Space shuttle embarks on 12-mile trip to LA museum

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At its prime, the space shuttle Endeavour cruised around the Earth at 17,500 mph, faster than a speeding bullet.

In retirement, it's crawling along at a sluggish 2 mph, a pace that rush-hour commuters can sympathize with.

Endeavour's 12-mile road trip kicked off shortly before midnight Thursday as it moved from its Los Angeles International Airport hangar en route to the California Science Center, its ultimate destination, said Benjamin Scheier of the center.

The space craft was escorted by a security entourage as it moved across the tarmac but was briefly delayed after a minor problem developed with its trailer, Los Angeles police Sgt. Rudy Lopez said. The problem was quickly repaired and Scheier said it reached the street shortly after 2 a.m. PDT Friday.

The immense black-and-white spacecraft, its sides weathered by millions of miles in space and two dozen re-entries, crawled slowly through the streets of the Westchester neighborhood on a 160-wheeled carrier.

Hundreds of people waiting in the predawn darkness snapped photos and gaped as it inched by with its tail towering over streetlights and its wings spanning the roadway.