Rocket motors moving across SoCal for Endeavour exhibit at California Science Center
EXPOSITION PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two massive rocket motors began their journey Tuesday from the Mojave Desert to the California Science Center, where they will be part of the vertical display of the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour.
The 116-foot long motors will travel across several Southern California freeways until the last leg of their voyage from the Mojave Air & Space Port.
On Tuesday morning, they were transported along the 15 Freeway with a path set through the Cajon Pass and the 210 Freeway before arriving in Irwindale for an overnight rest stop.
"We are just proud to be a part of this. It is an honor we got asked to do this, so we are looking forward to tomorrow," said Steven Parker. He and his transport crew were responsible to the heavy lifting.
Most of the action will take place Wednesday morning with the rocket motors set to make their way across the southbound 605 Freeway, west on the 105 Freeway and then finally on the 110 Freeway.
Space Shuttle Endeavour: A look inside the spacecraft ahead of move to permanent vertical display
Starting around 5 a.m., they'll move onto surface streets. Some time after that, the general public and space enthusiasts alike will be able to get an up-close view.
They're invited to line up along a stretch of Figueroa Street between 43rd Place and 39th Street. Once they reach Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 8 a.m., they'll pause to delight and amaze anybody in the area before finishing their journey.
The arrival of the rockets at the California Science Center will mark 11 years to the day that the Space Shuttle Endeavour began its captivating crosstown journey from LAX to Exposition Park.
The rocket motors will be installed with the shuttle in its permanent vertical display position at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, coming in the next few years.
Visitors have until the end of December to see the shuttle in its horizontal position. It could be a few years before you see it again vertically with its rocket boosters.
