Many Plan To Pack Downtown Sacramento For Endeavour's Flight
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Weather will delay Endeavour's victory lap around northern California, but it's better late than never.
The shuttle and its 747 escort currently are in southern California. In the morning, it will take off and fly over Sacramento around 9:30 a.m., an hour later than was originally scheduled.
Endeavour will then circle over San Francisco before heading back to Los Angeles for its final stop.
Many people will be heading for downtown Sacramento Friday morning just to see Endeavour.
It will be an early morning for Sheila Schuetz, who can't wait to take her three girls from Roseville to downtown Sacramento.
"I thought it was important for them to see it. It's the last time they'll get to see it until we get to a museum," said Schuetz.
Riding piggyback, the shuttle will swoop over Sacramento during its final two hours ever in the air.
People will pack Sacramento parking garages and the capitol steps.
"The main thing is to eliminate as many of the obstructions around you as you can so you can see as far as you can," said Ace Beall, retired NASA research pilot.
Until Beall retired from NASA, he flew the Boeing 747 with the shuttle piggybacking above.
During the Sacramento flyover, Endeavor will come down to around 1,500 feet.
Beall says that's low enough to give the perfect vantage point, and space shuttle junkies will be able to watch it soar through the sky for a few minutes.
"When I see it fly by, to me it looks very graceful," said Beall.
But, this also means streets will be jammed with cars, and it's illegal to park on the interstate to catch a glimpse. So police say it's important to park legally and not get distracted.
Schuetz says she and her family will hunker down atop a parking garage. She says it's worth it just to give her kids a firsthand look at a final moment in history.
"We're so excited," said her kids.
