Space shuttle Endeavour's takeoff for L.A. captured in photos

The space shuttle Endeavour's departure Wednesday morning from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, en route its new home in California, was captured by onlookers.

NASA released several images, and members of the public took their own shots from the ground.

The threat of thunderstorms twice pushed back the shuttle's original departure date of Monday. Despite the delay, NASA officials said Endeavour's cross-country farewell tour would proceed as planned.

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's final journey to L.A.

It includes a series of 1,500-foot flyovers above several NASA sites across the southern United States, including Florida's Space Coast, Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The shuttle is also to fly over Houston, Clear Lake and Galveston in Texas before landing at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center, where it will spend Wednesday night.

On Thursday, the 747 is to refuel at El Paso's Biggs Army Airfield before heading to Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it will be housed overnight.

The shuttle is to depart the Mojave Desert base about 7:15 a.m. Friday and fly low over Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Mojave before heading north to Sacramento, NASA officials said.

INTERACTIVE: Endeavour comes to California.

There, Endeavour is to fly over the state Capitol and turn to San Francisco, where those hoping to catch a glimpse of the spacecraft are advised to watch from one of several Bay Area museums, including the Chabot Space and Science Center, the Exploratorium, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Once the shuttle reaches the Los Angeles area about 10:30 a.m., the orbiter is to be carried over landmarks including the Getty Center, the Griffith Observatory, Malibu and Disneyland before landing at Los Angeles International Airport. It is also to fly over the California Science Center in Exposition Park, its new permanent home.

Tweet your photos to @latimes or @lanow with the hashtag #SpotTheShuttle. Don't forget to tell us where you are! Photos can also be uploaded here. Check back -- we'll be compiling the best reader photos.

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-- Kate Mather

Upper photos: The space shuttle Endeavour rides atop a Boeing 747 after taking off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times