Space shuttle Endeavour: Submit your photos of the L.A. move

 

A space shuttle rolling through South Los Angeles will be quite the spectacle — and we want your photos.

Endeavour's journey to its new home at the California Science Center in Exposition Park begins late Thursday as the retired orbiter rolls out of a United Airlines hangar at Los Angeles International Airport.

The 12-mile trip will bring the shuttle across some of South L.A. and Inglewood's major thoroughfares, including Manchester, Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards.

SUBMIT PHOTOS: Upload your shuttle photos here

Most streets and sidewalks will be closed along the way, public safety officials said, but spectators will be able to watch from private homes and businesses. But the shuttle will also pass by a handful of designated viewing sites and will stop for two public celebrations along the way.

The first is at Inglewood City Hall, where Endeavour is expected to pass about 8 a.m. Saturday. Although the shuttle will not stop at the site as originally planned, officials said there would be plenty of opportunities for photos as it rolled by because it will move at a top speed of 2 mph.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, the shuttle will stop at the Forum in Inglewood for 30 minutes. Public officials are expected to attend the event, which will start an hour prior to the shuttle's arrival. Those hoping to see the shuttle at the Forum were advised to arrive early — no overnight camping will be permitted, but lines will open at 4 a.m.

INTERACTIVE: Endeavour comes to California.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, Endeavour will pause at Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards for a celebration organized by choreographer Debbie Allen. Again, officials advised the public to arrive early, as the intersection can only accommodate a few thousand people at most.

"It is going to be a blast!!!" Allen tweeted this week. 

The last chance to see the shuttle before it is parked at the California Science Center will be along Bill Robertson Lane, just outside the Exposition Park Museum. Four parking lots will be opened to the public, officials said.

FULL COVERAGE: Space shuttle endeavour

And although it is not a designated viewing spot, the shuttle will park in a lot near Westchester Parkway and La Tijera Boulevard for about nine hours Friday morning as crews widen its transporting equipment and complete power line work farther along the route. Los Angeles police anticipate crowds at the location and will have extra personnel on hand.

Tweet your photos to @latimes with the hashtag #SpotTheShuttle or upload them here — and don't forget to tell us where you are.

ALSO:

Street closures for space shuttle's move detailed

Where to spot the space shuttle during its L.A. move

Hundreds of LAPD cadets to assist in Endeavour's final journey

— Kate Mather

Follow Kate Mather on Twitter or Google+.