The Space Shuttle Endeavour's once-in-a-lifetime flight over the Bay Area this morning has been pushed back an hour to give more time for fog to burn off.

The shuttle, which will piggyback on a specially modified Boeing 747, is set to make a low-altitude pass over the Bay Area around 9:30 a.m. after taking off around 8:15 a.m. from Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles where it landed Thursday afternoon.

Before making it to the Bay Area and completing the final leg of its flyover, the Endeavour will pass by Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Mojave in Southern California and then head north to Sacramento, where the shuttle will fly near the California State Capitol.

Anytime after 9:30 a.m. local viewers should look toward the Golden Gate Bridge where thousands are expected to come out and watch the historic flyover, although an hour later than initially planned.

NASA Ames officials tweeted at 4 p.m. Thursday that the shuttle takeoff would be delayed one hour to "give us a better chance of having the fog burn off."

The slight schedule delay was decided by NASA, the California Science Center, and the Federal Aviation Administration, officials said.

Ames officials suggested various vantage points to catch a glimpse of the orbiter, including the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Exploratorium spokeswoman Stacy Martin said no specific shuttle events are planned at the science museum near the Golden Gate Bridge, but "we're just encouraging people that Crissy Field is probably one of the best views of the flyover."

The Chabot Space & Science Center will open to the public on at 8 a.m. today to provide views of the Endeavour flyover.

The Endeavor will be traveling on top of NASA's Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft at about 1,500 feet, according to officials. Weather permitting; the five-story space shuttle will be hard to miss from the observatory deck at Chabot.

Starting at 8 a.m. the Chabot Space center will feature hands-on astronaut training fun, space activities and a viewing party. The Center's café will be open, serving hot chocolate and coffee.

The viewing party and activities are included with the price of admission. Tickets are $15.95 for adults, $11.95 for those 3-12 years old. Advance reservations are encouraged although tickets can be purchased at the door. They are also available online at www.chabotspace.org.

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