9:21 PM: The Space Shuttle Endeavour’s once-in-a-lifetime flight over the Bay Area on Friday morning has been pushed back an hour to give more time for fog to burn off, NASA Ames officials said today.
The shuttle, which will piggyback on a specially modified Boeing 747, is set to make a low-altitude pass over the Bay Area around 9:30 a.m. after taking off around 8:15 a.m. from Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles where it landed this afternoon.
Before making it to the Bay Area and completing the final leg of its flyover, the Endeavour will pass by Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Mojave in Southern California and then head north to Sacramento, where the shuttle will fly near the California State Capitol.
Anytime after 9:30 a.m. local viewers should look toward the Golden Gate Bridge where thousands are expected to come out and watch the historic flyover, although an hour later than initially planned.
NASA Ames officials tweeted at 4 p.m. today that the shuttle takeoff Friday would be delayed one hour to “give us a better chance of having the fog burn off.”
The slight schedule delay was decided by NASA, the California Science Center, and the Federal Aviation Administration, officials said.
Ames officials suggested various vantage points to catch a glimpse of the orbiter, including the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Exploratorium spokeswoman Stacy Martin said no specific shuttle events are planned at the science museum near the Golden Gate Bridge, but “we’re just encouraging people that Crissy Field is probably one of the best views of the flyover.”
After 10:30 a.m., the Endeavour is scheduled make a pass as low as 1,500 feet above the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View.
Bay Area residents are invited to view the passage at Moffett Field. The gates will open to the public at 6 a.m. to accommodate early arrivals, and Ames officials expect as many as 8,000 spectators to show up to the free event.
In the East Bay, the Chabot Space and Science Center in the Oakland Hills will open its doors at 8 a.m. for a viewing party and various space shuttle-related activities.
NASA Ames officials said a flyover closer to the East Bay is possible with sightings likely over Oakland.
The Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito is closed this week for scheduled maintenance, museum spokeswoman Jennifer Caleshu said, but the museum parking lot and Fort Baker on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge will be open to the public with prime viewing spots.
The museum is located at 577 McReynolds Road in Sausalito.
Caleshu said the waterfront location will likely fill up fast with spectators.
After the Bay Area visit, the aircraft will travel further south past Monterey onto Vandenberg Air Force Base in San Luis Obispo before landing at Los Angeles International Airport around noon.
Once in Los Angeles the shuttle will be placed on permanent display at Los Angeles’ California Science Center starting Oct. 30.
NASA officials have encouraged those following the flight to share Endeavour sightings online with the social media hashtags #spottheshuttle and #OV105.
“OV105” is Endeavour’s orbiter vehicle designation.
Endeavour, named for 18th-century British explorer James Cook’s ship, took off for its final flight Wednesday morning from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The shuttle then headed to Houston where it landed at Ellington Field late Wednesday morning. Departing this morning for Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, the shuttle was spotted flying over Houston and Austin.
The exact timing and path of the ferry flight depend on weather conditions and operational constraints, according to NASA.
If the flight is further postponed for any reason, information will be posted on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nasaames.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
3:58 PM: The Space Shuttle Endeavor is scheduled to make a once-in-a-lifetime flight over the Bay Area on Friday morning.
The shuttle, which will piggyback on a specially modified Boeing 747, is set to make a low-altitude pass over an area near the Golden Gate Bridge at approximately 8:30 a.m., creating an epic moment for the thousands of space enthusiasts, photographers and others expected to come out to watch.
The shuttle will be on its final flight as it heads south to Los Angeles, where it will be placed on permanent display at the California Science Center.
By about 9:30 a.m., the Endeavor is scheduled make a pass as low as 1,500 feet above the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View.
Bay Area residents are invited to view the passage at Moffett Field. The gates will open to the public at 6 a.m. to accommodate early arrivals, and Ames officials expect as many as 8,000 spectators to show up to the free event.
For those who can’t make it out, Ames plans to webcast the flyover online at www.ustream.tv/user/nasaames.
The Chabot Space and Science Center in the Oakland hills offers a “breathtaking vantage point” from which to take in the Endeavor’s flyover, center officials said.
Chabot will open its doors at 8 a.m. for a viewing party and various space shuttle-related activities.
Admission tickets can be purchased online at www.chabotspace.org.
The exact timing and path of the ferry flight depend on weather conditions and operational constraints, according to NASA.
If the flight is postponed for any reason, additional information will be posted on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nasaames.
Chris Cooney, Bay City News
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