The California Science Center opened its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center to the public Friday, featuring space shuttle Endeavour displayed in a nearly 200-foot-tall launch configuration.
The opening Friday followed a morning grand-opening program and ribbon-cutting at the Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, attended by Sens. Alex Padilla, D-California, and Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, along with about 30 astronauts.
Kelly commanded Endeavour’s final mission, STS-134, and was joined by the mission’s five other crew members, according to the Science Center.
The expanded center displays Endeavour with authentic solid rocket boosters and an external tank, creating what the Science Center says is the only complete, authentic space shuttle system on view anywhere in the world.
“From Los Angeles to Silicon Valley, California has long been at the forefront of innovation and scientific discovery,” Padilla said in a statement. “The opening of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, home to the only complete Space Shuttle system on display anywhere in the world, is an exciting investment in California’s future.”
Padilla said the center would expand educational opportunities and give visitors of all ages the chance to experience space exploration up close.
“Most importantly, this center will inspire imaginations, spark curiosity, and encourage the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers to dream bigger than ever before,” he said.
“I was fortunate to command Endeavour on its final mission, and I know firsthand what this spacecraft represents: American ingenuity and the determination to do things that once seemed impossible,” Kelly said. “Now, generations of kids will get to look up at Endeavour and be inspired to dream big and do hard things.”
The 200,000-square-foot expansion nearly doubles the Science Center’s exhibit space and includes 100 aerospace artifacts and 100 hands-on exhibits focused on science and engineering.
“The opening of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is the fulfillment of a decades-long dream to create one of the world’s leading science centers,” Science Center President and CEO Jeffrey N. Rudolph said at an Oct. 28 preview event.
Lynda Oschin, chairwoman of the board and secretary of the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, said at the preview event that the shuttle reflects her late husband’s interest in science and education.
“Endeavour exemplifies so many of the passions of my husband, especially astronomy, math, science, exploration and helping children to achieve their dreams,” Oschin said. “Years ago, I recognized the extraordinary potential of this project to inspire curiosity, encourage lifelong learning, and open new worlds of possibility for young people.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who joined Rudolph for a shuttle-side conversation during the preview event, called Endeavour a symbol of California’s vision, values and spirit.
“California is America’s coming attraction,” Newsom said. “And so in every way, shape or form, this symbolically and substantively lands in terms of the vision, our values, and I think the spirit and the pride that I feel as a fifth-generation Californian, and I think many do connected to this great state.”
The shuttle gallery rises nearly 200 feet and includes a 140-foot elevator ride up the launch stack to a glass-floor observation platform above the orbiter. Other exhibits allow visitors to try a shuttle-landing simulator, sit inside a replica flight deck and descend a 45-foot slide designed to evoke the shuttle’s return through Earth’s atmosphere.
The center has three multilevel galleries: the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
The aviation gallery features more than a dozen aircraft, including gliders and fighter jets, as well as part of a Korean Air Boeing 747-400. Visitors can take a five-minute simulated flight from Los Angeles to Seoul.
The space gallery includes the Mercury-Redstone 2 capsule, Gemini 11 capsule and Apollo-Soyuz Command Module. It also features exhibits developed with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including models and replicas representing six decades of robotic exploration and activities such as programming a miniature Mars rover.
Free astronaut and aerospace talks will be held every half-hour during the grand-opening weekend, with the final talk scheduled for 4 p.m. Topics will include women in space, mission overviews and other aviation and space subjects.
“Endeavour’s Long Journey,” a photo exhibit documenting the shuttle’s final flight over California, its 12-mile, 68-hour trip through Los Angeles and Inglewood and its vertical installation at the Science Center, also opened Friday.
Television producer Chuck Lorre and actor Iain Armitage of “Young Sheldon” were scheduled for a photo opportunity by the Shuttle Descent Slide, which was supported by a gift from the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation.
The Science Center’s IMAX Theater will screen four space-themed films Friday, including “The Dream Is Alive,” “Journey to Space 3D,” “Hubble 3D” and “A Beautiful Planet 3D.”
General admission to the Science Center is free. Timed reservations are required for the new center because of anticipated demand, with a $4 service fee waived for Science Center members and in-person, same-day reservations.
The Air and Space Center will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
