Space Shuttle Endeavour Stands Ready for Launch Again as LA’s New Air and Space Center Opens
By Scott Blaine Hoffman
Starting today, Friday, November 13, the California Science Center in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park is opening the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, the permanent home of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The retired orbiter is displayed standing upright exactly as it would have looked on the launch pad, attached to its orange external fuel tank and both solid rocket boosters. The full stack rises roughly 20 stories.
The new 200,000-square-foot building has three main galleries: the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery built around Endeavour, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery. Together they hold dozens of aircraft and spacecraft, including both historic and modern vehicles. Construction started in June 2022 and wrapped up this spring.
Endeavour has lived at the Science Center since 2012, when it made a slow, widely watched overland trip through city streets from LAX. It was shown lying flat until the end of 2023, then went off view while crews stacked it vertically, a job that took months of crane work.
Why it matters
No other retired space shuttle is displayed in full launch configuration with its tank and boosters, so this is the only place to see what a shuttle looked like moments before liftoff. The expansion also nearly doubles the Science Center’s exhibit space, giving Southern California a major new aerospace attraction.
What to watch
General admission to the Science Center is free, but the new center uses timed-entry reservations with a small service fee because big crowds are expected. Book a time slot ahead of your visit at californiasciencecenter.org. Visiting this weekend? Share what you see on PeoplesReporting.
Sources
- City of Los Angeles: Space Shuttle Endeavour now stands in its iconic launch position
- collectSPACE: First look at Endeavour in launch position, opening date set
- Smithsonian Magazine: See the space shuttle Endeavour in a unique vertical display
- ABC7 Los Angeles: Endeavour hoisted into upright display at California Science Center
- California Science Center: plan your visit
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