The California Science Center broke ground on the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a 200,000-square-foot addition to the Science Center that will contain 150 educational exhibits spanning three multi-level galleries and become the permanent home of Space Shuttle Endeavour, one of only three remaining flown space shuttle orbiters and the only one located on the west coast.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, United States Senator Alex Padilla, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Karen Bass, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles City Council Member Curren Price, Chairperson of the Mr. and Mrs. Oschin Family Foundation Mrs. Lynda Oschin, as well as other community leaders, former NASA astronauts, donors, and students from the Science Center School, participated in the groundbreaking celebration.
Governor Gavin Newsom and United States Senator Mark Kelly, who is also a former NASA astronaut and served as Commander on Endeavour’s last mission, joined the celebration remotely with recorded messages. The event coincided with the 11th anniversary of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final touchdown.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will nearly double the California Science Center’s educational exhibit areas with an impressive artifact collection, integrated with hands-on exhibits to encourage guests of all ages to investigate scientific and engineering principles of atmospheric flight and the exploration of the universe. Endeavour will be presented in an awe-inspiring ‘ready-to-launch’ vertical configuration, complete with solid rocket boosters and an external tank, in what will be the world’s only display of an authentic space shuttle system.
Towering 20-stories high, the Air and Space Center will house an impressive collection of aircraft and spacecraft, carefully selected to present a dynamic and fun learning experience while illustrating key concepts for each of its three multi-level galleries– Air, Space, and Shuttle – that span four floors and 100,000-square-feet of exhibit space.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is the third phase of the California Science Center’s three-phase, three-decade master plan to develop one of the world’s leading science learning centers. Building construction is underway and is estimated to take three years. Roughly a year and a half into construction, Space Shuttle Endeavour will be moved off display and positioned in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, which will then be completed around the full shuttle stack. Architectural design is by ZGF, construction is by MATT Construction, and exhibit design is by Evidence Design.