NASA’s Shuttle Endeavour to Stand Upright in New LA Exhibit as NASA Rewinds Its Final Flight

NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour is about to take on a new posture in Los Angeles—standing upright as if ready to launch—just as NASA’s own image-makers revisit the day the orbiter made its last flight.

The California Science Center in Downtown LA is reopening its Endeavour display for the weekend of Nov. 13, placing the shuttle vertically in a launch configuration inside the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. As the exhibit debut approaches, photographers and videographers from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center are reflecting on the agency’s final opportunity to document Endeavour in the sky: its widely watched ferry flight on Sept. 21, 2012, when the shuttle rode piggyback atop NASA’s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

For the Armstrong team, the assignment was both historic and intensely choreographed. Lead videographer Lori Losey, a veteran of 37 years at NASA, called the Southern California pursuit one of the defining moments of her career. To capture the flyover from multiple angles, she pushed for two chase aircraft in the Los Angeles area—one dedicated to still imagery and another to video—allowing the airborne crews to trade positions and altitudes as they moved between landmarks.

Two photographers and one videographer based at Armstrong were deeply involved not only in shooting the flight but also in shaping it. While NASA pilots developed a route designed to showcase California’s signature sites, the imagery team helped determine where the 747 and its shuttle payload would fly, and how best to frame the scenes for the public.

That public response became part of the story. Armstrong’s lead photographer Jim Ross recalled the energy on the ground as the aircraft crossed the region. He said crowds turned out in force around Los Angeles, with particularly striking gatherings at Griffith Park and Disneyland.

Photographer Carla Thomas described a similar moment of mass attention in Sacramento, where she looked down at a packed crowd around the California State Capitol. Thomas joined NASA in the aftermath of the Challenger accident and said documenting the agency’s return to flight made the day especially meaningful.

The aerial photo and video teams rode in the back seats of escort aircraft—NASA Armstrong F/A-18s and an F-15—while extensive coordination unfolded on the ground. Like many major NASA operations, the transit required detailed preparation with the California Science Center and partner organizations including the Federal Aviation Administration, Los Angeles International Airport, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

For Thomas, that behind-the-scenes work was the most enjoyable part. She flew the full route in a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter to confirm the plan would work in real time and to identify hazards. The pass by the Hollywood sign, she noted, was especially complex because of the terrain and nearby infrastructure such as power lines and radio antennas—issues that had to be resolved during planning.

Beyond Hollywood, the route swept over or near a long list of landmarks, including Dodger Stadium, the Getty Center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, the Golden Gate Bridge, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the Santa Monica Pier.

Endeavour earned its place in the spotlight long before its farewell tour. The orbiter helped kick-start assembly of the International Space Station by carrying the first components to orbit, and it ultimately flew 25 missions.

Why it matters

With Endeavour now being presented upright in a purpose-built gallery, the California Science Center is turning a celebrated artifact into a more immersive, launch-like experience for visitors. The exhibit also preserves the story of the shuttle program’s final chapter—both the engineering achievement and the public connection it inspired. What to watch next is how the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center expands access to NASA history and STEM education for Southern California and beyond.