeavour Ready To Make The Slow -- And Steady -- Race Home
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — For a craft that used to hurtle through space at 17,500 miles an hour, the final journey for Space Shuttle Endeavour will be an ironic one.
Friday is moving day, and Endeavour will wind through city streets at a top speed of about 2 mph. You'll be able to walk faster.
Slow? Most definitely. And steady? Hopefully.
CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Juan Fernandez was at LAX Thursday as final preparations were in place to get the Endeavour ready for the final leg of its journey home.
Fernandez reported from the LAX Command Center where city fire, police and engineers have been working overtime to make sure the arduous move to the California Science Center in Exposition Park comes off without a hitch. He said, "And cameras along the route will give everyone a bird's eye view of everything."
Fernandez also reported that nearly 3,000 metal plates were strategically placed along the route to protect utility lines, drainage systems and power poles. The plates also will protect the road from Endeavour's massive weight as well as the transporter that will ferry it.
Jorge Pla, with the Cordova Corporation, chose the 12-mile route. He conceded this was no easy undertaking.
The toughest part of the journey will be when Endeavour turns left on Crenshaw from Manchester. Fernandez says it's a tight squeeze. "Four spotters and a driver will guide it through," he said.
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