Space Shuttle Is Greeted With Exuberance Throughout Los Angeles
By Maxine Scheer
Today (Friday) in the Los Angeles area, there appeared to be nothing but positive media attention on the arrival of the retiring NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour. This is a personal story from my experience as I stood in an office overlooking the campus of UCLA and out to noted waypoints on the shuttle’s travel log.
People crammed into this corner office to look out the windows as we also watched online media coverage of the Endeavour’s path above major tourist sites. Luckily, the shuttle, and the Boeing 747 that carried it, went directly over us on its way to the Griffith Observatory (which by the way, is always packed when I go) and a requisite ‘photo op’ in front of the HOLLYWOOD sign.
“I’ve been a journalist for 30 years,” said a member of the media from a major news channel, “I’ve never been this excited; I have goose-bumps”. He was not the only one, as we looked out to see surrounding rooftops crowded with people.
Broadcast journalists from major networks spoke of the Los Angeles region’s history in aerospace, praised the local engineers behind the space program and Endeavour’s Palmdale assembly plant in the surrounding Mojave Desert. People being interviewed were choking up as they described how meaningful it was for them to see the shuttle and many recalled fond memories of the excitement of the Apollo missions.
After having survived six, yes Jim six, consecutive EAA AirVentures writing for Aero-News, I couldn’t help but think, “where was the rest of the media when history was being made with White Knight’s landing in the middle of, well, Oshkosh?” The majority of people I know have no idea why I go to Oshkosh; now I get to describe it as the feeling they experienced today seeing Endeavour flown in the beautiful blue skies on an experimental aircraft designed for this mission.
The shuttle is headed to rest at a museum (California Science Center) that doesn’t have the word “aviation or space” in its name. The new gallery to be built will, however; “The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.“
Congratulations to NASA, the California Science Center, and the citizens of Los Angeles – it was a good day for positive press! The headlines were not about traffic on the ground, but inspiration in the air. Let’s keep it there…instead of the upcoming urban journey and tree removals taking headlines. So, please, keep the great stories coming while the local media still has goose-bumps. Between JPL’s Mars Rover Curiosity, today’s airshow starring Endeavour, and the realization of commercial space flight with SpaceX Dragon, there is great momentum on the Southern California front.
One analogy to consider – don’t wait for the retirement of revolutionary advances in aviation to make an effort to celebrate with the general public. Maybe now is a good time to focus more attention on how we as an industry bring the celebration of aviation and advances in commercial space travel to people, where they are, now.
People couldn’t take their eyes off the sky today.
Just a thought.
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