PHOTOS: Endeavour bids farewell to Space Coast


Mounted piggyback on a modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, the shuttle Endeavour flew out of the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, making a farewell pass over nearby beaches before jetting west toward Los Angeles.

The shuttle and carrier plane, escorted by a NASA C-9 pathfinder jet and a T-38 trainer, flew over Cocoa Beach, Fla., a few minutes after takeoff.

Crowds of onlookers gathered at the Cocoa Beach Pier at sunrise to witness Endeavour's departure.

See our coverage of Endeavour's ferryflight.

Photo credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

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