On Friday, at around 2 a. m., NASA’s retired space shuttle Endeavor was wheeled out of the Los Angeles International Airport for ‘Mission 26’ --- the name which has been given to the space shuttle’s final two-day, 12-mile journey, via the streets of Los Angeles, to its retirement abode at the California Science Center.

Departing from the airport shortly after 2 a. m., and sitting atop an 80-wheel transporter specially designed for transporting the space shuttle to its retirement home, Endeavor crawled through the Los Angeles streets at a snail’s pace; making a number of frequent halts during which the crews maneuvered it carefully between streetlights and street signs.

It took Endeavor several hours to cover a distance of just about 2 miles or so on the first day of its movement through the Los Angeles streets because its progress was impeded by the overhanging tree branches which had to be felled, in order to clear its passageway.

Moreover, in the wake of Endeavor’s massive weight, it was ensured beforehand that water and sewer pipes along the space shuttle’s way were protected from bursting by having steel plates placed on the roads.

However, noting that the biggest challenge which the engineers faced in making sure that Endeavor could be moved through the streets smoothly was the overwhelming interest of the residents, Richard Plump – President of Plump Engineering, which is helping with the movement of Endeavour through the streets – said: “We have to make sure the shuttle is safe and the public is safe.”