California Science Center Opens $450 Million Wing to Display Space Shuttle Endeavour

The California Science Center spent $450 million to build a new home for the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The facility is a 200,000-square-foot expansion called the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

Officials unveiled the exhibit to the media on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The public opening is scheduled for Nov. 13. The new building nearly doubles the size of the existing museum, which is located in Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

The centerpiece of the new wing is the Endeavour. It stands 200 feet tall inside a cone-shaped stainless steel dome. The shuttle is displayed in its full launch position, with its nose pointing upward. The display includes the flown orbiter, rocket boosters, and the external fuel tank.

Jeffrey Rudolph, the center's president and CEO, called the exhibit a gift to California and the world. He stated that he has wanted to acquire a space shuttle for the museum ever since he heard the NASA program was ending.

Governor Gavin Newsom visited the site for the media preview. He told reporters that his 10-year-old son was impressed by the display. Newsom described the exhibit as the triumph of imagination and daring.

The Endeavour has traveled 122 million miles in space. It was built in Palmdale, about an hour's drive from its new location. The shuttle replaced the Challenger, which exploded in 1986. It first launched in 1992 and completed 25 missions. During its 299 days in space, crews used it to repair the Hubble Space Telescope and help build the International Space Station.

Art Hill, a retired engineer who worked on the shuttle program for 37 years, now volunteers as a docent. He noted that many visitors expect the spacecraft to look shiny and metallic. He explains that the orbiter is covered with heat-absorbing tiles, blanket material, and graphite to withstand temperatures of 3,000 degrees during reentry. He told visitors that an aluminum plane exists underneath the tiles, but it is not visible.

Jo Murray, a columnist and resident of Long Beach, attended the preview. She worked in the aerospace industry 50 years ago. She described seeing the shuttle upright as an emotional moment. She said that ships and spacecraft seem to have souls that go beyond technology.

Admission to the main museum is free, but online reservations cost $4 per person. The new complex offers several interactive experiences that cost extra. A glass elevator called the Launch Tower takes visitors 140 feet up the shuttle stack for a fee of $10. Other paid options include a 45-foot descent slide, a simulated flight deck, and a landing simulator.

The museum also features the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, which displays authentic aircraft and the front 70 feet of a Boeing 747. Visitors can experience a simulated five-minute flight from Los Angeles to Seoul. The IMAX theater will screen four space-related films for $13 to $15 per person. The ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 13 is scheduled to include 30 astronauts, including all six crew members from the Endeavour's final journey. Talks on astronaut and space topics will run every 30 minutes until 5 p.m. from Nov. 13 to 15.