Some 26 people were treated for heat-related injuries after a long day in the sun, a fire department statement said. As crews tried to find ways to tilt and twist the shuttle past the tree, they came close to deciding to cut it down before it squeezed through.Īnother slip-up came when it appeared the shuttle was going to hit a light post, and crews again began plans to remove it as the ship slid through. They included a small tree that planners hadn't thought needed removal but ended up bringing the procession to a stop. There was no major single reason for the slowdown - it was the accumulation of many small problems involving manoeuvring and maintenance. “Having a shuttle come through this area of high poverty, it can only be a good thing” for the community,” said Damian Pipkins, a volunteer at Eso Won Books.īut it was also a day of hurdles and hiccups that by late afternoon had Endeavour running some two hours behind. The shuttle passed several gritty areas and shuttered businesses, and rolled down many streets that were aflame two decades earlier during the 1992 riots brought on by the Rodney King beating. Unlike other high-profile events like the Academy Awards or the Rose Parade, the procession was centred in some of the area's most economically downtrodden and troubled places. It's important to witness history and for our children to experience it.”Įndeavour was scheduled to inch into the California Science Center late Saturday to spend the rest of its years as a museum piece.
It makes us proud,” said Martinez, a project director for a non-profit whose family took turns taking pictures of one another as the shuttle slowly inched by.Īdded his wife, Marcia: “It's a big deal especially for this neighbourhood. By late afternoon, some 30,000 people were gathered along the final stretch of the journey, according to fire department estimates.ĭean Martinez, who lives in Los Angeles but works in Inglewood, came with his wife and 9-year-old daughter. Others wondered if it could just hurry up to its destination.Ĭrowds gathered in front of lnglewood High School before sunrise Saturday to watch Endeavour roll by at about three kilometres per hour. Some rooted for Endeavour when it appeared it might clip a light post. Related: In photos: Endeavour’s last mission: TrafficĪlong the nearly 20 kilometre course, people marvelled at the engineering. In an instant, the shuttle crossings became part of history. Having escaped out of Earth's atmosphere two dozen times, Endeavour's slow-speed trek Saturday to its retirement centre took it through the working class streets of southern Los Angeles. At every turn of Endeavour's stop-and-go commute through urban streets, a constellation of spectators trailed along as the space shuttle ploddingly nosed past stores, schools, churches and front yards.
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