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California Science Center visitors will see space shuttle Endeavour in launch position this fall
California Science Center’s expansion for space shuttle Endeavour to open this fall.
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Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission for a new home and space exploration
Makenna Cramer checked out the museum's expansion and significance to L.A. and space exploration in December.
After years of construction, the California Science Center’s expansion in Exposition Park will be open to the public on Nov. 13, officials announced Wednesday.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is a 200,000-square-foot addition to the museum and space shuttle Endeavour’s new, permanent home.
According to officials, it’ll be the only place in the world where guests can see a complete, authentic space shuttle system displayed in launch position — just like it would look before it blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Endeavour spans about 20 stories tall in the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, one of three main galleries that will be filled with hands-on exhibits and authentic aerospace artifacts. The center will be free to visit.
Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, told LAist the upcoming opening is a dream that’s been decades in the making.
“The sense of wonder and inspiration is exactly what we dreamed could happen, and so far, everyone that comes in we see that … the tears, the exclamations, it's just amazing.”
The California Science Center’s expansion in Exposition Park will be open to the public on Nov. 13, officials announced Wednesday.
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Endeavour spans about 20 stories tall in the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery
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Preparing for the public
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center finished construction around Endeavour earlier this year, after each of the space shuttle components were lifted into place in the construction zone.
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The roughly six-month process of attaching the flown orbiter — Endeavour — to twin solid rocket boosters and the last remaining flight-qualified external tank was called “Go For Stack.” Museum officials said the complex process had never been done outside of a NASA facility.
The space shuttle has been hidden from public view for more than two years since Endeavour reached for the stars one last time in the “Go For Stack” mission — at least until now.
The space shuttle Endeavour "soft-mated" in its permanent ready-to-launch position in the construction zone for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
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People watch as Endeavour orbiter is being lowered into its ready-to-launch from the construction zone for the new building.
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A close-up of the orbiter as its slowly but surely lowered into its "Go For Stack" position next to the external tank and twin solid rocket boosters.
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Before walking into the shuttle gallery, guests will be shown a short film about Endeavour’s history made in conjunction with J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot. As the space shuttle starts launching in the film, mist fills the room and the screen rises to reveal the real star of the show — Endeavour.
As its name suggests, Endeavour is the centerpiece of the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery. It was the last gallery to be unveiled by the California Science Center, months after offering sneak peeks of the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
The shuttle gallery shows how the first reusable spacecraft helped humans live and work beyond Earth’s surface in low orbit, according to the museum. Officials said it preserves a critical part of space exploration — Endeavour was the last orbiter to join the shuttle fleet, traveling more than 122 million miles on over two dozen missions.
Guests can see the space shuttle stack from several levels and angles, including the thermal tiles on Endeavour’s underbelly, the NASA logo on the side and looking up underneath the engines.
With Endeavour in vertical launch position, guests can see all the intricate details of the space shuttle, including the engines and thermal tiles that protected it when it came back through Earth's atmosphere.
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John “Danny” Olivas, a former NASA astronaut who flew on Atlantis and Discovery, told LAist the shuttle program ushered in an era of space exploration that America had never seen before. He said it was an era of inclusion and diversity that brought the first Black astronaut, the first Hispanic astronaut and the first women in space, to name a few.
“It opened up the eyes of the American public that all of us can participate in this, you know, this wonderful endeavor of space exploration for the betterment of all humanity,” Olivas said.
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Beyond the historical significance, it’s designed to inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists and engineers by offering "unparalleled" views of the space shuttle, according to the museum. In fact, Rudolph said guests get an even better view of Endeavour in the gallery than when it was on the launchpad surrounded by platforms and equipment.
Olivas said it’s also a homecoming for Endeavour — the space shuttle was assembled in Palmdale with the "hard work and effort of Southern Californians."
John "Danny" Olivas, a former NASA astronaut who flew on two shuttles Atlantis and Discovery, encouraged future visitors to pay attention to all of Endeavour's details, from the nuts to insulation and everything in between.
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“We remain to be active in space exploration,” he said. “It's not just about seven astronauts climbing aboard and going off into low Earth orbit or to the moon, but in fact, all the hundreds of thousands people that it takes to actually make that happen.”
The finishing touches
The California Science Center still has a lot of work to do before the first guests walk into the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in around five months.
With Endeavour and many major pieces in place, including the front of a Boeing 747 and jets suspended from the ceiling, attention turns to adding all the interactive exhibits that will make the space come to life.
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The first of many artifacts have been installed in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, including a space shuttle main engine (right) and a solid rocket booster segment.
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Walter Cho, chairman of Korean Air, celebrated the first aircraft installed in the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, including the front of a real Boeing 747-400 that was built for the airline in 1993.
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The roughly 20 aircraft that’ll be displayed — some already suspended from the ceiling — were selected by the California Science Center for the engineering principles they can teach.
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The exterior of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in November 2025.
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The California Science Center is still looking to raise about $40 million more toward its $450 million fundraising goal. You can learn more about the EndeavourLA campaign here.
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