Endeavor flies over Moon Express HQ

Submitted by Brad Kohlenberg on September 25, 2012 04:40 pm

Moffett Field, CA (September 21, 2012) - With the ultimate flight of the Endeavor Space Shuttle underway, the Moon Express team took full advantage of their proximity to the flight path.

NASA Ames put on a massive event with a welcome from Center Director Pete Worden who introduced guest speakers: Astronaut Bo Bobko, Ames Return to Flight Project Manager John Allmen, and Astronaut Stephen Robinson.

Along with a crowd of 20,000 shuttle fans, the Moon Ex team held with baited breath as the historical moment unfolded. Music blared, food trucks hummed, news van generators whirred, and field tripping school children danced. Yet once the shuttle appeared, there was only silence, except of course for the multitude of camera shutters clicking together in a near inaudible yet surreal unison.

At about 10:30 AM just ten minutes after flying over the Golden Gate bridge, the shuttle/747 duo, chaperoned by an F-15 escort, buzzed Hangar One. You can watch the entire event at the 8:30 mark here. You'll notice that even the cameraman was surprised by the Shuttle's decision to fly over the hangar as opposed to the runway.

As the shuttle, assisted by the modified 747, soared over head and we all took in the spectacle for which we had prepared, an emotion of pride similarly soared through the chests of all in attendance, from the 20+ year NASA veteran to the child dressed in his homemade space suit.

Yet this glorious and public retirement is not the end, for just as the space shuttle was landing for the last time in its new home of Los Angeles, a team of dedicated engineers were immersed in their work, solving the problems involved with landing robots on the Moon.