Huge Inspiration space shuttle mock-up will be making a move through Downey streets

The more than 120-foot-long Inspiration space shuttle mock-up will be taking a short tour through Downey on Thursday and Friday.

The full-scale model, which has been sitting in storage for more than a decade, will move down three blocks in sections from a city maintenance yard to its new temporary home. The two-day project is part of a major expansion of the Columbia Memorial Space Center, which opened 15 years ago as the official national memorial for the Columbia space shuttle crew who died in the 2003 disaster.

People are invited to celebrate its journey across Bellflower Boulevard, and the museum will be hosting a livestream for those who can’t make it in person.

Ben Dickow, president and executive director of the space center, told LAist the shuttle is a major part of aerospace history that also represents the future of exploration.

“We really see it as a catalyst for inspiring people, young people and adults, to keep furthering the progress of innovation and science and technology in Southern California,” he said.

A map of the "Inspiration" space shuttle's move through Downey.

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Columbia Memorial Space Center

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What you need to know

The move will kick-off at 9 a.m. Thursday, and Dickow recommends arriving at least a half hour before. You’ll also be able to find the livestream here.

The northbound lanes of Bellflower Boulevard, between Imperial Highway and Washburn Road, will be closed from 7 a.m. to around 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

The southbound lanes, between Apollo Way and Washburn Road, will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday.

“We're hoping that people line the streets on Bellflower Boulevard in Downey and they cheer it on,” Dickow said.

City officials will be flagging certain vehicles through the closures as needed. Those traveling east to the Kaiser Permanente offices, for example, will be directed through during any breaks.

But be prepared to tell officials stationed at each intersection which business you’re trying to get to, and give yourself plenty of time.

The Columbia Memorial Space Center will also be closing early at 4 p.m. Wednesday, 3 p.m. Friday, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

About the shuttle

The Inspiration mock-up, which belongs to the city of Downey, was created in 1972 as part of a former shuttle contractor’s process of building an orbiter for NASA.

The 35-foot-tall model was the first shuttle ever built and worked as a prototype and fitting tool for all of the orbiters that launched into space, Dickow noted.

“Inspiration was probably the biggest step to being able to build a space shuttle that could actually go into space and then come back and be reused,” he said.

Now, all seven of the components, which have been disassembled for years, will be moved with specialized equipment at about 2 mph to a dedicated building in Downey.

Historical experts will then restore it and prepare for a future, final trip to the Columbia Memorial Space Center’s roughly 20,000-square-foot new complex.

What’s next

The Inspiration shuttle will eventually make another move to the museum so it can be installed in the indoor-outdoor expansion.

The “state-of-the-art” complex will include hands-on exhibits and learning spaces “where science education and events will come to life,” the Columbia Memorial Space Center and city said in a joint statement.

A rendering of the Columbia Memorial Space Center's new expansion.

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Columbia Memorial Space Center

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People will also be able to explore the shuttle’s internal cargo bay at the museum to get up close and personal with the components.

Dickow noted that one of the main design features of the expansion is that the exhibits can be moved out of the way, so the space can be turned into a community gathering area for the neighborhood.

He said museum officials made that a priority through a community listening process that highlighted what people actually want and need.

“We shouldn't just be building a jewel box,” he said. “This is supposed to be sort of like a living room for Southeast L.A. in some ways.”

Construction for the complex is expected to start next summer, and the museum is hoping to raise $50 million through its “Project Inspiration” campaign to fund the project.