The countdown is on until the space shuttle Endeavour will flies over the Santa Monica Pier this morning (9/21) sometime between 10 a.m. to noon as it makes its way to LAX.
Reports put the flyover at about 11:30 a.m. and it will be flying north to south (Malibu to Venice).
It will be flying at 1500 feet (planes flying into LA are usually at 2500 feet) while bolted on top of a Boeing 747.
Michael “Mike” Fincke was on board Endeavour’s last mission on STS-134 from May 11 to June 1 last year as a mission specialist.
He told Fox11 News this morning “it’s an amazing day.”
“The whole city is unified with this electric purpose to welcome Endeavour home and I’m so thrilled to be part of it and I’m overwhelmed by the hospitality,” Fincke said.
He said one of his most amazing sights he’s ever had was seeing earth from Endeavour.
“I’m a planetary scientist and I like looking at other planets, until I saw earth from space and I fell in love,” he said. “We have the most beautiful planet, so many different colors, so many different shapes, it’s just amazing.”
He talked about the experience of living on board the space shuttle.
“The most important, amazing thing when you’re in space is that you can fly,” he said. “We all dream about being Superman or Iron Man or something like that, well you can actually be that way in space. You feel normal, but you can fly everywhere and it doesn’t get old.”
Cranes will lift Endeavour off the Boeing 747 later today and the shuttle will be put on a special carrying device so it can weave the streets of LA to the California Science Center.
The Santa Monica Pier is set to be the best viewing location for the Santa Monica flyover.
Pacific Park on the pier will offer free rides on its Ferris wheel during the two-hour window.
All guests need to do is simply go to the Pacific Wheel entrance and enter the queue line and Pacific Park will provide the three to five minute complimentary ride for the guest.
Depending on the arrival time of the space shuttle Endeavour, some fortunate guests will be on the Ferris wheel during the Santa Monica Pier fly over.
Endeavour arrived in California on Thursday and it spent last night at Edwards Airforce Base.
Pacific Park is located at 380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica.
