The space shuttle Endeavour, perched atop a modified 747, captivated millions on a pre-retirement tour of the Golden State on Friday, bringing an end to NASA's space shuttle program in dramatic style.
Endeavour flew as low as 1,500 feet past photo-op perfect California landmarks and cheering crowds. While many were glued to their televisions, thousands of others grabbed smartphones and cameras and experienced the flyover in person from atop Los Angeles skyscrapers, on hillsides and in backyards.
PHOTOS: Endeavour's final journey
The 105 Freeway near Los Angeles International Airport was shut down as motorists simply stopped their cars, got out and took snapshots.
After taking off from Edwards Air Force Base on Friday morning, Endeavour headed north, buzzing the state Capitol in Sacramento, circling the Bay Area and soaring over a Golden Gate Bridge packed with onlookers.
As the sound of the plane's engines drowned out the traffic on the bridge and tourists ran to get the best vantage point, screams of "Whooo!" could be heard as the shuttle flew over the bridge.
"It was unbelievable. Did you hear all the clapping? I can't even believe we're here!" said Polly Lestikow, of Centennial, Colo., who just happened to be bicycling across the bridge Friday morning, unaware of NASA's planned show.
Then it turned south, crossing the Monterey Peninsula on its journey to Los Angeles, where Endeavour took one last lap around the Southland, the cradle of the nation's 40-year shuttle program.
"This gives you goose bumps, man," said Terry Hughes, 72, a retired Boeing engineer who spent his career working on wind tunnel tests for the shuttle. "The same goose bumps I had when I saw it land for the first time."
For an hour Friday, Endeavour was seemingly everywhere at once: Flying by the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign, the Getty Center, the Queen Mary and Disneyland. Parading down the coast from Santa Barbara to Huntington Beach. Cruising past NASA facilities and factories where it was designed, built and assembled.
In downtown Los Angeles, City Council members suspended their meeting so they could watch the shuttle soar over City Hall. The 27th floor observation deck was packed.
"It looked almost angelic to me," said Lydia Charkhian, 54, of Glendale. "It was like watching a dove in flight."
"Amazing, amazing, amazing," said Derek Johns, 41, as he snapped photos of the shuttle as it passed the Santa Monica Pier.
It was a surreal, emotional experience ? the veteran of 25 space missions circling slowly in the sky like a 175,000-pound ballerina followed by two escort jets.
"I got chills," said Dave Atkinson, an El Segundo councilman as the shuttle flew overhead. "This is America at its finest."
It was quite the show. And to get the best seats, you had to show up early.
Panorama: Endeavour arrives in Los Angeles
Along the bluffs in El Segundo, dozens of people arrived as dawn broke. They were greeted by those who had camped out.
One solutions-oriented woman who arrived too late to find a spot on the crowded hilltop left ? only to return with a 9-foot ladder.
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