Inspirational. "Thank you" "hand in hand" "staring at crowd" "iPhone5 countdown" "cool" "Endeavor's showtime" - Photos of Moment

Thanks for the help
Queens Park Rangers' Ryan Nelsen (right) uses a boost from Chelsea's Fernando Torres to get the advantage on a header.

A crowd of customers counts down to 8 a.m. at the Apple Store on 5th Ave. in New York City.

Seen from the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles, the space shuttle Endeavor passes the Hollywood sign as the retired space shuttle makes the rounds of Los Angeles and Orange County landmarks before landing at LAX.

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*update* September 24, 2012 Endeavour: Astronauts hope shuttle will inspire future generations Of the folks assembled at the United Airlines hangar at Los Angeles International Airport last week to watch Endeavour's arrival, three had firsthand experience with the space shuttle.

Garrett Reisman came to LAX to watch the shuttle with the past and present on his mind. He first flew on Endeavour in 2008, when he went to space for the first time. He left NASA 18 months ago and now works at SpaceX and lives in Manhattan Beach. "Both Endeavour and I have left NASA and moved on, but neither one of us is washed up," he said. "We've got a lot of work to do." He says having a shuttle at the California Science Center will inspire future generations, but he's especially excited about the opportunity to take his one-and-a-half-year-old son to see Endeavour. “I can take my son to see my spaceship,” he said. “That will be very cool. ... He'll grow up with Endeavour in his backyard.”

Astronaut Mike Fincke — who said Endeavour "was a beauty to fly" on its final mission last year. Fincke wanted to be an astronaut from age 3, when he saw a moonwalk on television. After he "dragged his parents" to their local science center, he was hooked. And like Reisman, Fincke said having Endeavour at the Science Center would encourage an interest in space.

"They're going to be inspired and they're going to be the next generation to come of doctors and engineers and scientists and astronauts," he said. "It happened for me and I know it's going to happen for all these other kids."
Astronaut Gregory Chamitoff agreed. "It's one thing to see it on TV but it's very different to see it in person," he said. "I think when folks see it at the museum here they will get that same feeling of how magnificent it is that we can build something like this that can go to space. It's very inspiring."

the ultimate piggyback ride: A space shuttle perched atop a Boeing 747 as the pair crisscrosses the country...four pilots took turns flying the jumbo jet

It's the ultimate piggyback ride: A space shuttle perched atop a Boeing 747 as the pair crisscrosses the country.

For three decades, this was how NASA transported shuttles that landed in the California desert to their Florida home base. But it's coming to an end.

This week, four pilots took turns flying a jumbo jet mounted with space shuttle Endeavour on a multi-leg journey bound for Los Angeles where it will go on display in a museum next month.

With the shuttle fleet retired, it's the final ferry mission for a group of highly specialized aviators. The elite pilots over the years have included former astronauts, including famed pilot Gordon Fullerton.

Scores have asked what it's like to haul a 170,000-pound (77,111-kilogram) shuttle.

"That's a tough thing to answer," said pilot Jeff Moultrie, who will be in command when Endeavour performs an aerial tour over several California landmarks Friday. "What do you tell somebody? It's different. It's unique."

That's for sure.

For one thing, there's the noise. It is decibels louder inside the shuttle carrier aircraft compared with a commercial airliner because the interior is hollowed out to keep it as light as possible. Aside from a few seats, there are no galleys, overhead bins or even air conditioning.

In case pilots forget they're carrying precious national cargo, the constant vibrations from above jolt them back to reality.

Pilots have to be more careful when they make turns, but otherwise, the 747 handles like a regular plane. They also have to be hyper-vigilant about the weather because moisture can damage the shuttle's delicate tiles.

Built for American Airlines, NASA acquired the aircraft in 1974 and used it for test flights from Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert and ferry flights to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It obtained a second one in 1990, but it was retired earlier this year.

The four current NASA pilots who can operate the modified 747 are ex-military aviators who split their time flying other planes including zero-gravity aircraft and T-38 supersonic jets.

Even when the shuttles flew routinely, a cross-country lift wasn't always needed. To keep their skills polished, they flew practice flights every several weeks and trained in a simulator twice a year.

Moultrie, who served as a commercial pilot for a decade, said he looked forward most to soaring in close to the Hollywood Sign. Even Angelenos have to keep their distance from the famed sign, which is surrounded by a fence.

"It's bittersweet," he said of the final mission. "We definitely feel privileged to be a small part of history. But on the flip side, we're sad."

September 22, 2012 Shuttle hoisted off jet, onto road trip - Space shuttle Endeavour, now a permanent resident of the state of California, has traded its winged chariot for a set of custom wheels

Endeavour's touchdown, which was preceded by a flyover tour of the state to the delight of millions of spectators, was the final airborne leg of the orbiter's delivery to the California Science Center (CSC) for display.

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Photos courtesy Sang Tan / AP Images, National Geographic Society, Rosa Golijan / NBC News, and Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times