Endeavour display to open in Los Angeles on Nov. 13
The California Science Center will debut a vertical shuttle stack in its new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The California Science Center plans to open its new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 13, with space shuttle Endeavour displayed upright as if ready for launch. According to collectSPACE, the 184-foot exhibit pairs the orbiter with an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, creating what the center believes is the world’s tallest indoor museum display.
The project gives visitors a view of Endeavour that was difficult to see even during the shuttle program, former shuttle engineer Dennis Jenkins told collectSPACE. Jenkins, who directed the air and space center project after helping prepare orbiters for museum delivery, said the team initially questioned whether a vertical shuttle stack could be assembled outside a NASA facility built for that work.
Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center has taken four years, according to collectSPACE. Jeffrey Rudolph, the science center’s president and chief executive, told the publication that the idea of showing a shuttle in launch position dates back more than 30 years in the museum’s planning.
The center is still installing exhibits before the opening, Rudolph told collectSPACE. In addition to the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the building will include the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, which the science center says will feature more than 25 aircraft along with historic and modern spacecraft.
Recent installations have included a walkthrough segment of a space shuttle solid rocket booster, a Hawker Siddeley Harrier T.4 aircraft, a Rocket Lab Electron booster and the 70-foot forward fuselage section of a Korean Air Boeing 747-400, according to collectSPACE. Rudolph said the center also plans a testing period before public opening to address operations inside the new building.
Endeavour’s display is being arranged to show different aspects of the orbiter from different viewpoints, according to Jenkins. From one side, the payload bay doors will look closed; from another, visitors will be able to see equipment arranged to resemble a mission to the International Space Station. Jenkins told collectSPACE that remaining work includes adjusting payload bay lighting, latching the closed door and covering the open crew hatch with acrylic to protect the interior.
The visitor experience will include a theater presentation before the shuttle is revealed, according to collectSPACE. The center’s video recounts shuttle history and Endeavour’s move into the building, ending with footage of Endeavour’s final launch before the room opens onto the 184-foot stack.
Visitors will be able to view Endeavour from multiple levels of the building, according to the science center. Some guests will be able to ride a glass elevator up the gantry beside the shuttle, and the top level will include a transparent walkway above the vehicle.
Lynda Oschin, whose family foundation made the lead donation for the center, told collectSPACE that she supported the project in memory of her husband, Samuel Oschin. She said a framed photo of him has been placed on Endeavour’s flight deck.
Endeavour has been at the California Science Center since 2012, when it first went on view in a horizontal position, according to collectSPACE. The Nov. 13 opening will mark its public debut in the full launch-style configuration inside the new air and space center.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.