Over the last three days, the Space Shuttle Endeavour made its way from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Los Angeles, where it will go on display at the California Science Center. Along the way, the space plane -- bolted to the top of a modified Boeing 747 -- hammed it up, treating cities and NASA centers across the southern United States to low-altitude flybys.
It was one final victory lap for a spacecraft that provided astronauts with reliable access to the Space Station and low-Earth orbit, racking up 123 million miles over 25 flights and nearly two decades. Millions of people looked skyward, snapping photos and cheering as the Shuttle cruised overhead.
Here is a sampling of some of the best images from the journey, from NASA escort jets and fans on the ground.
Above:
Endeavour, bolted to the top of a Boeing 747, began its journey from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, September 19th. (Photo: NASA/Robert Markowitz)