The 122-foot-long-by-35-foot-tall space shuttle mockup, named the “Inspiration,” was transported via big rig in multiple parts 0.3 miles along Bellflower Boulevard from a city maintenance yard to a temporary housing location.

The 122-foot-long, 35-foot-tall mock-up space shuttle was built as a prototype and part of Rockwell International's successful bid to build NASA's shuttles.

After sitting in storage for years, the first space shuttle ever built rolled through the streets of Downey on Thursday. The Inspiration shuttle was built in 1972 but it never went to space.

It never went into space, but a full-size original space shuttle design prototype built in 1972 as part of Rockwell International's ultimately successful bid to build NASA's shuttles will travel along a Downey street .

It never went into space, but a full-size original space shuttle design prototype built in 1972 as part of Rockwell International’s ultimately successful bid to build NASA’s shuttles will travel along a Downey street Thursday.