As a new exhibit opens showcasing NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour, NASA photographers look back at the final mission. These photographers documented the iconic images shared around the world on Sept. 21, 2012, while millions watched space shuttle Endeavour fly on top of the agency’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft for the last time.
Endeavour’s new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles will reopen the weekend of Nov. 13, displayed upright in launch position, ready to inspire the next generation of space explorers.
NASA/Lori Losey
“Chasing Endeavour’s final ferry flight over Southern California was, without a doubt, a leading highlight of my 37-year career at NASA,” said Lori Losey, lead videographer at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. “I advocated for two chase aircraft to be used in the LA area so we could dedicate one aircraft to photo and one to video. It was this beautiful dance of alternating altitudes and swapping positions between landmarks to maximize both of us capturing the legendary imagery.”
Two photographers and one videographer, all based at NASA Armstrong, had a leading hand in preparing the Endeavour’s flight to Los Angeles, and in deciding where else the aircraft would fly around California on its final journey. Agency pilots planned the route to fly across some of California’s most iconic landmarks and the imagery team strategized about how to best capture the images.
“The most fun thing about this project was seeing the excitement of the people on the ground as we flew over the different landmarks,” said Jim Ross, NASA Armstrong’s lead photographer. “People in the Los Angeles area really came out and supported the Endeavour flyover. We saw so many supporters at Griffith Park and Disneyland.”
Photographer Carla Thomas said seeing the standing-room-only crowd below the California State Capitol in Sacramento filled her with pride. After joining the agency in the wake of the Challenger tragedy, she reflected on the opportunity to document NASA’s return to flight.
Endeavour was escorted by NASA Armstrong’s F/A-18s and an F-15, which carried the photo and video teams in the back seats. Like many flight efforts, this journey took a significant amount of preplanning with the California Science Center, as well as groups like the Federal Aviation Administration, the Los Angeles International Airport, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“The planning was my favorite part of this effort — it was fun and exciting to plan the shots,” Thomas said. “I flew the entire route with the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) in one of their helicopters. We had to make sure this was going to work and find any obstacles. Planning for the Hollywood sign was challenging, because it’s on the side of a hill with power lines and radio antennas, but we worked through these issues in the planning process.”
The space shuttle’s flight path included other California landmarks: Dodger Stadium, the Getty Center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, the Golden Gate Bridge, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the Santa Monica Pier.
Endeavour helped begin assembly of the International Space Station by delivering its first components to orbit and went on to complete 25 missions. The space shuttle will soon be seen, along with some of the images from the final flight, in its permanent home inside the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
