It may not be happening in our back yard, but given the given the huge number of people swarming the shuttle as it makes its way through the streets of Los Angeles, there’s little doubt of the vast interest.
For those headed to see the space vehicle as it makes what is being called Mission 26, the final journey, the Los Angeles Police Department says they are welcomed. But they encourage people to participate in scheduled public events. Participants are advised to get there early.
The California Science Center Foundation and the unified law-enforcement command has scheduled public viewing spots along the route. Today, Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m., Endeavour will be on display for half an hour, in front of the Forum in Inglewood. The city has more information on its website.
Ample and free parking is available at the Hollywood Park Race Track. There is no overnight staying. The parking lots open at 4 a.m.
About 2 p.m., Endeavour will stop for about a half an hour for a planned event at the intersection of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards. The public will be able to watch from an area north on Crenshaw and Martin Luther King boulevards. Officials said space is limited so come early.
About 8:30 p.m., Endeavour is expected reach its final destination. Four large parking lots between Bill Robertson Lane and Vermont Ave., north of MLK, have been dedicated for public viewing, officials said. Endeavour is headed to the California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Pavilion. Mass transit is recommended and available via the Expo Rail and bus line running along Exposition Boulevard.
“We remind the public that cooperation from all our residents, visitors, and public safety departments is needed in order to be completed safely and with minimal impact to traffic and to the local communities,” LAPD officials wrote in a news release.
For those who want to watch it en route, police warn that Endeavour’s size will force authorities to close streets and sidewalks to vehicles and pedestrians. Sidewalk closures along the route may be opened as determined by the Unified Command based on street width, fixed obstacles, and public safety issues on a block-by-block basis, officers said.
“Endeavour is a unique item and its transportation presents a unique challenge,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. “Never before has an item of this size traversed our City streets. While this once-in-a-lifetime event is a cause for celebration, public safety remains the City’s top priority. We encourage the public to view Endeavour as it travels through the streets of Los Angeles, but urge that we do so in the safest manner possible.”
