It circled and preened like a runway model, giving awed spectators an opportunity to take pictures from a variety of angles. After landing, the Endeavour rolled slowly in front of the cheering crowd. Still, people came out in droves Wednesday, waving American flags and toting space shuttle toys, cameras and cellphones.īack-to-back delays in the ferry flight resulted in one day being cut from the Houston visit. An important toy, but a toy nonetheless,” said Scott Rush, 54, of Crystal Beach, Texas. “I think that it’s the worst thing that they can do, rotten all the way,” said 84-year-old Mary Weiss, clinging to her walker just before Endeavour landed after flying low over Gulf Coast towns, New Orleans and then downtown Houston and its airports. Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday to watch the shuttle land in Houston for an overnight stay, an exciting but bittersweet moment for many residents who felt spurned that Space City wasn’t chosen as the final home for one of the five retired shuttles. She said no additional costs would be incurred by honoring Kelly’s request. Thursday’s flyover, which Kelly requested, gives NASA a chance to honor Giffords’ legacy as a longtime advocate for American human spaceflight, NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone told The Associated Press in an email. The couple recently moved back to Tucson from Houston, where Giffords was recovering from serious injuries she suffered in a 2011 attack in which a gunman killed six people and wounded Giffords and 12 others. HOUSTON - The space shuttle Endeavour took off atop a modified transport plane from a Houston airport Thursday, beginning its journey to retirement in California, where it will be put on permanent display in a museum.Īlong the way, the shuttle will pass low over several cities and places, including Tucson, Ariz., the home of the last person to command an Endeavour mission, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
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