Author Topic: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)  (Read 102966 times)

Offline nathan.moeller

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Figured I'd go ahead and get this started so as not to tie up the processing threads.  Max-Q is offering apparel in our shop to commemorate the event for anyone who is interested :)

Patches are available as well (PM me).

http://www.maxqent.spreadshirt.com
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Offline MarsMethanogen

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #1 on: 02/22/2012 02:44 pm »
Has anyone been able to find the proposed route that OV-105 will take when being transported from LAX to the California Science Center?  As I'm in Ontario every week working, I'm thinking seriously about getting to a spot along this route and seeing her pass by.

Offline MarsMethanogen

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #2 on: 02/22/2012 02:49 pm »
Figured I'd go ahead and get this started so as not to tie up the processing threads.  Max-Q is offering apparel in our shop to commemorate the event for anyone who is interested :)

Patches are available as well (PM me).

http://www.maxqent.spreadshirt.com

Any significance to the number, arrangement and colors of the stars on the patch that someone might be able to enlighten us?

Offline HelixSpiral

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #3 on: 02/22/2012 03:30 pm »
Not sure about the color, but there are 25 stars for 25 flights.

Offline catdlr

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #4 on: 02/22/2012 05:07 pm »
Has anyone been able to find the proposed route that OV-105 will take when being transported from LAX to the California Science Center?  As I'm in Ontario every week working, I'm thinking seriously about getting to a spot along this route and seeing her pass by.

Quote
According to officials, the preliminary route envisions the shuttle crossing over the 405 Freeway, traveling through Inglewood on Manchester Boulevard, and then approaching the museum via Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards.

Source: Los Angeles Times: 
October 12, 2011|Rong-Gong Lin II
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/12/local/la-me-endeavour-20111012

It's Tony De La Rosa, ...I don't create this stuff, I just report it.

Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #5 on: 02/23/2012 03:29 pm »
Here's the embroidered version of the patch.  As for the symbolism, here's the description -

"Trailing twenty-five stars representing twenty-five spaceflights, space shuttle Endeavour overflies the red, white and blue United States of America into a historic sunset, signifying her final flight and journey toward the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. The Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station remain in her wake as long-term reminders of Endeavour’s landmark achievements in space.

A golden ribbon surrounds the vehicle, illuminated by the setting sun and representing her transit from one sunny U.S. coast to another; from the Sunshine State to the Golden State. Her name, as well as those of her
two homes (Kennedy Space Center and the California Science Center) adorn the top and bottom of the banner, while her dates of service and number of flights round out the ribbon.

Just as the ribbon does, Endeavour’s life now comes full circle. Born in California, she now makes her triumphant homecoming to begin a new career of inspiration for the next generation of explorers."
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Offline iskyfly

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #6 on: 04/17/2012 11:00 pm »
Is the route from KSC to LAX known at this point? If weather is not an issue, will it be a direct flight considering the lower weight as a result of T&R ?

Thanks

Offline astrobrian

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #7 on: 04/17/2012 11:48 pm »
Likely as with the Discovery flight, the route will not be published for security reasons.

Offline iskyfly

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #8 on: 04/18/2012 12:14 am »
Oh ok. Thanks. I thought I read somewhere on here that the reason for the secrecy re Discovery was because of the DC airspace.

Offline yorky10

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #9 on: 04/18/2012 11:41 am »
Does anyone know the KSC departure date?
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Offline psloss

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #10 on: 04/18/2012 11:55 am »
Does anyone know the KSC departure date?
Target date is mid-September.
« Last Edit: 04/18/2012 11:55 am by psloss »

Offline spacecane

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #11 on: 04/18/2012 01:54 pm »
Are they planning the same type of KSC flyovers that they did with Discovery?

Offline Mapperuo

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #12 on: 04/18/2012 04:09 pm »
Tempted to save up and merge a business trip to LA with the viewing of Endeavour's arrival. Rather expensive mistake for me if they reschedule though!

How confident is September? Or is it just impossible to tell at this stage?
- Aaron

Offline catdlr

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #13 on: 04/18/2012 06:48 pm »
Tempted to save up and merge a business trip to LA with the viewing of Endeavour's arrival. Rather expensive mistake for me if they reschedule though!

How confident is September? Or is it just impossible to tell at this stage?

I've read either September or October.  I would not place reservation and/or bets yet on a specific date this far in advance.  I would encourage you to keep posted to this web site for further information:

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Exhibits/AirAndSpace/endeavour/endeavour.php
It's Tony De La Rosa, ...I don't create this stuff, I just report it.

Offline hygoex

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #14 on: 04/19/2012 05:47 pm »
Will there be any stops along the way?   

Offline cycleroadie

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #15 on: 04/19/2012 05:48 pm »
Will there be any stops along the way?   

Aside from a refueling stop, I have not heard of any.
Lloyd
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Offline mrhuggy

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #16 on: 04/19/2012 06:50 pm »
Will there be any stops along the way?   

Aside from a refueling stop, I have not heard of any.

I think places like Huntsville, New Orleans, Houston, White Sands and Edwards would be very good stop off points.

Offline scotty125

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #17 on: 05/02/2012 07:30 pm »
The latest I've heard about dates targets a September 20 arrival in LA, with transit to the museum 3-4 weeks later.  It might actually be more fun to watch the transit in October...not sure if the route has been published yet, but I've heard cost estimates in excess of $10 million just for that portion of the move...
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Offline collectSPACE

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #18 on: 05/02/2012 09:24 pm »
Per NASA, OV-105's ferry flight is anticipated to be a two day trip, Sept. 20-21, with two stops along the way (one, overnight). Still subject to change but that's the latest I heard, just before OV-103/101 departed.

Offline david1971

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #19 on: 06/07/2012 07:36 am »
Is there a good reason why the shuttle arrivals aren't aimed at the weekends? 

A lot easier to get a whole lot of people outside and looking up when they don't have to be at work.
I flew on SOFIA four times.

Offline wolfpack

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #20 on: 06/07/2012 06:31 pm »
Is there a good reason why the shuttle arrivals aren't aimed at the weekends? 

A lot easier to get a whole lot of people outside and looking up when they don't have to be at work.

Because it would probably result in a lot of the manpower involved getting overtime pay.

Offline Jim

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #21 on: 06/07/2012 06:44 pm »

I think places like Huntsville, New Orleans, Houston, White Sands and Edwards would be very good stop off points.

Too many and why White Sands?  There is no one there.

Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #22 on: 06/07/2012 09:07 pm »

I think places like Huntsville, New Orleans, Houston, White Sands and Edwards would be very good stop off points.

Too many and why White Sands?  There is no one there.

Flybys for MSFC and MAF might be good ideas with a stop in Houston if they go that route at all.  Agree on WSSH.  Far too remote and no publicity opportunities.
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Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #23 on: 08/01/2012 08:50 am »
For those planning to see Endeavour's arrival at LAX, I dug up some useful information tonight:

From an LAX Board briefing: http://www.lax.aero/uploadedFiles/board_agenda/ManagementReports/boac120709ySpace%20Shuttle%20Endeavor%20Arrival%20Briefing.pdf

The most useful item here is that landing is planned for the south runway (25L).  There's also a diagram of the tow-out plan.

Next up, Imperial Hill is mentioned in several plane-spotting guides as the place to be for south-side operations.  It's practically right across from the United hangars where the crane operations will take place.  I haven't scoped it out personally yet but may try to in the next few weeks.

Map here: http://www.nycaviation.com/spotting-guides/lax/

An airport runway and taxiway diagram: http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1209/00237AD.PDF

The United hangar is the black box next to Taxiway C17.  As indicated on the chart, the south side tower frequency is 120.95 and south ground is 121.75 for those with scanners.  The typical approach frequency prior to tower handoff is 124.9, though some arrivals from the north are on 128.50.

Edit: link to taxiway diagram changes monthly on FAA chart cycle.  For future reference, the 1209 portion of the link represents a 2 digit year and a cycle number that's roughly the month or month number + 1.

« Last Edit: 09/14/2012 12:20 am by WheelsStop »

Offline jeff122670

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #24 on: 08/01/2012 04:12 pm »
arent those pics of Discovery on the back of the SCA?   ooops, he, he..
Jeff Ray

Offline Wayne Hale

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #25 on: 08/02/2012 01:50 pm »
Sadly the WSSH crew (never a large group) has been dispersed, the lakebed runways are no longer maintained, and many of the buildings (most of which were temporary) have been hauled off.  Nothing and nobody out there for a flyby. 

WSTF (White Sands Test Facility) on the other side of the Organ Mountains is still in business and its workforce would probably have  a morale boost from a flyover, however.

Offline Alpha Control

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #26 on: 08/02/2012 10:38 pm »
Hi Mr. Hale! You entered post number 105, for OV-105! (I like the symmetry!)

On a general question for all, will they tow Endeavour on her wheels through the city, or are they planning to use one of the orbiter transporters from KSC? This will be the longest towing route for any of the orbiters by a large margin.
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Offline psloss

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #27 on: 08/02/2012 11:22 pm »
On a general question for all, will they tow Endeavour on her wheels through the city, or are they planning to use one of the orbiter transporters from KSC?
Neither; they're going to use the transporter used to tow the orbiter vehicles from Palmdale to Edwards AFB.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-071112a.html

This will be the longest towing route for any of the orbiters by a large margin.
No, those transports back in the late 70s/early 80s (for all the vehicles except Endeavour) were longer.

And don't forget that the transporter at KSC was originally intended to move orbiters from North Vandenberg to the South Vandenberg Shuttle pad.  Enterprise made the trip once (a round trip) on that transporter..that route was a similar distance to the one planned for October.
« Last Edit: 08/02/2012 11:24 pm by psloss »

Offline yorky10

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #28 on: 08/24/2012 01:39 pm »
Tickets bought and confirmed for the Flyout :) WoooooHooooooo
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Offline Naito

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #29 on: 08/24/2012 01:51 pm »
I'll be LAX on Sept 21st and Oct 5th, think there's any chance I could see her at the airport? I know the move isn't until the week after.
Carl C.

Offline scotty125

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #30 on: 08/28/2012 07:07 pm »
I haven't seen a time for arrival at LAX on the 20th...only "mid-day."  I need to book plane fare this weekend, has anyone seen a more specific time?  My flight of choice lands around 9AM.  Just trying to figure out if that leaves enough time to get to a decent vantage point...
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Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #31 on: 08/30/2012 08:24 am »
I haven't seen a time for arrival at LAX on the 20th...only "mid-day."  I need to book plane fare this weekend, has anyone seen a more specific time?  My flight of choice lands around 9AM.  Just trying to figure out if that leaves enough time to get to a decent vantage point...

A really awesome vantage point would be on an aircraft taxiing by the SCA!

They're overnighting at Edwards, so an early morning start could put them over LA as early as 8AM.  Total speculation on my part, but I'll guess the LA tour will be around the late-morning hours (10A-noon).  Early morning hours won't work well if the marine layer is present; late-morning matches the DC flyover timing (although the flight time from KSC was probably the driving factor there).  The NASA recon flight this past weekend was up around 1:30P (presumably they'd want to do photo recon under similar lighting conditions as the actual flight), but that was later than scheduled due to the low clouds in the area.

I'll be LAX on Sept 21st and Oct 5th, think there's any chance I could see her at the airport? I know the move isn't until the week after.

I'd guess probably on the 21st.  If things go according to schedule, she should be out on the ramp in front of the UAL hangar for demating that day.  I assume once demated she'll be hidden in the hangar until the transfer parade.

I don't believe there's an angle from the terminal area to that ramp.  Possibly from the south end of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.  Off-airport, Imperial Hill looks to be the place to be.  There's a good writeup about it here:

http://taxiwayalpha.blogspot.com/2008/04/imperial-hill.html

In the panorama photo, the United hangar is the one farthest to the left.  I'm planning on checking the location out this weekend.

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #32 on: 09/04/2012 01:21 am »
Here's the results of the site surveys I did this weekend.

First, Imperial Ave. at Hillcrest St.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33.930939,-118.426601&num=1&t=h&z=19

This is off the departure end of Rwy 25.  There is a reasonably unobstructed view of the United hangar, just a small hill in the foreground.  While I was there, a China Airlines 747 taxied in front of the hangar, so it provided a good sense of scale.  The touchdown zone is two miles down-field and obscured by trees and power lines, so this is really a spot to see Endeavour once the SCA is on the ramp and during de-mating operations.

The following three photos were taken at 28mm, 100mm, and 200mm focal lengths with a 1.6x crop sensor, so the effective full frame focal lengths are 44mm, 160mm, and 320mm respectively.


Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #33 on: 09/04/2012 01:39 am »
Imperial Hill (Imperial Ave. at Sheldon St.) is about 1 mile east from the above location.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33.931004,-118.411579&num=1&t=h&z=19

Aircraft on approach are visible, but the touchdown zone is about a mile downfield from here and obscured by some hangars.  The view from rollout to the United hangar is unobstructed.

The two photos are shot at 28mm and 210mm on a 1.6x crop sensor (full frame 44mm, 335mm), respectively.  Rwy 25L is the first hunk of concrete in the foreground.

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #34 on: 09/04/2012 02:19 am »
A few other places I checked out:

- Flight Path Museum at Imperial Terminal.  This place is right on the south edge of the field.  From the parking lot, there are tall fences in the way.  My understanding is there's a DC-3 on exhibit on the ramp behind the building, along with a good view of the midfield section of Rwy 25, but I didn't have time to go in and check it out.

- Douglas St. at the DHL terminal.  (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33.935296,-118.383481&num=1&t=h&z=19)  The good news is you're maybe 500 feet from the Rwy 25L numbers.  The bad news is there's tall fences in the way (of course).  Aircraft on approach are visible, until they drop below the fence line.  The touchdown zone is visible through the fence, but you lose sight of aircraft pretty soon during rollout.  If you don't mind looking through a fence, this might be an interesting spot.

- The Proud Bird Restaurant.  I didn't stop here, but it's just south of the Rwy 25L approach path about 1/4 mile from the runway and has a park / aircraft display adjoining it.

- The In-N-Out at Sepulveda and PCH.  (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33.952624,-118.396735&num=1&t=h&z=18)  I had lunch here.  I probably won't do that again.  The parking lot was essentially impassable what with folks trying to park; trying to go through the drive through, etc.  However, if you can find a parking spot, or are willing to pay for garage parking next door ($4/half-hour or $15/day), it's a good place to watch aircraft landing on Rwy 24R up close...  You can stand on the sidewalk about 1500 feet away from the runway threshold, directly under the flight path next to one of the approach light stands.

There's no good reason to be here for the Endeavour arrival, since it's on the north side of the field.  However, there's a chance the SCA could do a low approach on 24R (The NASA photo-survey flight last week did low approaches on both 24R and 25L). 

The two photos below:
- A320 on approach to Rwy 25L from the Douglas St. site.  (400mm)
- A380 on approach to Rwy 24R from the sidewalk in front of the In-N-Out.  I understand aerodynamics and all, but it's mind boggling something that huge can manage to stay in the air!  (35mm)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #35 on: 09/04/2012 04:23 pm »
Tree removal for space shuttle arrival tempers excitement

For some South L.A. residents, the excitement of Endeavour rumbling through their neighborhoods en route to the California Science Center faded when they learned that 400 trees had to be cut down.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-shuttle-trees-20120904,0,5463653.story
Jacques :-)

Offline TheFallen

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #36 on: 09/04/2012 09:11 pm »
Tree-huggin' hippies. Go to Angeles National Forest if you want to see some nice shrubbery. And wildfires.

Thanks for the recon, WheelsStop... Looking forward to driving to LAX on September 20 to at least get a glimpse of Endeavour/SCA airborne before they land at the airport.
« Last Edit: 09/04/2012 09:15 pm by TheFallen »

Offline Negative Return

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #37 on: 09/05/2012 03:19 am »
Back here on the departure side...anyone heard details about the KSC flyout?

Are they planning a victory lap along the beaches like they did for Discovery?

KSCVC is touting a Rocket Garden viewpoint package, but if it's anything like Discovery, the beaches will have a better view.

Offline Rocket Guy

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #38 on: 09/05/2012 03:56 am »
As long as weather permits, it is likely to be the same as Discovery, yes.

Offline yorky10

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #39 on: 09/05/2012 08:07 pm »
Back here on the departure side...anyone heard details about the KSC flyout?

Are they planning a victory lap along the beaches like they did for Discovery?

KSCVC is touting a Rocket Garden viewpoint package, but if it's anything like Discovery, the beaches will have a better view.
I got my tickets for departure last week.
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Offline TheFallen

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #40 on: 09/07/2012 08:40 pm »
Locations that Endeavour/NASA 905 will fly over:

- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, FL (9/17)
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL (9/17)
- Patrick Air Force Base, FL (9/17)
- Stennis Space Center, MS (9/17)
- Michoud Assembly Facility, LA (9/17)
- Houston, TX (9/17)
- Clear Lake, TX (9/17)
- Galveston, TX (9/17)
- White Sands Test Facility, NM (9/19)
- Dryden Flight Research Center, CA (9/19)
- Ames Research Center, CA (9/20)
- San Francisco, CA (9/20)
- Sacramento, CA (9/20)
- Los Angeles, CA (9/20... Landing targeted for 11 am, PDT)
« Last Edit: 09/07/2012 08:42 pm by TheFallen »

Offline david1971

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #41 on: 09/07/2012 09:40 pm »
Locations that Endeavour/NASA 905 will fly over:


- Ames Research Center, CA (9/20)


Any Ames locals know if there will be an open-to-the-public event around this?  It'll be easier to justify pulling my kid out of school if it is more than "Hey, look up at the sky, there's the space shuttle".
I flew on SOFIA four times.

Offline TheFallen

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #42 on: 09/08/2012 01:09 am »
My assumption would be probably not. It's already a surprise that Endeavour/NASA 905 is going out of its way to travel to NoCal locations hundreds of miles away from downtown Los Angeles. And with Sacramento and San Francisco on the itinerary, I would think that the SCA would try to utilize its fuel as efficiently as possible considering the main event is touring the skies above downtown L.A.

I wonder if NASA JPL will be one of the places that Endeavour flies over once it reaches SoCal? Probably not... The fact that JPL is on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains may pose a hazard to the two vehicles...unless the stack flies higher than the 1,500 feet altitude used for flyovers elsewhere.
« Last Edit: 09/08/2012 01:11 am by TheFallen »

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #43 on: 09/08/2012 01:45 am »
Locations that Endeavour/NASA 905 will fly over:

[...]
- Dryden Flight Research Center, CA (9/19)
[...]

It is what, 30 miles maybe, from Dryden to Palmdale? Its difficult to believe they won't be flying past her birthplace!
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Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #44 on: 09/08/2012 02:45 am »
I wonder if NASA JPL will be one of the places that Endeavour flies over once it reaches SoCal?

The collectspace article (http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-090712a.html) specifically mentions the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood sign, and JPL as well as "other LA landmarks" (I've heard Disneyland mentioned) as flyover locations.

Local radio (KNX) also mentioned a low pass over LAX prior to landing, similar to the Dulles arrival for Discovery.

Incidentally, when the NASA jets did their photo mission a couple weeks ago, I believe they flew some segments at 3000', which would provide appropriate terrain clearance around JPL.


Offline TheFallen

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #45 on: 09/08/2012 03:08 am »
I wonder if NASA JPL will be one of the places that Endeavour flies over once it reaches SoCal?

The collectspace article (http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-090712a.html) specifically mentions the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood sign, and JPL as well as "other LA landmarks" (I've heard Disneyland mentioned) as flyover locations.

Local radio (KNX) also mentioned a low pass over LAX prior to landing, similar to the Dulles arrival for Discovery.

Incidentally, when the NASA jets did their photo mission a couple weeks ago, I believe they flew some segments at 3000', which would provide appropriate terrain clearance around JPL.



Thanks for the heads-up, WheelsStop! I'll hopefully be at LAX to see Endeavour's arrival on September 20...but I'll mention this to one of my friends who happens to work at JPL :)
« Last Edit: 09/08/2012 03:09 am by TheFallen »

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #46 on: 09/08/2012 01:42 pm »
Thanx to WheelsStop for doing the leg work around LAX.  Looks like either the Flight Path Museum or Proud Birds Restaurant for me.  I think Flight Path would be my first choice as it's relatively close to the United hanger and should be a great spot to view the landing and roll-out from.  I was stuck on a parking structure at Dulles for Discovery and had a great view for the fly-by's, but the touchdown and roll out were blocked by the terminal.
 
It's probably time to start thinking about an NSF get together.  If the 11AM landing time holds, I think I'm headed for the Science Center to check out their collection before I head back to Portland.  We could meet there, or someplace for lunch.  Anyone interested?
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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #47 on: 09/08/2012 02:45 pm »
If the 11AM landing time holds...

My understanding is that 11 a.m. is the start of the arrival ceremony and that the SCA will touchdown sometime between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #48 on: 09/08/2012 11:36 pm »
11:30 to noon would be better for me...I expect traffic to be pretty hairy even though Proud Birds is right at the threshold of 25L.  I just heard back from the Flight Path museum that they'll be closed to the public as they have been designated a media staging area.  DRAT!  And I even played the visiting docent card...
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Offline Jon Long

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #49 on: 09/09/2012 02:15 am »
A friend and I are planning on going to LAX for Endeavour's arrival and would love to meet up with other NSFers.

While I've been in and out of LAX a number of times, I have no experience with plane spotting around there. Thanks for everyone's input on locations - but I am still confused on where the best spot is likely to be. I've seen Imperial Hill, the In-N-Out, Proud Birds, etc.. being mentioned. What is the consensus on the most unobstructed, accessible location?

Anyone care to take a guess on what the crowds will be like at any of these locations? I am willing to come the night before or early AM to stake out a spot and meet up with others.

Plan on bringing the DSLR and HD camcorder. I'm torn on what lens would be best for the distances expected from the runway and hanger. I'm thinking either a 28-300mm or 100-400mm, but not sure if 400mm is overkill or not. Any opinions?

So from the sounds of it, the ceremony is at 11 AM PDT with the landing shortly thereafter. What kinds of activities will be happening post-landing that would be worth sticking around for? Any ideas?

Anyone who is interested in meeting up and claiming out a spot together, please PM me. A visit to the Science Center while there also sounds like fun.
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Offline BritBoy

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #50 on: 09/09/2012 04:14 pm »
Some advice from a Brit photographer coming a long way for this...

Forget In-N-Out. Imperial Hill OK for fly-by, but no touch down. For those wanting decent shots the rollout on 25R will be a bit distant with heat haze.
Best spot will be Proud Bird. But note, only those with a pre-paid reservation for lunch buffet (25 Bucks) will be allowed access to their grounds and parking. Your names not down your not coming in... they're gonna be busy turning people away!
100-400 mil from here will be perfect. Ciao 8)

Offline ngc3314

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #51 on: 09/09/2012 07:48 pm »
Anybody got inside info on likely viewing places for the Stennis flyover? That one at least is within a day's round-trip drive for me (and I'm still kind of let down at just missing Atlantis at Columbus AFB after STS-125 - the online flight status was just that much slow).

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #52 on: 09/09/2012 07:58 pm »
Thanks BritBoy for the tips!

I made reservations at the Proud Bird today, and I'll stick with 100-400mm lens.   8)

I'm curious though, looking at Google Earth the Proud Bird is at the eastern end of runway 25R/L - which direction is the SCA expected to land from? The east or the west?

Either way, I'd imagine the Proud Bird view is only going to give nose or tail views while she's coming or going. Or am I not seeing this correctly?

Would seem Imperial Hill would give the best side on view and the rollover to the UA hangar.

Any input from those who've been to each location would be much appreciated! I'd imagine it will be so busy that once you pick a spot, you're pretty much stuck there whether you like it or not.
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Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #53 on: 09/10/2012 01:17 am »
Thanks for everyone's input on locations - but I am still confused on where the best spot is likely to be. I've seen Imperial Hill, the In-N-Out, Proud Birds, etc.. being mentioned. What is the consensus on the most unobstructed, accessible location?

If you haven't seen it, read back a page or so in this thread - I've posted some comments on various viewing sites and sample photos at different focal lengths.

With the caveat that I've never been to Proud Birds, just based on their location, I would expect it would be good for the low passes.  Depending on obstructions, the touchdown zone might be visible but you'll be looking tail on about 1/2 mile downrange.

It doesn't appear that there's any good publicly accessible viewing access to the touchdown area.  Douglas St. is closest, but as mentioned, there are chain link fences in the way, and the area might be secured for the SCA's arrival.

In my opinion, Imperial Hill will be the best spot overall.  Proud Birds is about 1000 ft south of the Rwy 25L approach, and landing aircraft will be about about 200 AGL crossing that area.  I'm sure it would be an impressive airborne view.  Imperial Hill is about 1500 ft south of the 25L centerline, so there's not much of a distance penalty there.  While the touchdown won't be visible, you'll get to see her roll right by and there's visibility all the way to the United hangar from there.

Anyone care to take a guess on what the crowds will be like at any of these locations? I am willing to come the night before or early AM to stake out a spot and meet up with others.

Crowded, I'll expect.  When I visited Imperial Hill on a random uneventful weekend, there were a dozen or more people there.  There's a decent amount of room along the sidewalk there, but a few hundred people would fill it up.

Plan on bringing the DSLR and HD camcorder. I'm torn on what lens would be best for the distances expected from the runway and hanger. I'm thinking either a 28-300mm or 100-400mm, but not sure if 400mm is overkill or not. Any opinions?

It obviously depends on where you are, but 400mm will be somewhat overkill for the places we're talking about unless you want to zoom in on the orbiter or the SCA cockpit.  At 2000 ft distance, the SCA will fill a 200mm frame on an APS-C sensor.  Note the 747 in the photo I posted on the previous page was 200mm (on APS-C) from a distance of about 3000 ft.

I'm curious though, looking at Google Earth the Proud Bird is at the eastern end of runway 25R/L - which direction is the SCA expected to land from? The east or the west?

Unless something very unusual happens weatherwise (i.e. strong Santa Ana winds), landings will be from the east going west.  The planned landing runway is 25L.

« Last Edit: 09/10/2012 01:21 am by WheelsStop »

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #54 on: 09/10/2012 03:36 am »
Thanks WheelsStop for the detailed reply -- you seem to have confirmed my questions about the Proud Bird.

That seems to be the place to be for the low flyby prior to touchdown, but once she's down it looks like you'll be seeing the tail and not much else. The UAL hanger would not be visible from that location either would it?

The Imperial Hill location looks best for rollout and taxing to the hangar area. Do you think there will be any low passes over LAX prior to landing, such that you would still be able to get some nice side-view shots of her from Imperial Hill?

I did review the photos you put up, and you mentioned several different locations along Imperial Ave. From what I can determine, the location of Imperial Ave. at Sheldon St. seems to be the best overall spot:

Imperial Hill (Imperial Ave. at Sheldon St.) is about 1 mile east from the above location.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33.931004,-118.411579&num=1&t=h&z=19

Given an 11 AM ceremony start, when would you realistically show up to stake out a spot? Parking is what concerns me, are there any nearby businesses that might have their parking lots open for a fee?

So you think 400mm on a 1.6x APS-C would be overkill? I would like to get some closeups of the SCA cockpit and the orbiter, which is why I thought the 100-400mm would be best. Will 100mm be wide enough from that location if she does any low flybys to still capture the SCA and any of the surrounding area, or would it be too tight?

Thanks again for doing all the scout work for those of us coming!
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Offline BritBoy

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #55 on: 09/10/2012 01:32 pm »
Roger that, the landing runway is planned to be 25L. Very little chance of the opposite 7R unless the winds are unusual. Discovery's arrival at Dulles was planned for 1R, and despite a fairly strong cross wind, made it fine.
The elevated view from Imperial will make for great views of the fly-by's before landing. As indicated, touchdown is 1.5 miles away, with the parking spot at the United hangar also distant.
The touchdown from Proud Bird is 500 yards, and should be visible through the perimeter fence. Again, the fly-by's from here will be great, with the 'money shot' being the final approach (all unobstructed) which should be awesome and very close here. After touchdown, maybe a drive up to Imperial to see them parked.
They are planning on letting those with a reservation in at 9AM (maybe earlier), so plenty of time to get set up and relax with a coffee! Hopefully the masses up the hill will not be having a nightmare with parking and getting the best spot (maybe camping out overnight there would sort that!). I was amazed at the amount of people that came out at Dulles for Discovery, and have no reason to doubt this last 'chance in a lifetime' will not have even more.
BTW, the flight up to Dulles used the callsign 'Pluto 95' and was blocked on flightaware, unfortunately.
Fingers crossed for no tech/weather delays. Ciao 8)

Offline OV135

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #56 on: 09/10/2012 02:38 pm »
I will be in LA during the first week of October.  Can the public go see Endeavour at all prior to her move to the Science Center?

Offline collectSPACE

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #57 on: 09/10/2012 04:12 pm »
According to the California Science Center, there will be no public access to Endeavour once it is inside the United Airlines hangar.

Offline msc

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #58 on: 09/10/2012 06:20 pm »
Locations that Endeavour/NASA 905 will fly over:


- Ames Research Center, CA (9/20)


Any Ames locals know if there will be an open-to-the-public event around this?  It'll be easier to justify pulling my kid out of school if it is more than "Hey, look up at the sky, there's the space shuttle".

Trust me, it's worth it even if it is nothing more than, "hey, look up at the sky, there's a space shuttle." 

Because, for one thing, it's not just a space shuttle, it's a space shuttle on an SCA.  Two things that you will never see in the air again, once it touches down at LAX. 

It traveled 13 hours round trip to see Discovery, and it was definitely worth it:


Missing a math class and a spelling bee would be a small price to pay.....


Offline Chris Bergin

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #59 on: 09/10/2012 06:39 pm »
Wonderful news they will be taking her on such a good tour. Really nice touch for the centers and those involved with the program outside of KSC.
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Offline scotty125

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #60 on: 09/10/2012 06:45 pm »
I've got to second that!  I made the trip to Dulles from Portland, and will be taking a day trip to LAX on the 20th.  To see the SCA and shuttle make a low pass at 1500' AGL is phenominal, whether you're an aviation geek or member of the unwashed masses.  My dad lives in Sacramento and couldn't tell a shuttle from a P-51, but I'm sending him out on the morning of the 20th to go see the fly-by there.  I'm assuming it will be over the capital dome...any one heard for sure?
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Offline dwfx

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #61 on: 09/11/2012 01:13 am »
Any word when/where the Shuttle/SCA will fly over San Francisco?  Will it likely be a single loop around the bay over the Golden Gate Bridge then departing the area?

I need to schedule a flight from SF to Burbank on the 20th so I'm trying to plan around the best opportunities to see the shuttle!

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #62 on: 09/11/2012 05:52 am »
Any word when/where the Shuttle/SCA will fly over San Francisco?  Will it likely be a single loop around the bay over the Golden Gate Bridge then departing the area?

I'll hazard an educated guess on timeframe: Between 8-10AM, more likely in the second half of the window. 

The known constraints are sunrise departure from Edwards and arrival in the LA area a little after 11A.  Sunrise is 6:38A.  It's about an hour to either San Francisco or Sacramento.  I would opt for Sacramento first to allow more time for any coastal clouds to burn off.

For the aviation purists, I suppose since a loop is a vertical maneuver, the SCA won't be doing any of those at all ;)

The inside of the bay is pretty tricky airspace that would conflict with the arrival/departure corridors for SFO and OAK airports.  I've included a snapshot of the SFO VFR flyway chart below for context.  In very simple terms, flight in the grey shaded circles around SFO and OAK will require more coordination compared with staying outside.  In comparison, flight in the areas indicated by the blue shaded arrows is straightforward and doesn't even require talking to ATC.

Weather permitting (and assuming arriving from the direction of Sacramento), they could wind counterclockwise at 2000' from Berkeley to the Golden Gate, over the city and around the west side of the peninsula to Half Moon Bay and then towards Stanford (basically following that blue shaded path).  From there, there are a few options to get to a low pass at Moffett.  One possibility that would avoid the more significant areas of controlled airspace would be to overfly San Jose, then make a left 270 over Fremont and the southern end of San Francisco Bay to make a north-south pass at Moffett.

Again, all this is just my speculation.  We'll have to stay tuned to see what additional info is given in the next few days.
« Last Edit: 09/11/2012 05:57 am by WheelsStop »

Offline johng

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (KSC Ground Trak)
« Reply #63 on: 09/12/2012 12:48 am »

Any detailed ground track info for KSC/Central Florida would be most welcome.

Offline Go4TLI

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #64 on: 09/12/2012 12:55 am »
Wonderful news they will be taking her on such a good tour. Really nice touch for the centers and those involved with the program outside of KSC.

Yep, JSC was originally snubbed with the vehicle just going to WSTF for a flyover and then all around CA as political payback....I mean a sight-seeing and photo-op tour.  ;)

I'm very glad the rumor turned out to be true and now the vehicle will be here for two days (hopefully) for everyone to see it and all the people who worked these ships to see her one last time and bring the families. 

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (KSC Ground Trak)
« Reply #65 on: 09/12/2012 01:21 am »

Any detailed ground track info for KSC/Central Florida would be most welcome.

In the absence of any Endeavour specific updates, the ones published for Discovery's ferry are probably a good reference point:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27689.msg882978#msg882978

Offline dwfx

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #66 on: 09/12/2012 02:34 am »
Any word when/where the Shuttle/SCA will fly over San Francisco?  Will it likely be a single loop around the bay over the Golden Gate Bridge then departing the area?

I'll hazard an educated guess on timeframe: Between 8-10AM, more likely in the second half of the window. 

The known constraints are sunrise departure from Edwards and arrival in the LA area a little after 11A.  Sunrise is 6:38A.  It's about an hour to either San Francisco or Sacramento.  I would opt for Sacramento first to allow more time for any coastal clouds to burn off.

That makes sense.  Hopefully the marine layer will burn off early then - it's been pretty thick this past week.

Quote
The inside of the bay is pretty tricky airspace that would conflict with the arrival/departure corridors for SFO and OAK airports.  I've included a snapshot of the SFO VFR flyway chart below for context.  In very simple terms, flight in the grey shaded circles around SFO and OAK will require more coordination compared with staying outside.  In comparison, flight in the areas indicated by the blue shaded arrows is straightforward and doesn't even require talking to ATC.

For almost all of the flybys I've seen over the Golden Gate they start over the ocean and fly east, although most of those demos make multiple passes. I would expect the SCA to do something similar.

If they really wanted to do a spectacular Bay Tour they could fly over the Golden Gate, east past Alcatraz, turn south and cross the Bay Bridge and Candlestick Pt, fly directly over SFO, then follow the 101 south to Moffett.

Generally, ATC is very accommodating for this sort of thing so the SCA should be able to fly whatever route they want.  I haven't seen any NOTAMs published yet but hopefully that will help narrow it down when they do.

Offline Jon Long

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #67 on: 09/13/2012 04:40 am »
OK, you're making me think this through a little further.  :-)

At this point, I'm thinking I should keep my reservations for the Proud Bird to be close for the final approach and touchdown views and photos.

After she has rolled out and people start to disperse, I'm thinking we could venture up to Imperial Hill for side on views and any activities around the UAL hangar.

Does anyone know how long to expect Endeavour/SCA to remain on runway 25L after touchdown? Will she be moved off the runway to demate area right away, and if so, is the demate area near the UAL hangar and still visible from Imperial Hill?

Just curious if we'd have enough time after touchdown to depart the Proud Bird and start making our way through the crowds to Imperial Hill for additional views.

Also, if you could take just one lens assuming the itinerary I mentioned, on a 1.6x crop camera would it be the 28-300 or 100-400? Extra reach or a wider angle?? Thanks guys!   8)

Roger that, the landing runway is planned to be 25L. Very little chance of the opposite 7R unless the winds are unusual. Discovery's arrival at Dulles was planned for 1R, and despite a fairly strong cross wind, made it fine.
The elevated view from Imperial will make for great views of the fly-by's before landing. As indicated, touchdown is 1.5 miles away, with the parking spot at the United hangar also distant.
The touchdown from Proud Bird is 500 yards, and should be visible through the perimeter fence. Again, the fly-by's from here will be great, with the 'money shot' being the final approach (all unobstructed) which should be awesome and very close here. After touchdown, maybe a drive up to Imperial to see them parked.
They are planning on letting those with a reservation in at 9AM (maybe earlier), so plenty of time to get set up and relax with a coffee! Hopefully the masses up the hill will not be having a nightmare with parking and getting the best spot (maybe camping out overnight there would sort that!). I was amazed at the amount of people that came out at Dulles for Discovery, and have no reason to doubt this last 'chance in a lifetime' will not have even more.
BTW, the flight up to Dulles used the callsign 'Pluto 95' and was blocked on flightaware, unfortunately.
Fingers crossed for no tech/weather delays. Ciao 8)

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Offline BritBoy

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #68 on: 09/13/2012 10:58 am »
With 1.6x crop, the 28-300 will be perfect for 25L from Proud Bird. Enough to fit the whole subject in with option to zoom in for close ups, which also look great. Plenty of time to practice if you get in early.
I think there was a shot of the United hangar from Imperial posted earlier. Looks a bit distant and obstructed? Maybe get a half decent shot from somewhere along there, though heat haze could be in effect.

Does anyone have any word on a FAA TFR being thrown up around LAX for the arrival?

Starting the 15,000KM journey to the States tonight! Houston EFD first, which is looking great for public access  ;)

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #69 on: 09/13/2012 05:42 pm »
Does anyone know how long to expect Endeavour/SCA to remain on runway 25L after touchdown? Will she be moved off the runway to demate area right away, and if so, is the demate area near the UAL hangar and still visible from Imperial Hill?

The SCA should be off 25L in a matter of minutes.  LAX will need to recover 25L for regular traffic quickly.  It's a short taxi over to the ramp in front of the United hangar, so by the time you get out of Proud Bird and over to Imperial Ave, she should already be on the ramp.  Once there, you should have plenty of time to get an eyeful as she'll be there for a couple days for demating (which would be a sight in itself).

To BritBoy's point on heat haze, it might be worthwhile to plan to go out to Imperial Ave early Friday morning before things heat up. 



Offline Jon Long

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #70 on: 09/13/2012 07:26 pm »
Great, thanks for the info WheelsStop.

Looked again at your photos of the UAL hangar from Imperial & Sheldon at 210mm on a 1.6x sensor.

Do you think 300mm / 1.6x will be good enough to get decent closeups of Endeavour/SCA when she is on the ramp? I'm not familiar with the ramp location and how close it is to the runway or UAL hangar.

My fretting about lenses is just due to me being limited on what I can bring with me this trip - I'm actually piggybacking this visit onto a 10 day trip to Vegas, so I'm limited on how much stuff I can bring. Attempting to have a one lens fits all for this trip, so thinking the 28-300mm would be the most flexible. Just want to make sure it has enough reach. Thanks!

Does anyone know how long to expect Endeavour/SCA to remain on runway 25L after touchdown? Will she be moved off the runway to demate area right away, and if so, is the demate area near the UAL hangar and still visible from Imperial Hill?

The SCA should be off 25L in a matter of minutes.  LAX will need to recover 25L for regular traffic quickly.  It's a short taxi over to the ramp in front of the United hangar, so by the time you get out of Proud Bird and over to Imperial Ave, she should already be on the ramp.  Once there, you should have plenty of time to get an eyeful as she'll be there for a couple days for demating (which would be a sight in itself).

To BritBoy's point on heat haze, it might be worthwhile to plan to go out to Imperial Ave early Friday morning before things heat up. 



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Offline Jon Long

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #71 on: 09/13/2012 07:38 pm »
Apologies if this is off-topic, understand this is not a photography thread but thought I'd throw this out to BritBoy and WheelsStop as it may help others attending.

Having shot the shuttle launches a number of times, I'm familiar with settings for good results. I'm not a plane spotter though, so quick question -- shutter speed and metering? Given an IS lens to compensate for hand shake, would you run 1/1000 to freeze the SCA in flight/touchdown? Faster/slower? Would be really unhappy with too slow of a shutter and blur.   :o

Also, I've seen mention of other spotters using center-weighted metering instead of a normal evaluative setting. Presume this is to getting a better read on the aircraft against a presumably featureless sky.

Any opinions on these two settings? Thanks guys.

With 1.6x crop, the 28-300 will be perfect for 25L from Proud Bird. Enough to fit the whole subject in with option to zoom in for close ups, which also look great. Plenty of time to practice if you get in early.
I think there was a shot of the United hangar from Imperial posted earlier. Looks a bit distant and obstructed? Maybe get a half decent shot from somewhere along there, though heat haze could be in effect.

Does anyone have any word on a FAA TFR being thrown up around LAX for the arrival?

Starting the 15,000KM journey to the States tonight! Houston EFD first, which is looking great for public access  ;)
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Offline BritBoy

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #72 on: 09/13/2012 09:02 pm »
Roger that, just after sunrise on the Friday should light the stack up very nicely from Imperial. Maybe by the Saturday morning the demate will be done?
Would be nice to shoot the stack on finals then get to Imperial for the rollout, but i don't think its possible! Even after breaking a few laws, there probably won't be a parking place within a mile!
There is the chance of a couple of hours practice from Proud Bird to perfect your settings. High shutter speed is the safe bet... not much point in going low for motion blur with no backdrop to blur. Best chance for that will hopefully be at Ellington for the departure on 19th, not long after sunrise, for those able to get there.

Sent from an old fashioned iPhone 4

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #73 on: 09/14/2012 01:25 am »
Do you think 300mm / 1.6x will be good enough to get decent closeups of Endeavour/SCA when she is on the ramp? I'm not familiar with the ramp location and how close it is to the runway or UAL hangar.

My fretting about lenses is just due to me being limited on what I can bring with me this trip - I'm actually piggybacking this visit onto a 10 day trip to Vegas, so I'm limited on how much stuff I can bring. Attempting to have a one lens fits all for this trip, so thinking the 28-300mm would be the most flexible. Just want to make sure it has enough reach. Thanks!

The LAX briefing mentioned here (http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27986.msg935679#msg935679) might be useful.  There's a small but readable diagram of the arrival and tow-out routes in there.

The ramp is right in front of the hangar.  As one more point of reference, the photo below was from Imperial and Sheldon, at 400mm/1.6x, of a B757 on the taxiway in front of the hangar.  The B747 will be half again as long, but a 300mm and an extra few hundred feet of distance will offset some of that.  My figuring says the 747 should take up 80% of the width of a 300mm frame from there (~4000ft away).

From down the street at Imperial and Hillcrest is about 3000 ft distance (but with a low hill in the way), and you'll note in my earlier photos at 200mm/1.6x the 747 nearly fills the frame.  If you do some scaling math or mental gymnastics, you might get an idea of how close you can get with your 28-300.  At the short end, you might consider how much context you want to capture.  Note there's a 100mm shot there and that's as wide as you'll be able to get if you just bring the 100-400.  To some extent, what you bring depends on what you want to achieve.

Having shot the shuttle launches a number of times, I'm familiar with settings for good results. I'm not a plane spotter though, so quick question -- shutter speed and metering? Given an IS lens to compensate for hand shake, would you run 1/1000 to freeze the SCA in flight/touchdown? Faster/slower? Would be really unhappy with too slow of a shutter and blur.   :o

Also, I've seen mention of other spotters using center-weighted metering instead of a normal evaluative setting. Presume this is to getting a better read on the aircraft against a presumably featureless sky.
This thread is probably the most appropriate to discuss photographic issues.

With the caveat that I'm not usually a plane-spotter photographer, I'm with BritBoy in faster shutter speed.  I'm not familiar with the 28-300, but if it is a faster lens, that might be another thing going for it.  My  100-400 is much sharper at f/8, for which high shutter speeds are hard on anything other than a sunny day.  If there's cloud cover, I suspect I'll wind up relying heavily on my 70-200mm/f2.8.

All of the various shots I posted were evaluative metering, which seemed ok to me.  You'll have lots of opportunity to experiment on the other arrivals while waiting...  Usually if auto-metering annoys me too much, I'll just dial in a manual exposure based on the metering results.

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #74 on: 09/15/2012 04:30 am »
Great info here guys, very helpful!

I'm thinking I'll bring the 28-300mm and hope for the best. That lens and the 100-400 are both not much faster than f4 or f5.6 at the longer lengths, so there is not a clear speed advantage in either one.

I'd rather have the flexibility of a wider angle to capture more context and personal photos - while at 300mm/1.6x looks like it should reach out quite well over the expected distances.

We'll start at the Proud Bird and try to make our way to Imperial Hill once the crowds die down for some viewing on the ramp by the hangar.

Hope for sunny skies and low ISOs! See you guys there!   8)
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Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #75 on: 09/15/2012 05:33 am »
Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) have gone up around the metro areas where the Endeavour will be doing overflights:

9/17 1500-1700Z (10A-noon local) below 3000' 20 nautical miles around JSC
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_4280.html

9/20 1500-1630Z (8-9:30A local) below 5000' 25 nautical miles around McClellan AFB, Sacramento
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_4352.html

9/20 1530-1730Z (8:30-10:30A local) below 5000' 25 nautical miles around San Francisco Airport
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_4353.html

9/20 1830-2030Z (11:30A-1:30P local) below 5000' 30 nautical miles around LAX
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_4354.html

These pretty much define the time windows to expect flyovers.  On the final leg out of Edwards on Thursday, it looks like Endeavour will indeed be heading to Sacramento first, then San Francisco.
« Last Edit: 09/15/2012 05:34 am by WheelsStop »

Offline gchockry

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #76 on: 09/15/2012 12:19 pm »
I've traveled Florida to view the Endeavour Fly-Out from KSCVC. Also going to the new tours of the LCC, VAB, Inside Pad 39A (now with flame trench!). Plus, the Endeavour Tour for Endeavour/SCA mating on Friday and Saturday.

Somewhere on the Discovery Fly-Out threads I noted that someone was going to the KSCVC parking lot only (not entering the Visitor Center) to view the combo fly over the Rocket Garden.

FYI, KSCVC is now charging ($10 for cars) to use the parking lot. Annual Pass holders have free parking.

Offline DrGuano

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #77 on: 09/16/2012 04:11 am »
Tickets to view the departure from the SLF have been occasionally appearing on the KSC site. I bought three earlier this week. The operator at Delaware North was quite surprised at this when I called to ask that the General Admission be refunded because I have an annual pass. At 3:00 today, we took the last bus tour to see Endeavor atop the SCA. I was surprised that there was hardly anyone visible at the SLF. It is very impressive and sad to see this for the last time. I may have to fly out to LAX on Thursday to watch the arrival.
« Last Edit: 09/16/2012 04:13 am by DrGuano »

Offline spacecane

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #78 on: 09/16/2012 02:47 pm »
I have tickets to view the flyout from the SLF through the visitor center.  I have a few of questions.

1) Is the SCA/Endeavor combo going to be parked by the MDD Monday morning when spectators arrive or will it have already been taxied to the runway threshold?

2) Where do the busses drop off at the SLF?

3) Where are you allowed to view from?  Is it like the causeway launch viewing where you can pretty much walk as far down as you want to or is there a designated area.  Related to this, how close to the runway is the boundary for viewing?

4) Also related to #3 are there any obstructions that get in the way of seeing to the end of the runway from the viewing area?


Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #79 on: 09/16/2012 05:01 pm »
I have tickets to view the flyout from the SLF through the visitor center.  I have a few of questions.

1) Is the SCA/Endeavor combo going to be parked by the MDD Monday morning when spectators arrive or will it have already been taxied to the runway threshold?

2) Where do the busses drop off at the SLF?

3) Where are you allowed to view from?  Is it like the causeway launch viewing where you can pretty much walk as far down as you want to or is there a designated area.  Related to this, how close to the runway is the boundary for viewing?

4) Also related to #3 are there any obstructions that get in the way of seeing to the end of the runway from the viewing area?

I was at the SLF for the Discovery flyout.  If things happen the same way:

1) The SCA will start the morning on the ramp at the MDD.  The Discovery ferry flight took off from north to south (Rwy 15 departure): the Pathfinder aircraft and the SCA taxied down the runway and made a stop in front of the viewing area for a couple minutes for everyone to get an eyeful, then proceeded to the far end of the runway for departure.  If they take off to the north this time, I don't know if they'd come down halfway for the photo-op since the MDD is at the Rwy 33 threshold.

2) You'll wind up at the bleachers here.  The buses drop off in the parking area behind the bleachers.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=28.616577,-80.690627&num=1&t=h&z=19

3) They keep you in the immediate vicinity of the bleacher area.  If you zoom in on the Google satellite image, you can kind of see where the fenceline is about 50 ft in front of the bleachers.  You'll be about 1200 feet from the closest part of the runway.  They have TV cameras and stuff set up on the big pad closer to the runway, but you won't get to be there.

4) Yes. Trees.  :(  Again referencing the Google satellite image, the dark green groves to the west and directly south of the bleachers will block your view.  In some spots where the trees are lower, they only block the SCA, so it looks like the orbiter is floating over the trees.

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #80 on: 09/16/2012 05:40 pm »
A note about SLF viewing and photography.  You're close enough that you will not need an especially long lens.  A fast lens will be more important.  The photo below was taken at 105mm on a 1.6x crop sensor. 

While lighting conditions may or may not be similar, during the dawn taxi my exposure settings were: ISO 400, f/3.2, 1/100s. 

Offline spacecane

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #81 on: 09/16/2012 05:53 pm »
Thanks for the info and especially the photography tip.  One last thing, was there enough space on the bleachers not to have to worry that I'll end up standing with people in front of me?

Thanks again!

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #82 on: 09/16/2012 06:36 pm »
Thanks for the info and especially the photography tip.  One last thing, was there enough space on the bleachers not to have to worry that I'll end up standing with people in front of me?

Judge for yourself...  This was after the taxi-by and everyone was waiting for the takeoff.

I got there on one of the earlier buses and was able to get a spot on the fenceline with my tripod.  It ultimately didn't do any good, because the 100-400mm required me to pan across the SCA and orbiter, and I rushed those photos without letting vibrations settle out. :(  I took most of my shots with a handheld 70-200 f/2.8.

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Offline dwfx

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #84 on: 09/18/2012 09:05 pm »
I was at LAX yesterday and if you happen to be in the United terminals there are some decent viewing options of the 25L approach area.  Head to the SE-most terminal and there are some windows where you can see the approach and start of the rollout.  The touchdown zone might be partially blocked by a Delta building across the street, but should be a good view.

Offline stuart_wildcat

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #85 on: 09/18/2012 09:20 pm »
I was looking at the Discovery thread to try and find the route it might take immediately after takeoff and found a link for people to use to track it across the country:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA905

This should help people track the shuttle on the three flights the next few days.

Someone had also posted this warning about Flight Aware:

Quote
Flightaware will only track if it is on an IFR flight plan and/or under IFR control.  If they go VFR to maneuver, you will not get flight aware tracking.  Furthermore, flight aware lags....sometimes substantially.
« Last Edit: 09/18/2012 09:22 pm by stuart_wildcat »

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #86 on: 09/18/2012 09:37 pm »
This is the post from the Discovery thread that has the routes they had planned around KSC for that flyout.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27689.msg882978#msg882978

They deviated from this a little though. After they flew out on runway 15 and looped around Cocoa Beach they came back to the visitor center as planned.  Then they flew into the sunrise to the east and turned around and came over the visitor center again before going to the north.

Also, if you aren't aware, the visitor center is charging parking now unless you are an annual passholder.

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #87 on: 09/18/2012 10:14 pm »
Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) have been updated for the new ferry flight timeline:

9/19 1500-1700Z (10A-noon local) below 3000' 20 nautical miles around JSC
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_4920.html

9/21 1500-1630Z (8-9:30A local) below 5000' 25 nautical miles around McClellan AFB, Sacramento
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_5055.html

9/21 1530-1730Z (8:30-10:30A local) below 5000' 25 nautical miles around San Francisco Airport
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_5057.html

9/21 1730-2030Z (10:30A-1:30P local) below 5000' 30 nautical miles around LAX
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_2_5058.html

These pretty much define the time windows to expect flyovers.

Offline rdale

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #88 on: 09/18/2012 10:22 pm »
I was looking at the Discovery thread to try and find the route it might take immediately after takeoff and found a link for people to use to track it across the country

That link was blocked during the other move, so no reason to think it will work this time.

Offline psloss

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #89 on: 09/19/2012 12:08 am »
From:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/status_reports/SCA_Endeavour_status_09_12.html

Quote
Endeavour Flyover Routes Over California Detailed
Tue, 18 Sep 2012 4:25:42 PM PDT

Any time after 8:30 am on Friday September 21, watch for flyovers of Endeavour in the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay areas. Suggested viewing locations include the State Capitol in Sacramento, some of the San Francisco area museums including the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Chabot Space and Science Center, Exploratorium, Lawrence Hall of Science and the Monterey Bay Aquarium near Santa Cruz and Monterey.

Any time after 10:30 am on Friday, September 21, watch for flyovers of Endeavour in the Los Angeles area. You may have an opportunity to see Endeavour passing regional landmarks such as California Science Center, Disneyland, The Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles International Airport and Malibu, among others.

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #90 on: 09/19/2012 02:40 am »
They deviated from this a little though. After they flew out on runway 15 and looped around Cocoa Beach they came back to the visitor center as planned.  Then they flew into the sunrise to the east and turned around and came over the visitor center again before going to the north.

The SCA pilot called SLF Tower after the first VC pass and advised doing a right 360 "to better align with the runway".  As good an excuse as any to fly over the KSC HQ area some more :)

Incidentally, playing that tape back tonight I noticed a small oops.  SLF Tower said "Runway 15, cleared low approach"...  The low approach was actually Rwy 33.

That link was blocked during the other move, so no reason to think it will work this time.

Not sure that it was technically blocked.  The Discovery ferry flew under a different callsign - PLUTO 95.  Guess we'll see what they use in the morning.  Hoping the lack of tracking was just due to DC security concerns.  (They never blocked an operating shuttle ferry, so why a retiring shuttle ferry?)

For all those watching from the SLF and KSCVC in the morning, enjoy the show!

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #91 on: 09/19/2012 04:44 am »
For those watching the arrival in Los Angeles...  Local news sources are reporting that the 300-600 blocks of East Imperial Ave (basically 2 blocks on either side of Imperial Hill) will be a pedestrian zone starting 9AM Friday. 

Here's the El Segundo Police advisory with a link to a map.
https://local.nixle.com/alert/4887986/



Offline collectSPACE

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #92 on: 09/19/2012 07:41 am »
Not sure that it was technically blocked.

According to NASA public affairs, the FAA purposely blocked public flight tracking of the ferry flight and its associated aircraft, and will be doing so again for Endeavour's ferry flight.

Offline ngc3314

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #93 on: 09/19/2012 04:39 pm »
Endeavour over Stennis Space Center. For the first approach picture, I used the same manual 400mm lens I used to shoot the landing of STS-1 at Edwards. Next to the public viewing area, Stennis employees lined up for a photo-op behind a large flat congratulatory banner.

The orbiter was visible for barely more than 90 seconds, with low buildings and distant trees to E and W.

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #94 on: 09/19/2012 11:33 pm »
Not sure that it was technically blocked.

According to NASA public affairs, the FAA purposely blocked public flight tracking of the ferry flight and its associated aircraft, and will be doing so again for Endeavour's ferry flight.

Yet they never did that when the orbiters were operational.....

Offline Naito

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #95 on: 09/20/2012 04:15 am »
I'll be IN LAX Terminal an hour after Endeavour lands, think I'll be able to see her from there? Have a couple hours before my next flight to walk around, any suggestions where to go?
Carl C.

Offline dwfx

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #96 on: 09/20/2012 06:08 am »
I'll be IN LAX Terminal an hour after Endeavour lands, think I'll be able to see her from there? Have a couple hours before my next flight to walk around, any suggestions where to go?

Which airline?

Offline Naito

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #97 on: 09/20/2012 11:31 am »
I'll be IN LAX Terminal an hour after Endeavour lands, think I'll be able to see her from there? Have a couple hours before my next flight to walk around, any suggestions where to go?

Which airline?
United
Carl C.

Offline dwfx

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #98 on: 09/20/2012 03:37 pm »
I'll be IN LAX Terminal an hour after Endeavour lands, think I'll be able to see her from there? Have a couple hours before my next flight to walk around, any suggestions where to go?

Which airline?
United

If you can get to LAX early enough for the landing though there should be a great view from the end of Terminal 8 or 7.  I don't know if you'll be able to see her after she lands though - the parking area is pretty far West of the terminals.  You could try the observation deck above the restaurant in the center of the airport though.

Offline Naito

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #99 on: 09/20/2012 03:41 pm »
My flight lands at 2:15, so the schedule estimates right now would mean she'd land about an hour and a half before me.  It would be a terrible case of "so close yet so far" if I can't see her =(  Will try the observation deck, thanks for the suggestion!
Carl C.

Offline dwfx

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #100 on: 09/20/2012 03:45 pm »
My flight lands at 2:15, so the schedule estimates right now would mean she'd land about an hour and a half before me.  It would be a terrible case of "so close yet so far" if I can't see her =(  Will try the observation deck, thanks for the suggestion!

You could try to get window seats on your flights also.  For United, a window on the left side should let you see her as you turn off 25R after landing, and a seat on the right side would give you a view on departure.

Good luck!

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #101 on: 09/20/2012 04:02 pm »
My flight lands at 2:15, so the schedule estimates right now would mean she'd land about an hour and a half before me.  It would be a terrible case of "so close yet so far" if I can't see her =(  Will try the observation deck, thanks for the suggestion!

If you're going to leave the security area to go to the restaurant/observation deck, you might consider catching a taxi and going to Imperial Hill (mentioned earlier in this thread).  Two hours *seems* like enough time to run out there, have a good look, and get back...  By a couple hours after landing maybe the crowds will have thinned out.  If I recall correctly, the pedestrian zone there is effective until 3P.   Don't hold me responsible if you miss your flight, though ;)

 

Offline Naito

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #102 on: 09/20/2012 04:07 pm »
Nah the new wife will hold me responsible I'm sure =p  That won't go well for the start of the honeymoon lol....wonder if there are any airport employees on here willing to take me and the missus out that way? =p
Carl C.

Offline pfile

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #103 on: 09/20/2012 08:42 pm »
Quote
Bay Area Discovery Museum, Chabot Space and Science Center, Exploratorium and the Lawrence Hall of Science.

wow, the bay area discovery museum is going to be the place to be for prime photos. there's no way i can make it there by 8:30am though.

psloss, thanks for posting that link; this gives me a clue as to where to be. i think LHS has a better view of the whole bay area than chabot... there are a lot of trees at chabot.


Offline pfile

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #104 on: 09/20/2012 11:56 pm »
here's a link to a proposed map - it makes sense to me based on air traffic flow in the bay area... even though the airspace is closed it's only closed to VFR traffic and of course IFR traffic/heavy jets will still be flying.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharpshutter/8007081917/

also, nasa is now talking about delaying departure by an hour to allow the fog to clear, so ~9:30-10:45AM in the bay area.

Offline catdlr

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #105 on: 09/21/2012 12:02 am »
here's a link to a proposed map - it makes sense to me based on air traffic flow in the bay area... even though the airspace is closed it's only closed to VFR traffic and of course IFR traffic/heavy jets will still be flying.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharpshutter/8007081917/

also, nasa is now talking about delaying departure by an hour to allow the fog to clear, so ~9:30-10:45AM in the bay area.


Now just need a map for the LA Area.
It's Tony De La Rosa, ...I don't create this stuff, I just report it.

Offline pfile

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #106 on: 09/21/2012 12:14 am »
are they doing flybys of different landmarks in LA or are they just headed in to LAX?

if they are just heading for LAX then they will probably fly south to somewhere east of whittier and then set up for 24L/R. but that's the normal flow; tomorrow is special of course.

actually, i take that back, for traffic coming from the north they usually go out over the ocean out by ventura, then turn left north of LAX as the downwind leg, then make two right turns to line up with 24R.
« Last Edit: 09/21/2012 12:16 am by pfile »

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #107 on: 09/21/2012 12:32 am »
My *guess* for the LA circuit:

Loop 1:
Approach from west along shoreline, passing Point Dume, over Santa Monica Pier / Venice Beach, east to downtown and CSC, right turn inbound for low pass at LAX. (Rwy 24R?)

Loop 2:
West, out over ocean, right turn to come in over Getty, Hollywood, JPL, right turn back to LAX for low pass.  (Rwy 25L?)

Loop 3:
Out over ocean, left turn, over Queen Mary, Disneyland, and then back to LAX for landing (Rwy 25L).

The order of the loops could be done differently, or I could be totally off base. :)  No warranties, express or implied...

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #108 on: 09/21/2012 02:04 am »
the Queen Mary will be open for free tomorrow for the flyby.

Quote
FREE ADMISSION TO THE QUEEN MARY TOMORROW MORNING: The space shuttle Endeavour has flown into orbit 25 times, and tomorrow it is flying over Southern California! To celebrate this historic occasion, as an official flyover location, the Queen Mary will be offering FREE ADMISSION to the ship tomorrow (Sept 21st) between 9:30 and 11am! Just mention the word “Endeavour” at our box office to receive free admission. 

https://www.facebook.com/thequeen.mary


Offline GBpatsfan

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #109 on: 09/21/2012 02:12 am »
Does anyone know the route Endeavour will take flying over Sacramento?

Offline pfile

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #110 on: 09/21/2012 02:45 am »
not sure but nasa identified the state capitol building as a place to see it...

Offline pfile

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #111 on: 09/21/2012 07:17 pm »
wow, i managed to completely blow it. went up to chabot where i could not see a dang thing. then i heard from a neighbor that it flew practically right over my house. overthought this way, way too much.

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #112 on: 09/21/2012 09:16 pm »
Captain of my flight made an extra long taxi back to the terminal just so I could see her!!! Could not thank him enough!!! Can't post pictures yet but have a couple from about as close as I'll be able to get to her!
Carl C.

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #113 on: 09/21/2012 10:29 pm »
Only one i can post at the moment
Carl C.

Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #114 on: 09/22/2012 02:50 pm »
Some of my photos from the Ellington Field stopover.
www.astro95media.com - Lead Video & Graphics

Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #115 on: 09/22/2012 02:55 pm »
Few close-ups from on board the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
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Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #116 on: 09/22/2012 03:01 pm »
Second to last set :)
www.astro95media.com - Lead Video & Graphics

Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #117 on: 09/22/2012 03:05 pm »
Last few.  The flag in the last photo is the Texas flag that was accidentally flown upside down when the duo landed.  One of the members of the crew handed it to me right before they left Houston.
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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #118 on: 09/22/2012 03:08 pm »
Last one (couldn't resist).  You can see why :)
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Offline psloss

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #119 on: 09/22/2012 03:31 pm »
Some of my photos from the Ellington Field stopover.
Wow, very nice.  Thanks.

Offline WheelsStop

Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #120 on: 09/25/2012 01:44 am »
If you watched the Endeavour arrival at The Proud Bird Restaurant or Imperial Hill, you can try to find yourself (or your car) in these photos.

These were taken from overhead at 10500' at 1:01PM.

Offline catdlr

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #121 on: 09/25/2012 02:49 am »
I was viewing someone else's YouTube video of the landing at the my big screen, to my wife, only to discover were were on it.  Now this was from a camera from atop a building 1/2 mile away with a telephoto lens pointed towards the Proud Bird and crowds on Aviation Blvd.  That  was wild.
« Last Edit: 09/25/2012 02:50 am by catdlr »
It's Tony De La Rosa, ...I don't create this stuff, I just report it.

Offline catdlr

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Re: OV-105 Final Flight: Viewing (Going to Los Angeles)
« Reply #122 on: 09/27/2012 05:13 pm »
FA18 extended view of Space Shuttle Endeavour's flyover Southern California

Published on Sep 27, 2012 by DrydenTV
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/status_reports/SCA_Endeavour_status_09_12....

SCA-Endeavour extended aerial view during Tour of Southern California on September 21, 2012. Views included Malibu, Dodger Stadium, California Science Center, the Los Angeles Colosseum, downtown Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, Pasadena, the Rose Bowl, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Space X, Universal Studios, Point Mugu before landing at Los Angeles International Airport at 12:51 pm PT.

« Last Edit: 09/27/2012 05:13 pm by catdlr »
It's Tony De La Rosa, ...I don't create this stuff, I just report it.

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