Space shuttle Endeavour has been moved by rockets, its own engines and thrusters, tank-like transporters and industrial tows. Now retired and museum- bound, the NASA winged orbiter will add another, perhaps unexpected form of locomotion to its well-travelled history: a Toyota Tundra pickup truck.
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. announced on Wednesday (Sept. 12) that its Tundra full-size pickup truck is slated to tow Endeavour during its delivery to the California Science Center (CSC), where both the space shuttle and truck are destined for display. Endeavour will travel the 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the science center on city streets, with the Tundra towing the shuttle during the last quarter mile (400 meters).
Beginning Friday (Sept. 14), NASA will prepare Endeavour to fly atop its modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to LAX. The three-day ferry flight is scheduled to arrive in L.A. on Sept. 20, weather permitting. NASA and the CSC will then spend a few weeks readying Endeavour for its Oct. 12-13 road trip.