- The trip began Friday morning
- Endeavour should reach the science museum late Saturday
- The trip is called a once-in-a-liftime event
- NASA ended its shuttle program last year
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Retired U.S. space shuttle Endeavour inched through the streets Southern California on Saturday, a poignant and patriotic trip to its final resting place.
Thousands have gotten a peek at the huge spacecraft, wheeled through the roads and highways of Inglewood and Los Angeles. It is expected to arrive late Saturday at the California Science Center, where it will be put on permanent display.
"This once-in-a-lifetime event is a cause for celebration," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.
The 12-mile slow trek started early Friday from Los Angeles International Airport.
Endeavour's road trip The shuttle was to stop at the Forum in Inglewood on Saturday morning for a celebration in the arena's parking lot. Authorities estimate that 10,000 to 14,000 spectators can be accommodated.
It will stop at the intersection of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King boulevards in south Los Angeles in the afternoon.
Officials for months planned the logistics of the move for months and are most concerned about public safety. The removal of utility lines and streetlights and the controversial felling of some trees have made the journey possible.
Police expected large crowds and heavy traffic, and urged spectators to come early and be prepared to stand long hours.
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Endeavour, along with Discovery, Enterprise and Atlantis, became a museum piece after NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program in July 2011. All four shuttles have been permanently retired from service.
Named for the first ship commanded by British explorer James Cook, Endeavour rolled out of an assembly plant in Palmdale, California, in 1991 at a cost of $1.7 billion. It was the baby of the shuttle fleet, built as a replacement for Challenger, which had exploded shortly after its 10th launch.
Over the next 20 years, Endeavour flew some of the highest-profile shuttle missions, covering nearly 123 million miles in 25 flights. It flew a Spacelab mission and numerous International Space Station assembly missions and rendezvoused with Russia's Mir Space Station.
The science museum has been trumpeting the arrival of the shuttle, saying on its website that it is building a new addition to its facility and plans to begin displaying Endeavour on October 30.
CNN's Sara Weisfeldt and Joe Sterling contributed to this report
The space shuttle Endeavour is transported to the California Science Center in Exposition Park from Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, October 12, in Los Angeles. Over the next two days, the 170,000-pound shuttle will travel at no more than 2 mph along a 12-mile route from Los Angeles International Airport to its final home at the California Science Center. 
Endeavour moves down a main road lined with onlookers. Endeavour was flown cross-country atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to LAX on September 21. 
Workers escort Endeavour on its journey. 
Completed in 1991, Endeavour was built to replace the space shuttle Challenger, which disintegrated during a catastrophic re-entry accident. This fifth and final space shuttle orbiter circled the Earth 4,671 times and traveled nearly 123 million miles during its 25 missions from 1992 to 2011. 
Endeavour passes businesses and crowds on its way to permanent display at the California Science Center. 
Endeavour makes its way past restaurants and shopping centers in Los Angeles. 
Spectators come to watch the space shuttle Endeavour as it rests at Westchester Square during its final ground journey in Los Angeles on Friday. 
A dog joins the crowd turned out to see Endeavour on Friday. 
The space shuttle Endeavour is parked in a mall parking lot on its way to the California Science Center. 
Spectators take pictures of Endeavour during its journey through Los Angeles. 
People pose with a street sign that was removed to make way for the space shuttle Endeavour during its transport from LAX to the California Science Center. 
Workers check the space shuttle Endeavour as it rests at Westchester Square on Friday. 
People get a close view of the space shuttle Endeavour in a misty rain during a break in its journey on Friday. 
Tree trimmers cut large branches of a tree that was protruding toward the street in a last-minute effort to clear hurdles along the space shuttle Endeavour's route on Friday. 
Spectators crowd for a view of Endeavour as it passes through Los Angeles on Friday. 
CNN iReporter Wes Smith and other space enthusiasts got a close-up view of the space shuttle Endeavour early Friday as it makes its final journey from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center. Smith says he saw the shuttle about 5 a.m. after waiting in a Los Angeles parking lot across from Endeavour's overnight holding area. 
Computer-controlled transporters help move Endeavour across Los Angeles International Airport early Friday. 
Spectators take pictures of the shuttle Friday at the Los Angeles airport. Once it reaches the science museum, the shuttle will be on display for posterity. It had its first launch in 1992. 
Bystanders watch as Endeavour moves out of the Los Angeles airport and onto a public street. 
Members of the crowd reach over a fence for a glimpse of the shuttle. Endeavour, along with Discovery, Enterprise and Atlantis, became a museum piece after NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program last year. All four shuttles have been permanently retired from service. 
Firefighters and other spectators document the move early Friday. 
Fan Vivian Robinson rides her bicycle covered in shuttle memorabilia, American flags and an alien doll outside the Los Angeles airport as she waits to see Endeavour. 
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