Space Shuttle Endeavour Set to Begin Final Journey to LA

After delaying twice, NASA has finally given the go ahead for space shuttle Endeavour's final journey to the Los Angeles museum.

Endeavour, the youngest of NASA's fleet, which was supposed to begin its journey on Tuesday (Sept. 18) after a day's delay was stopped from departing to its final home due to worst weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the space shuttle is currently located.

NASA managers performed a weather briefing Tuesday morning and gave the green signal for the departure of the space shuttle at 7:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday. As thunderstorms are expected over the space center, the shuttle has been moved inside the Shuttle Landing Facility's Mate-Demate Device for protection.

However, conditions will be suitable for the shuttle take off on Wednesday. Endeavour will be out of the facility at 4 a.m. Once the weather conditions are reviewed finally around 5 a.m., the space shuttle will begin its journey to Los Angeles, where it will be placed at the California Science Center.

Endeavour, which will piggyback its final trip atop a Boeing 747 jet, will fly low and pass over the Indian River along the Florida's Space Coast, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Kennedy, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and Patrick Air Force Base.

It will also pass over other areas including Texas Gulf Coast region, Mississippi Gulf Coast and eastern New Orleans. Endeavour will land at Houston's Ellington Field on Wednesday morning at 10.45 and will remain there for public viewing until 9 p.m.

The space shuttle will depart from there on Sept. 20 and make an overnight stay at Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base, Calif, before getting transported to the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday (Sept. 21).

NASA will webcast the events of space flight's arrivals on NASA TV. Endeavour is one of the three spacecraft that retired last year. Since its first journey until 2011, the space shuttle has completed 25 missions with most of its work involved to build the International Space Station.

Of the three retired spacecraft, Discovery was the first one to embark on its final journey to Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington in April. Endeavour will arrive at its permanent home this week, while the other spacecraft, Atlantis, will be put on public display at the Kennedy Space Center in November.