Endeavour's Final Trek Over the Golden State

The STS or Shuttle Program has always had an influence from Star Trek and at the conclusion of Endeavour's tour of the skies of California, the ceremonies at LAX will be conducted by Lt. Uhuru, of Star Trek fame.  As I recall, one of the shuttles was named for the Enterprise, so it appears NASA also included Trekkies as well.  As many may also note the flip phone was also based on the communicators used in Star Trek as well.The final trek of Endeavour over California is very appropos.  The shuttle was built here and in true American fashion involved not only large corporate manufacturers, but also small businesses including a few sole proprietorships.  This is emblematic of how Americans can team up and work towards a successful goal,  The Shuttle Program represented the best of America, even given the 2 disastrous missions.  The Shuttle was the next step after the moon landings and provided the basis for the International Space Station and the development of a slew of technology.  There was also talk of a shuttle like air transport that would allow you to skip along the atmosphere en route to Europe or Asia in a few hours.  The wonderment of all of these accomplishments represented by the last flight of Endeavor is a testament to the greatness of America. President Kennedy challenged us to put a man on the moon and we did that in 1969.  We had all those proud moments with Mercury, Gemini, and Appollo and also had challenges which cost the lives of astronauts and mission specialists.  The greatness of our country does not have to stop as we pay homage to Endeavor and the space program, which brought thousands of jobs and billions of dollars into the San Fernando Valley.  One can only hope that a Space Museum is built in Canoga Park at the Rockwell-Boeing-Pratt property. As a child of the 60's the space program meant studying astronomy and buying telescopes as I peered into the night sky.  I still enjoy celestial events from eclipses to meteor showers to red skies at night.  The space program and its accomplishments to date, including our current adventures on Mars, are so reflective that we, as Americans, can take up challenges, surmount failures and disasters while moving on with great glory and the thanks of a grateful nation.  The question really is whether we can continue on the path of Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, and those who perished in the two shuttle disasters.  It seems our country can surmount anything and perhaps this will translate to our government one day.  In the meantime, we all will swell with pride as Endeavour graces our skies one more time and reminds us that we, as Americans can accomplish the impossible, because that is in our creed.