Endeavour Space Shuttle

For all you non-nerds out there, today we got real nerdy and waited outside in our backyard to see the space shuttle Endeavour fly past our house. We waited for 30 minutes but then Antz and Liv couldn't take the heat and went indoors. He told me to text him when I saw it, like less than 5 minutes I heard the booming sound of a plane and all these simultaneous cheering. I almost dropped my Nikon and my phone trying to text Antz and take photos at the same time. By the time I sent him a text to come outside it was flying directly over my head. I had the Nikon D300 with the 200mm lens but for some reason *my camera is a douche* I couldn't get it to auto focus to get a better close up. Here's the best ones I got, all the crappy ones that make it look like a toy when it was incredibly massive. It was exhilarating watching it fly by. I am so happy I got a shot of Endeavour with Liv in it. I hope she'll show her great-grandchild one day.

Directly over our house

The shuttle gets lost against the mountains

folks were watching on top of this hill next to Occidental College

Pretty fucking historic

this one is my fave

YAY!!

darn power lines!

headed towards downtown LA (City Hall)

It flew right over our house and then turned around and flew by the Jet Propulsion Lab which is in La Canada. Here is an article from LA Times explaining the shuttle's route.

Anticipated fog in the Bay Area has postponed Endeavour's departure from Edwards Air Force Base from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. That means the shuttle is now expected back in Los Angeles air space around 11:30 a.m., when it will circle numerous area landmarks.
Endeavour will fly over at least the following:

• Los Angeles City Hall
• California Science Center
• Getty Center
• Griffith Observatory
• Queen Mary
• Long Beach Aquarium
• Malibu, Venice and Huntington beaches
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Universal Studios
• Disneyland

Police are advising people to plan ahead. Consider taking public transportation or planning where you're going to park in advance. There are likely to be crowds.

The Griffith Park Observatory should be a great spot to get a close-up glimpse and photographs of the shuttle with the city in the background. There’s also plenty of space throughout the park that should offer good views.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge will provide free shuttle service from the parking lot of the Greek Theatre  to the Griffith Observatory beginning at 8 a.m. Friday. With plenty of parking and ample room for crowds, Universal CityWalk should be a fun viewing area as the shuttle flies over Universal Studios.

In Orange County, Disneyland would offer a similar experience. Maybe you can even take a picture of the shuttle with Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background.
Downtown, the best spots for seeing the shuttle as it passes over Los Angeles City Hall will probably be tall buildings or the top levels of nearby parking garages. City officials will open the Tom Bradley Tower to view Endeavour's flyover, and they expect spectators to gather at the newly opened Grand Park.
In Long Beach, the parks that dot Shoreline Drive or Ocean Boulevard are probably among of the best places to see the shuttle as it passes over the Queen Mary and Aquarium of the Pacific. The Queen Mary will also offer free admission between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to anyone who tells the ticket attendant the code word "Endeavour."
And if you want to watch the shuttle land at LAX, you’re in luck. El Segundo police are blocking off sections of Imperial Avenue for public viewing. Beginning at 9 a.m., police will close the 300 to 600 blocks of East Imperial Avenue and the 700 block of West Imperial Avenue to traffic, a stretch that includes Clutter’s Park.

We plan to see it in person at the California Science Museum.