After seeing Goose's images of the Shuttle Enterprise in NYC back in April, and dying of envy, today was our turn. We planned to catch the lightrail to Moffett Field but at the last minute we scraped it. So Hip drove and managed to find a parking space at the garage on Enterprise Way. It was 9:11 and there were crowds there already, every inch of the place taken. We waited for over an hour. The flight started late to allow the famous SF fog to dissipate. The morning in Mtn View was gorgeous. More and more people came and the place was packed. T was giving me the status of Endeavor. Now it was at Berkeley heading to the city. Now it was circling above the Golden Gate. Then suddenly we spotted it, a speck in the sky, slowly approaching NASA Ames and lowering, coming straight at us. Soon it came into full view, so low, and whisked by us almost at eye level, escorted by a F-16. I didnt notice too much noise but perhaps I was too excited to even notice the sound of a flying Jumbo 747. I've expected people to cheer and scream of awe. But the group around me was silent. Stunned by the sight of the last shuttle on its way to its final home. Although it took only a few seconds for Endeavor to fly over our heads, the wait for worth it. This was the last shuttle to be retired. The last time we'd ever see a space shuttle in the sky.
The last time I saw Endeavor it was at the Kennedy Space Center in 94, perched vertically on the launch pad. And I remember seeing H and L at Ames preparing the Macs. I put my open palm on their lids. Lucky devils who got to fly in a shuttle and go to space.
It was an emotional morning. Rest well Endeavor as you deserve it.
See Hippo's photos taken at Moffett Field
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