Final Flight

The front wheels smoke as the carrier aircraft with Endeavour touches down at Edwards Air Force Base in the Antelope Valley on Sept. 20. Endeavour was built in Palmdale as the replacement for the Challenger, the orbiter destroyed in 1986. Frank Batteas, (lef)t, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft pilot from Biggs Army Air Field in El Paso to Edwards AFB, speaks as SCA Commander Bill Brockett listens. The shuttle Endeavour as it flies past the Hollywood sign atop Mt. Lee in Los Angeles on Sept. 21. The space vehicle drew crowds of thousands as it buzzed landmarks around the city. A close up of the hand installed tiles on the exterior of Endeavour.