Sunday, September 23, 2012

Video: End of an era sparks controversy



>>> finally tonight, very simple question, if they can put a man on the moon, why can't they figure out how to move a retired space shuttle from the airport to a museum in los angeles , without having to cut down 400 perfectly good trees, in a city that could use more of them and not less. trees that nature worked hard to grow and were not hurting anybody. and were only making life better. the endeavour was the last of the shuttles, and after all the millions of miles it has flown, this last bit of its final journey is proving the most controversial. our report from los angeles .

>> reporter: it was the final flight, a victory lap around california, piggy back, passing landmarks like the golden gate bridge and the hollywood sign .

>> right over there, right over there.

>> what a sight, never saw anything like that in my life.

>> reporter: above communities, where they built endeavour 20 years ago, bill roberts worked on it for decades.

>> it is the home of the endeavour, we're very glad to see it come here.

>> reporter: the orbitter that traveled through space touched down for the last time at international airport . but it is the final earth bound leg of its trip, the final through l.a.x. and city streets and the science center , had some wishing it would stay away . gina fields woke up to it.

>> we just woke up to our trees being taken away. it is heartbreaking.

>> reporter: 400 trees are being removed to make way for the endeavour's wing span . final hearings were held this week.

>> i'm tired of people coming into our community, doing things behind our back.

>> reporter: and while the california science center will create trees for those lost, and create sidewalks, residents wonder if there was not a better way.

>> and 94 million miles to land to mars, and we can go 12 miles to the science center without cutting these trees.

>> reporter: nasa and the science center say cutting up endeavour is not an option, because of the tile shields.

>> if you look at giants that is genuine and inspiring, and you know that everything you see is there specifically for a reason, every scorch mark you see and dent that you see, everything that is there, is revealing what the orbitter did and why it did it.

>> reporter: so all of these trees are slated to go. we expect to see endeavour moving through the streets here october 12th and 13th. all of it will later be on public display. so brian, that means today was the very last time that we'll see the shuttle fly.

>> all right, in los angeles , according to a lot of folks it just doesn't seem right. kristen, thanks for your

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49126324/

shannon de lima joe torre west virginia university michele bachmann jessica biel tim howard west virginia

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