Catch a Free Ferris Wheel Ride During Shuttle Flyover

Pacific Park is offering free rides of the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel Friday morning as the space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop a modified Boeing 747, passes over Los Angeles en route to its permanent home at the California Science Center.

A ride on the Ferris wheel will bring viewers 130 feet closer to the shuttle, which will dip to 1,500 feet as it passes over dozens of Los Angeles landmarks.

To catch a 3-5 minute free ride, go to the Pacific Wheel entrance and enter the queue line between 10 a.m. and noon. 

"Depending on the arrival time of the space shuttle Endeavour, some fortunate guests will be on the Ferris wheel during the Santa Monica Pier flyover," said park spokesman Cameron Andrews.

Click here to view a map of flyover locations in Los Angeles.

After completing 25 missions and traveling 122,883,151 miles in space, Friday's historic flight will mark the last time Endeavour, or any of NASA's shuttles, will ever fly through the air.

Endeavour should arrive at Los Angeles International Airport between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., spending a few weeks at a United Airlines hangar undergoing preparations for its 12-mile trip on Los Angeles streets to the California Science Center.