Space shuttle Endeavour prepares for 2-day road trip in L.A.

LOS ANGELES -- With much fanfare and a huge crowd of onlookers expected, the space shuttle Endeavour is about to start its two-day parade through the streets of Los Angeles.

In the very early morning hours on Friday, October 12th, Endeavour, sitting on a transporter, will leave Los Angeles International Airport for a two-day, 12-mile stroll through the streets of L.A. and Englewood. It's headed to its permanent destination -- the California Science Center.

Getting ready for what is being called Mission 26 has been a monumental, sometimes controversial undertaking. That's because the shuttle is so wide, trees along the route had to be trimmed and hundreds cut down.

The Science Center promises to replace each tree lost with two new trees. City crews had to remove low overhanging signs -- and steel plates were placed over weak spots in the road.

Endeavour flew shuttle missions for 20 years. Among the most-high profile -- it flew numerous Space Station assembly missions and rendezvoused with Russia's Mir Space Station.