SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2012
Shimmying, zig-zagging and pivoting to dodge trees and poles in the final stretch, the space shuttle Endeavour pulled into her new residence for retirement Sunday, capping an arduous two-and-a-half-day trek through Los Angeles to reach the California Science Center at Exposition Park.

Read our full story.

2030 GMT (4:30 p.m. EDT; 1:30 p.m. local)
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the California Science Center, the sleek icon of American space travel has arrived at the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion. Endeavour has reached her initial retirement home, a temporary building that will host the orbiter until a permanent, vertical display facility can be built to depict her poised for launch.

The pavilion opens to the public on Oct. 30.

2000 GMT (4:00 p.m. EDT; 1:00 p.m. local)
Gliding behind the Olympic swimming complex and the LA Memorial Coliseum, space shuttle Endeavour is now traveling the final few yards to the display pavilion.
1840 GMT (2:40 p.m. EDT; 11:40 a.m. local)
The self-propelled motorized transporter is making the left-hand turn off MLK onto Bill Robertson Lane to enter Exposition Park. The space shuttle is almost home.
1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT; 8:30 a.m. local)
Endeavour is only a dozen blocks away from making her turn into the backside of Exposition Park.
1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT; 7:15 a.m. local)
The final leg of Endeavour's final voyage has picked up the pace this morning, zeroing in on the California Science Center for arrival in a little while.
1010 GMT (6:10 a.m. EDT; 3:10 a.m. local)
A portion of the route that was supposed to occur in daylight -- with lots of tight quarters -- is going exceptionally slow to protect the space shuttle. In the first 90 minutes of the three-mile trek down MLK has progressed only a block or so, officials report.
0838 GMT (4:38 a.m. EDT; 1:38 a.m. local)
Finally, after sitting at the Crenshaw and MLK intersection for hours, the trip has resumed in motion.
0500 GMT (1:00 a.m. EDT; 10:00 p.m. local)
The space shuttle transporter was reconfigured to its 'narrow' stance with both sets of wheel dollies close together, a switch to help make the driving even more precise for the upcoming trip down MLK. Exactly when the journey will resume is not yet clear.
0245 GMT (10:45 p.m. EDT; 7:45 p.m. local)
Endeavour has arrived at the intersection of Crenshaw Blvd. and MLK, where it is making a right turn to head east. The shuttle's move was delayed earlier due to difficulties getting it past the natural and utility obstacles on the final stretch of Crenshaw. It should take a few more hours to reach the California Science Center.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012
2150 GMT (5:50 p.m. EDT; 2:50 p.m. local)
The space shuttle Endeavour has encountered some very slow going this afternoon navigating the tight clearances and undulating roadways on Crenshaw Blvd. The ceremony at the MLK intersection has been delayed.
1730 GMT (1:30 p.m. EDT; 10:30 a.m. local)
With very little room for error, Endeavour has made the turn off of Manchester to squeeze down Crenshaw Drive. The transport team had to briefly stop the shuttle and backup to wiggle a bit to the left, safely clearing the starboard wing from some trees. She will turn onto Crenshaw Blvd. shortly.
1700 GMT (1:00 p.m. EDT; 10:00 a.m. local)
After a rousing event at the Forum, the space shuttle has departed to resume the final half-day march to the California Science Center.
1525 GMT (10:35 a.m. EDT; 7:35 a.m. local)
Running ahead of schedule, Endeavour has arrived in the roadway outside the Forum where local dignitaries will gather and deliver speeches to a large public welcoming ceremony at 9 a.m. local.
0740 GMT (3:40 a.m. EDT; 12:40 a.m. local)
One day down, one more to go in space shuttle Endeavour's surreal trek through Los Angeles, a scene attracting thousands of spectators young and old along city sidewalks and erupting chants of "USA! USA! USA!"

Read our full story.

0640 GMT (2:40 a.m. EDT; 11:40 p.m. local)
Endeavour has crossed 405, with the Tundra starting to pull the space shuttle at 11:33 p.m. and successfully towing the orbiter over the freeway while film crews captured the moment.
0500 GMT (1:00 a.m. EDT; 10:00 p.m. local)
An enormous crowd has gathered at the 405 freeway overpass to witness the space shuttle Endeavour being towed by a Toyota Tundra pickup truck tonight. Special undercarriages were positioned beneath the shuttle transporter this evening and the motorized wheel dollies were moved clear for the event. The 2012 V8 vehicle has been hooked up and the pull is expected to begin around 12 midnight local.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012
0000 GMT (8:00 p.m. EDT; 5:00 p.m. local)
The next waypoint has been reached by Endeavour where the space shuttle will sit for the next several hours just short of the 405 overpass on Manchester.
2236 GMT (6:36 p.m. EDT; 3:36 p.m. local)
With thousands of space shuttle spectators lining the sidewalks of Manchester, Endeavour is heading eastward this afternoon. It is a sight never quite seen before and not to be witnessed again as the 149,000-pound spaceplane takes the streets of Los Angeles.
2035 GMT (4:35 p.m. EDT; 1:35 p.m. local)
Off and running again, the procession has resumed from the shopping plaza parking lot that hosted Endeavour for the past 8 hours today. This next stint in the journey will take the space shuttle further on La Tijera to Manchester Ave., stopping just short of the 405 overpass. Another multi-hour hold occurs there to transition the transporter to the hardware to be used tonight for a Toyota event, as a Tundra pulls the shuttle above the interstate at 10 p.m. local time.

The car company is donating money to help sponsor Endeavour's display at the California Science Center.

1250 GMT (8:50 a.m. EDT; 5:50 a.m. local)
The first leg of the space shuttle Endeavour's trip just wrapped up, arriving in the Drollinger parking lot next to Bed, Bath and Beyond and the Office Depot. The spaceplane will remain there for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon before the move resumes, giving crews time to shut down power and adjust the transporter configuration for the next leg.
1230 GMT (8:30 a.m. EDT; 5:30 a.m. local)
After flying in space 25 times and logging 123 million miles, the final journey of the shuttle Endeavour that promises to be a grand spectacle got underway today as the retired spaceplane began a 12-mile procession through the city streets of Los Angeles.

Read our full story.

0930 GMT (5:30 a.m. EDT; 2:30 a.m. local)
Making her way out of the Los Angeles International Airport, the space shuttle Endeavour's 12-mile trek to the California Science Center is moving along! She departed the hangar at 11:25 p.m., exited the LAX gate right on the dot at 2:00 a.m. and turned right onto Westchester Parkway at 2:30 a.m.
0700 GMT (3:00 a.m. EDT; 12:00 a.m. local)
The two-day procession of the space shuttle Endeavour has begun, departing the United Airlines hangar where the ship has been parked since Sept. 22.

Mounted atop an specially-designed overland transporter and mobilized with self-propelled wheel dollies under the control of one person using a remote joystick walking alongside, the spaceplane is traveling inside the Los Angeles International Airport and will be exiting onto city streets in a couple of hours.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012
A journey like no other for the shuttle Endeavour -- a two-day, round-the-clock trek through the city streets of Los Angeles -- begins late Thursday night and continues along 12 miles of urban jungle through Saturday evening to the retired spaceship's new home at the California Science Center.

Read our full story.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
NASA 905, the modified Boeing 747 that was NASA's long-serving Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, took its final flight today from Los Angeles International Airport to Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The jet hauled Endeavour from Florida to LA last week on the space shuttle program's last ferryflight. The spaceship was offloaded early Saturday.

Purchased from American Airlines in 1974, the plane was configured to carry shuttles beginning with the approach-and-landing tests of Enterprise in 1977.

The aircraft has a wingspan of 195 feet, a length of 231 feet, a height to the top of the cockpit area of 32 feet and a maximum gross taxi weight of 713,000 pounds. It is powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7J gas turbine engines, each producing 50,000 pounds of thrust. The minimum crew for a flight with the shuttle aboard is two pilots and two flight engineers.

With the shuttle program now over, NASA 905 will become a parts donor for NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, that uses a 747 to carry a massive telescope high into the atmosphere on science campaigns.

NASA's second Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, NASA 911, that the agency started using in 1991 with Endeavour's original delivery from the Rockwell factory to Kennedy Space Center, was retired to the Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale on Feb. 8.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2012
Wasting no time getting to work, the space shuttle team offloaded Endeavour from the 747 overnight, lowering the 155,250-pound craft onto balancing beam-like structure, with three attach points, supported aboard an overland transporter.

That transporter and its self-propelled wheel dollies controlled by joystick will offer the precise driving required to guide Endeavour through the urban jungle and 12 miles of city streets to the California Science Center on Oct. 12 and 13.

Technicians will spend the next week with Endeavour inside a United Airlines hangar removing the ferryflight tail cone, installing the orbital maneuvering system engine nozzles and putting the final touches on the shuttle before handover to museum personnel on Sept. 28.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012
1951 GMT (3:51 p.m. EDT)
Completing the final leg of the final space shuttle ferryflight, the decommissioned Endeavour toured iconic landmarks around California before her 747 carrier jet made a tire-smoking touchdown at the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday.

Read our full story.

1930 GMT (3:30 p.m. EDT)
It has been a spectacular flyover of the Los Angeles area! After covering the Edwards takeoff this morning and racing to LA, we just witnessed three stirring passes. Check back in a little while for a story and photos!
1517 GMT (11:17 a.m. EDT)
TAKEOFF. The final leg of the final space shuttle ferryflight is underway as Endeavour departs from Edwards Air Force Base en route to tour California before landing in about 4.5 hours at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Bay Area flyovers are expected to start around 9:30 a.m. local at 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.

The NASA-Ames and Vandenberg Air Force Base over passes will follow.

The LA flyovers are expected any time after 11:30 a.m. local time to soar above such locations as the California Science Center, Disneyland, The Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, Malibu, the Queen Mary, Universal Studios and Venice Beach, among others.

Touchdown at Los Angeles International Airport for ceremonial reception will occur around 12:45 p.m. to finish up the era for space shuttle ferryflights.

1451 GMT (10:51 a.m. EDT)
Taxiing of the Shuttle Aircraft is underway from the overnight parking spot at NASA-Dryden to the Edwards runway for takeoff a short time from now.
1345 GMT (9:45 a.m. EDT)
The GO has been given for this morning's ferryflight departure from Edwards Air Force Base, the last leg that will deliver Endeavour into the Los Angeles International Airport.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012
An aviation marvel since 1977 and a spectacle seen on 107 treks, the modified Boeing 747 jumbojet is hauling the the decommissioned orbiter Endeavour across the country this week on space shuttle era's final ferryflight.

Read our full story.

2300 GMT (7:00 p.m. EDT)
Tomorrow's activities have been pushed back an hour in hopes fog will dissipate over the San Francisco area for shuttle's low-altitude flyover. Takeoff is now targeted for 8:15 a.m. and arrival into LAX around 1 p.m. local.
1951 GMT (3:51 p.m. EDT)
TOUCHDOWN! Welcome back, Endeavour. The shuttle just returned to Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert where the ship landed after 7 missions to space, including her maiden voyage in 1992.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will be refueled and spent the night here. Takeoff on the final leg of the ferryflight begins at sunrise tomorrow en route to a California tour before landing around 12 noon at Los Angeles International Airport.

1923 GMT (3:23 p.m. EDT)
U.S. Air Force officials are saying Endeavour's arrival at Edwards will be around 12:40 pm PDT (3:40 pm EDT/1940 GMT).
1919 GMT (3:19 p.m. EDT)
A T-38 chaseplane is about to take off to greet Endeavour.
1919 GMT (3:19 p.m. EDT)
A T-38 chaseplane is about to take off to greet Endeavour.
1913 GMT (3:13 p.m. EDT)
The pathfinder aircraft carrying the ferry team and managers has landed at Edwards. The plane also flies weather reconnaissance ahead of Endeavour and the 747.
1730 GMT (1:30 p.m. EDT)
Taking back to the skies again, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft has sped away from El Paso after getting fueled for this next leg that takes Endeavour on low-altitude flybys of White Sands and Tucson before landing at Edwards Air Force Base around 12 noon Pacific Time.
1440 GMT (10:40 a.m. EDT)
Leg No. 2 is complete, landing at the Biggs Army Air Field in El Paso after trekking across Texas this morning at 8:12 a.m. local. The modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will be refueled over the next two-and-a-half hours in preparation for an 11 a.m. Mountain Time departure on the next stint that will take Endeavour to Edwards Air Force Base.
1240 GMT (8:40 a.m. EDT)
Endeavour is on the move again, departing Ellington Field at 7:03 a.m. local time this morning for a day that will cover the next two legs on her trek across the country.

After departing the Houston area, the newly released flight plan now includes a low flyover of downtown Austin near the Texas State Capitol building between 7:30-8 a.m.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft should arrive in El Paso at Biggs Army Air Field around 8:30 a.m. MDT for refueling. The duo takes off again at about 11 a.m.

The third leg features low buzzes of the White Sands Missile Range and NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, as well as Tucson, Arizona to honor injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, wife of Endeavour's final commander. The Tucson flyover is expected about an hour and 15 minutes after departure from Biggs.

The 747 should touch down at Edwards Air Force Base around 12 noon PDT for another overnight stop.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
1800 GMT (2:00 p.m. EDT)
Bound for Southern California where America's space shuttle fleet was born, the retired spaceship Endeavour left her homeport this morning atop a modified 747 carrier jet to become a tool of inspiration at a children's science museum in Los Angeles.

Read our full story.

1545 GMT (11:45 a.m. EDT)
The space shuttle Endeavour began her hopscotching trek across the southern United States on a ferryflight into retirement today, departing Kennedy Space Center at sunrise on a four-leg trek to reach the busy Los Angeles International Airport at noon Friday.

Read our full story.

1540 GMT (11:40 a.m. EDT)
Completing the first leg of the coast-to-coast trek, Endeavour and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft have landed at Ellington Field outside the Johnson Space Center for public viewing the rest of today. The ferryflight resumes at dawn Thursday to fly to El Paso for refueling and then into Edwards Air Force Base for another overnight stop.
1140 GMT (7:40 a.m. EDT)
FAREWELL, ENDEAVOUR. After living at the Kennedy Space Center for the past 21 years, Endeavour has departed her homeport and will never return. The craft just made an emotional final flyby of the Cape atop the 747 as the cross-country ferryflight to her final resting place in South California gets underway.
1127 GMT (7:27 a.m. EDT)
Heads-up to the Space Coast beaches of Brevard County. Here's your chance to say goodbye to the Endeavour with low-altitude flybys of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
1122 GMT (7:22 a.m. EDT)
TAKEOFF. The ferryflight into retirement has begun for the space shuttle Endeavour as the modified Boeing 747 soars into sky. The spaceship of 25 missions fixed the flawed vision of the Hubble Space Telescope, studied planet Earth and the cosmos, began International Space Station construction and finished the U.S.-portion of assembly. She is now headed for Los Angeles and the California Science Center.
1121 GMT (7:21 a.m. EDT)
Aircraft is rolling!
1103 GMT (7:03 a.m. EDT)
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft has left ramp and rolled onto the runway for this morning's taxi to takeoff.
1102 GMT (7:02 a.m. EDT)
The pathfinder aircraft carrying the ferry team and managers has taken off! The plane also flies weather reconnaissance ahead of Endeavour and the 747.
1059 GMT (6:59 a.m. EDT)
747 is in motion for taxi!
1025 GMT (6:25 a.m. EDT)
NASA confirms that the ferryflight is GO for about 7:15 a.m. EDT! The 747 will taxi the length of the runway, then take off on a north-to-south direction.
0950 GMT (5:50 a.m. EDT)
Good morning from the edge of the runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility where the Kennedy Space Center will say goodbye to another space shuttle forever.

The tentative "go" for departure has been given, but meteorologists are watching some showers and the low clouds in the area.

The Florida spaceport's runway was built in 1975. The concrete strip is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The facility is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will be taking off to the south, headed for low-altitude flyovers of the beaches before doubling back to buzz the Visitor Complex and the runway a final time to say farewell to Endeavour.

0855 GMT (4:55 a.m. EDT)
It is an overcast, muggy morning at the Kennedy Space Center as that frontal system passes through Florida. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft has been pushed back from the Mate-Demate Device again and the ferryflight team is awaiting at 5 a.m. weather briefing that will give the final "go" or "no go" call for takeoff around 7:15 a.m. EDT.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
1602 GMT (12:02 p.m. EDT)
In this morning's weather briefing, the decision was made to proceed toward a takeoff of Endeavour tomorrow morning from the Kennedy Space Center, pending a final check of conditions and the forecast at 5 a.m. EDT.

That cold front continues to push its way through region today. If the shuttle can escape tomorrow, forecasters say the path is clear all the way to California throughout the week, allowing the low-altitude flybys of Stennis and Michoud and the aerial display over Houston.

1500 GMT (11:00 a.m. EDT)
The ferryflight weather briefing is getting underway at this hour to assess conditions for beginning the trek tomorrow morning. Here is the latest satellite view of the southeastern U.S. showing the cold front pushing through.

A short time ago at the Shuttle Landing Facility, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will Endeavour was pushed back into the Mate-Demate Device to use the structure as some added shelter for thunderstorms expected at Kennedy Space Center later today.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
2315 GMT (7:15 p.m. EDT)
The revised ferryflight plan for space shuttle Endeavour has been established and will give all of the communities en route to Los Angeles their glimpses of the spaceplane as originally expected.

Endeavour will depart Kennedy Space Center at sunrise Wednesday and fly to Houston, making low-altitude buzzes of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans along the way before a late-morning touchdown at Ellington Field.

The trek resumes at dawn Thursday and continues to a refueling stop in El Paso. The next leg wille make a flyby of White Sands before landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California around mid-day for an overnight stay.

Friday sees the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft tour Endeavour around California, flying over Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles before landing late-morning at LA International Airport.

That final arrival is one day later than originally planned, a change that was forced into the schedule due to the two-day weather delay taking off from Florida.

1852 GMT (2:52 p.m. EDT)
The next weather tag up for the ferryflight team is planned for 11 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.
1827 GMT (2:27 p.m. EDT)
DELAYED AGAIN. The space shuttle Endeavour will spend yet another day at the Kennedy Space Center as bad weather along the ferryflight's route remains problematic to begin the cross-country journey. Takeoff is rescheduled for Wednesday, with further details on the flight path and revisions to the plan still pending.
1640 GMT (12:40 p.m. EDT)
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with Endeavour mounted on top will continue targeting a sunrise takeoff Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center, if the weather conditions at a predawn briefing tomorrow appears acceptable for conditions along the route.

There is a low pressure front in the northern Gulf of Mexico that is spawning thunderstorms along the predicted flight path between the Florida spaceport and Houston, where the ferryflight will make its initial stop.

The ferryflight team will meet early Tuesday to give the "go" or "no go" decision for takeoff.

1635 GMT (12:35 p.m. EDT)
In today's weather briefing, ferryflight team decided they will meet again early tomorrow. Takeoff at sunrise still possible, pending a real-time weather call.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
1940 GMT (3:40 p.m. EDT)
If the weather picture improves, the ferryflight could begin with a sunrise takeoff from Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday around 7:15 a.m. EDT.
1915 GMT (3:15 p.m. EDT)
The ferryflight team will get another detailed weather briefing at 11 a.m. EDT Monday to assess the potential to depart from Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday.
1845 GMT (2:45 p.m. EDT)
DELAY! Tomorrow's departure of the space shuttle Endeavour ferryflight has been postponed at least one day due to bad weather that would preclude a safe arrival into Ellington Field outside the Johnson Space Center tomorrow.

The Ferry Flight Readiness Review was held at 1 p.m. EDT today and a thorough assessment of the weather followed to examined a cold front that has slowed in the Houston area.

Under the revised plan, the shuttle would leave Tuesday, spend only one day in Houston, then resume the original schedule for a sunrise Wednesday takeoff on the flight leg to El Paso and refueling before going into Edwards Air Force Base later Wednesday. Arrival in Los Angeles would come mid-day Thursday.

1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT)
The space shuttle Endeavour begins her hopscotching trek across the southern United States on a ferryflight into retirement Monday, departing Kennedy Space Center at sunrise on a four-leg trek to reach the busy Los Angeles International Airport at noon Thursday.

Read our full story.

1201 GMT (8:01 a.m. EDT)
A scene never to be seen again, the space shuttle is exiting the Mate-Demate Device atop the 747 carrier aircraft for the final time in preparation to leave Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning.
1140 GMT (7:40 a.m. EDT)
All of the support equipment has retracted, vehicles have moved out of the way and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will soon drive out of the Mate-Demate Device.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2012
The space shuttle Endeavour is ready for the piggyback ride to her retirement home in sunny Southern California starting Monday morning. Final securing of the ship atop its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft has been completed and the four-point lifting sling detached and retracted from the orbiter around 9:30 a.m. today.

The flying duo exits the Mate-Demate Device tomorrow morning and awaits the sunrise takeoff on Monday around 7:15 a.m. EDT.

A Ferryflight Readiness Review is planned for 1 p.m. EDT tomorrow to assess preparations for the trip and get a detailed weather briefing.

Plans call for the 747 to depart towards the south, setting up a low-altitude flyby of the Space Coast beaches down to Patrick Air Force Base before banking to the right in a U-turn and flying northbound over the river to buzz the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and shuttle runway before departing the area forever.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
Taking the reverse course she followed when returning from spaceflights, the retired shuttle Endeavour moved Friday to Kennedy Space Center's runway complex and was mounted atop the modified Boeing 747 carrier jet for next week's ferryflight departure to California.

Emerging from a storage bay on the northwestern side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at 5:04 a.m. EDT, the orbiter passed the former mission preparation hangars, crossed State Road 3 and followed the concrete towway to the Shuttle Landing Facility apron, arriving at the Mate-Demate Device at 7:22 a.m. EDT.

"It is a little bit emotional. We had some of the team members who had been processing Endeavour for flight all those years, they are out here this morning. There are some teary eyes for sure," said Stephanie Stilson, NASA's manager overseeing the shuttle retirement activities.

Read our full story.

1900 GMT (3:00 p.m. EDT)
The initial stage of capture between the Boeing 747 and shuttle Endeavour was completed at 2:41 p.m. EDT, marking the so-called "soft mate" for the orbiter to her carrier jet. That completes the work that had been planned for today.

The team will commence "hard mate" operations tomorrow to structurally secure the duo together, then crews will remove the bright yellow sling from the shuttle.

Pushout of the aircraft from the Mate-Demate Device is targeted for Sunday around 7 a.m. EDT.

1730 GMT (1:30 p.m. EDT)
Orbiter-to-SCA connecting operations are underway. Technicians will seat Endeavour onto the three attachment fittings -- two in the aft, one under the nose -- just like the external tank points. They will achieve a "soft mate" between the two vehicles to complete today's schedule of work. Technicians will get the torque devices out to firmly secure the bolts for a "hard mate" tomorrow, and once the shuttle is affixed, the lifting sling can let go for retraction. The 747 will be cleared to exit the Mate-Demate Device on Sunday morning.
1704 GMT (1:04 p.m. EDT)
Endeavour's descent onto NASA 905, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to give the orbiter a ride to her retirement home has begun. The crane system is ever so slowly lowering the orbiter toward the attachment points.
1650 GMT (12:50 p.m. EDT)
The aircraft that will deliver Endeavour to California next week has been pulled beneath the orbiter minutes ago to begin the mating work for the upcoming ferryflight.

NASA 905 was built in 1970 and purchased from American Airlines in 1974 to undergo modifications for the unique role of carrying space shuttles. It has been in service throughout the shuttle program's history.

The aircraft has a wingspan of 195 feet, a length of 231 feet, a height to the top of the cockpit area of 32 feet and a maximum gross taxi weight of 713,000 pounds. It is powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7J gas turbine engines, each producing 50,000 pounds of thrust. The minimum crew for a flight with the shuttle aboard is two pilots and two flight engineers.

1147 GMT (7:47 a.m. EDT)
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is being towed into the Mate-Demate Device from its parking spot in the northwest corner of the runway ramp.
1545 GMT (11:45 a.m. EDT)
IN THE AIR. The final space shuttle built for service, the 25-time flying orbiter Endeavour, is ascending off the ground for mounting atop its modified Boeing 747 ferry.

Kennedy Space Center's Mate-Demate Device will raise the 155,250-pound spacecraft more than 60 feet above the concrete so the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft can be towed into the MDD structure beneath Endeavour for the start of the attachment process.

1459 GMT (10:59 a.m. EDT)
Retraction of the landing gear just occurred. The three wheel assemblies were folded up into the vehicle and the doors closed in preparation for attaching Endeavour atop the 747.

The retraction commanding is performed through a coiled up cable that was run through the crew module hatch before it was closed in the hangar a while ago.

1420 GMT (10:20 a.m. EDT)
The crane device is all connected to Endeavour and associated work platforms have retracted out of the way. Raising of Endeavour to lift the main landing gear tires off the ground has been performed as operations progress at the Mate-Demate Device.
1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT)
The forward attach points have been hooked up and Endeavour's nose has been hoisted off the concrete.
1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)
The bright yellow lifting sling has been dropped into position next to the orbiter for the ground crew to start connecting the crane to Endeavour.
1120 GMT (7:20 a.m. EDT)
AT THE MDD. Shuttle Endeavour, a veteran of 25 spaceflights, has arrived inside the lifting structure known as the Mate-Demate Device.

The crane system will raise the orbiter off the ground today, allowing the 747 to slide underneath the spaceplane, then lower the orbiter onto the three attachment struts for bolting in place.

0903 GMT (5:03 a.m. EDT)
FIRST MOTION. The diesel-powered tug has has begun this morning's long-dreaded moment of moving shuttle Endeavour toward the Shuttle Landing Facility where the 747 carrier aircraft is waiting to ferry the orbiter to her final resting place at the California Science Center.

This roll will take a couple of hours to travel from the Vehicle Assembly Building storage bay to the Mate-Demate Device that will hoist the shuttle off the ground later today and enable the jumbojet to pull underneath.

Final anchoring of Endeavour onto the 747 should be finished on Saturday, then the duo will push out of the Mate-Demate Device structure on Sunday morning.

Takeoff is planned for 7:15 a.m. EDT on Monday, with low-altitude passes over the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and Space Coast beaches planned before heading to Houston for a two-day stop at Ellington Field before resuming the ferryflight Wednesday and eventually landing at the Los Angeles International Airport a little before 12 noon local time on Thursday.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2012
The space shuttle Endeavour, now decommissioned and bound for a Los Angeles children's learning museum, will be towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building's storage bay to the Kennedy Space Center's runway apron early Friday morning.

Watch this page for live update and streaming video.

The trip is expected to begin at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) and reach the Mate-Demate Device around 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT).

The VAB doors have been opened and the threshold plates installed for Endeavour's departure.

Workers will spend the rest of Friday lifting orbiter atop the 747 using the lifting structure at the runway. She should be "soft-mated" to the aircraft by the afternoon.

Takeoff on the four-leg ferryflight across the country begins Monday at 7:15 a.m. EDT.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
The modified Boeing 747 jumbojet that will haul the space shuttle Endeavour piggyback-style to Los Angeles next week flew across the country to Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday to pick up the spaceplane passenger.

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1845 GMT (2:45 p.m. EDT)
The arrival time for the 747 today has moved back to approximately 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT). We will have live streaming video coverage on this page!
1555 GMT (11:55 a.m. EDT)
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft departed Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert this morning at 8:30 a.m. local time en route to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to pick up the retired orbiter Endeavour for next week's cross-country ferryflight.

Edwards was the landing site of 54 space shuttle missions using its collection of both dry lake bed and concrete runways.

Today's arrival of the modified Boeing 747 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility is expected around 4 p.m. EDT. Live streaming video coverage will begin around 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 GMT) and you can watch it right here on this page.

Endeavour gets mounted atop the aircraft on Friday and then the duo will leave the Cape Monday morning at sunrise and arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday around 11 a.m. local time.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
The massive new building that has sprouted up on the Kennedy Space Center landscape to display the space shuttle Atlantis as a national treasure will receive the spacecraft Nov. 2, officials said Wednesday during a "topping off" ceremony.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012
Now peacefully parked in the Vehicle Assembly Building, the space shuttle Endeavour is counting down the days until she bids farewell to the Kennedy Space Center and rides piggyback atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to Los Angeles next month. Spaceflight Now photographer Walter Scriptunas II took the chance this week to shoot a gallery that captures the beauty of the spacecraft.

See our photo gallery.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012
The space shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis swapped locations at Kennedy Space Center Thursday morning, as Endeavour departed her hangar for the final time to take up storage in the Vehicle Assembly Building and Atlantis left storage to resume museum display preparations, briefly appearing nose-to-nose on the road.

See our photo gallery.

1440 GMT (10:40 a.m. EDT)
ATLANTIS INSIDE HANGAR. This morning's shuttle shuffle is wrapping up as Atlantis disappears from view and slides into the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 where technicians will get to work finishing the tasks to ready the craft for handover to the privately-run KSC Visitor Complex in November.
1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT)
ENDEAVOUR IN THE VAB. The veteran of 25 spaceflights has rolled into High Bay 4 in the northwest corner of the Vehicle Assembly Building, Endeavour will stay there until Sept. 14 when workers will tow the spaceship to the apron next to KSC's runway for hoisting atop the modified 747 carrier aircraft. Takeoff on the westward trek to California is scheduled for Sept. 17, with arrival in Los Angeles on Sept. 20.
1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)
NOSE-TO-NOSE! The two space shuttles, the last ones ever built, Endeavour and Atlantis, are posing nose-to-nose on the quarter-mile roadway linking the orbiter hangars to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

They have a combined 58 spaceflights and 249 million miles traveled, spanning 9,525 orbits of Earth and 606 days spent aloft.

1259 GMT (8:59 a.m. EDT)
ATLANTIS IS IN MOTION. After sitting quietly in High Bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building since June 29, when she vacated Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 for its decommissioning, the space shuttle Atlantis is on the move right now. The spaceplane is headed to OPF bay 2 to take the spot Endeavour is departing this morning.

Atlantis will resume final retirement activities and prepping for delivery to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in November as the star in a massive new exhibit being constructed.

1254 GMT (8:54 a.m. EDT)
ENDEAVOUR IS ON THE ROLL. Having finished the extensive safing process to remove all the hazards before going on display at the California Science Center, the shuttle Endeavour is emerging from her hangar to take up residence in the Vehicle Assembly Building storage bay for the next month.

Already outfitted with the aerodynamic tail cone for the ferryflight to Los Angeles, Endeavour is opening up the only hangar left for shuttle processing so Atlantis can finish her transition into a museum piece.

1130 GMT (7:30 a.m. EDT)
Good day from the Kennedy Space Center where the space shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis will swap locations this morning, as Endeavour departs her hangar for the final time to take up storage in the Vehicle Assembly Building and Atlantis leaves storage to resume museum display preparations in the sole remaining orbiter hangar here.

We will try to provide some live streaming video of the rollarounds, and the nose-to-nose photo opportunity with both shuttles.

See our Facebook page for live mobile pictures throughout the morning.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012
Just days away from leaving her hangar one final time, technicians at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday were jacking down the leveling struts holding the space shuttle Endeavour, precisely weighing the ship and making center of gravity determinations for next month's ferryflight to Los Angeles.

Endeavour was powered off May 11 at 9:58 a.m. EDT, falling forever silent after two decades of flight. The 60-foot-long payload doors were shut June 19, the three replica main engines were installed between July 11 and 13, the aerodynamic tailcone for the ferryflight was attached Aug. 6 and the ship's crew module was closed Aug. 10.

The vehicle will be rolled out of Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 on Thursday to swap places with sister-shuttle Atlantis, which has been in temporary storage at the Vehicle Assembly Building since late June.

With only one OPF hangar still available for shuttle operations, the orbiters are forced to shuffle at different points in their retirement and decommissioning schedules. Once Endeavour is finished with all that work, she will wait out the final weeks at the Florida spaceport by sitting on display to tourists in the northwest corner of the VAB. Atlantis will resume her museum preparations after taking the vacated hangar slot Thursday.

The two spaceplanes will pose for a nose-to-nose photo op during Thursday morning's move at around 8:30 a.m. EDT.

Endeavour's upcoming schedule calls for ferryflight operations to commence Sept. 14 when the shuttle is towed from the VAB to the apron next to the space center's runway and gets hoisted atop the modified 747.

Departure of the carrier aircraft is planned for Sept. 17, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 20.

Specific sites will be targeted for ceremonial flyovers during the west-bound flight of the ferry, as well as refueling stops and places for overnight stays. Details, however, continue to be worked out and officials have not yet unveiled those plans.

Once in LA, Endeavour will be demated from the aircraft and housed in a United Airlines hangar to stand by for the Oct. 12-13 parade-like procession through city streets from the airport to the California Science Center where the veteran of 25 spaceflights will be exhibited.

CSC is paying the costs of the ferryflight. NASA will oversee activities through removal of Endeavour from the 747, but the museum takes over full responsibility for getting the orbiter from LAX to the science center.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012
Gaining one last glimpse inside the crew module of space shuttle Endeavour where astronauts lived and worked on 25 missions, Spaceflight Now's Justin Ray climbed aboard the spacecraft this week.

The ship will be sealed up in the coming days to enter storage in the Vehicle Assembly Building beginning Aug. 16 to await the planned Sept. 17 departure from Kennedy Space Center atop the modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft bound for her new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, an institution know for its education credentials and hands-on learning facilities geared to schoolchildren.

This gallery of images looks around the two-level crew compartment, where you can see a pair of mission specialist seats on the middeck and upstairs at the controls on the flight deck where the ship was flown most recently by commander Mark Kelly and pilot Greg Johnson last year.

See our special photo gallery.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012
The space shuttle Endeavour, retired from service after 25 missions that spanned 123 million miles, will star in a remarkable 12-mile parade through the streets of Los Angeles on October 12-13, traveling from the city's international airport to the California Science Center for display at the children's learning complex.

Officials announced that dates for the glacially-slow trek in a briefing presented today by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and CSC President Jeffrey Rudolph.

"In six weeks, Endeavour is coming home to California. This will mark the first, last and only time that a space shuttle will travel through 12 miles of urban streets. Not only one of the biggest objects ever transported down city streets, it's an irreplaceable national treasure," Rudolph said.

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Read our earlier Discovery/Enterprise ferryflight coverage.