Construction is underway to build the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center (SOASC), the future home of Endeavor, the retired orbiter from NASA’s Space Shuttle program and the fifth and final operational Shuttle built.
The center will be a 200,000 square foot addition to the California Science Center’s (CSC) main building in Exposition Park and will serve as a launchpad for creativity and innovation.
The Work in Progress gallery features 100 exhibits, including hands-on, interactive experiences, digital touch screen interactive displays, accessible bilingual graphic displays in both English and Spanish, and visitors can view the Center construction progress through time-lapse imagery.
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“This is very exciting,” said Lynda Oschin, wife of the late Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist Samuel Oschin, an avid space enthusiast and namesake of the new museum.
“This is my husband’s legacy and it’s everything he loved. I’m happy and blessed that I was able to do this for him and for everybody,” she said.
“Endeavor is the only shuttle in launch position in the entire world not going into space,” she continued.
“We have all four pieces: the shuttle, the two side rocket boosters, and the big orange tank, which is the fuel tank. We got it from NASA and brought it here through the Panama Canal, up the coast past San Diego, and into Marina del Rey. Terrific stuff,” she explained.
Work in Progress highlights include the SpaceX-donated Crew Dragon cargo space capsule. The 14 ft-by-12 ft, 28,000 lb. spacecraft completed four crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and was first launched into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket in May 2020 as part of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission.
“I’m so proud the Dragon capsule is here,” said Jessica Jensen, Vice President of Customer Operations and Integration at SpaceX. “The Dragon was designed and built by engineers and operated by technicians right here in Hawthorne!
“Right now, the vehicle looks very charred like a marshmallow on the outside. But inside, it’s like 70 or 80 degrees. Very comfortable. I want kids to come here and see it up close,” she urged.
The Crew Dragon cargo space capsule was named for “Puff, The Magic Dragon” (the 1963 song by Peter, Paul and Mary), and the Falcon 9 rocket was named after the Millenium Falcon of ‘Star Wars’ fame.
The Work in Progress gallery contains an interactive video tour of the interior of Endeavour, the Shuttle main engine, a 60 ft. Electron Rocket donated by Rocket Lab—a small orbital-class rocket used to deliver satellites to Earth’s orbit, and over 80 photographs documenting Endeavour’s final flight over California and 12-mile, 68-hour journey through the streets of South LA to the CSC.
“Our mission is to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone,” stated Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of California Science Center.
“We do it because we think that science is important to understand, and particularly for our young people to be inspired to want to learn more.
“In the works here is a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet flight simulator experience. That’ll be iconic for our community, especially for kids who’ve never flown on an airplane. They’ll learn what it’s like to fly and how it works!” he said.
Guests can investigate the principles of flight and the exploration of the universe in three major galleries—the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
“Admission is free. Everyone is welcome to come here,” Rudolph stated. “Tons of people can be a part of this in the future of spaceflight.”
For more information, visit https://californiasciencecenter.org/give-join/endeavourla-campaign.
