Space shuttle Endeavour went on public display in its permanent home on Friday, standing upright in a nearly 200-foot launch configuration at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
The retired orbiter anchors the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a 200,000-square-foot expansion that nearly doubles the Science Center’s exhibit space. Endeavour stands with its original solid rocket boosters and external tank, and the center says it is the only complete, authentic space shuttle system on display anywhere in the world.
The opening followed a morning grand-opening programme and ribbon cutting attended by Senators Alex Padilla and Mark Kelly, along with about 30 astronauts. Kelly commanded Endeavour’s final mission, STS-134, in 2011.
The new wing holds three multilevel galleries and contains 100 aerospace artifacts and 100 hands-on exhibits focused on aviation, space exploration, science and engineering. A 140-foot elevator ride runs alongside the shuttle stack to a glass-floor observation platform near Endeavour’s nose.
Endeavour flew 25 missions before retiring in 2011 and arrived in Los Angeles in 2012. The shuttle has waited 14 years for a permanent home while the new building rose around it.
General admission to the Science Center is free. Timed reservations are required for the new Air and Space Center, with a $4 service fee for advance bookings. The center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Source: MyNewsLA
