The space shuttle Endeavor has been on display to visitors at the California Science Center in Los Angeles since 2012, giving millions of visitors each year the unique opportunity to not only walk around the spacecraft – but also pass under it. However, this special exhibition is coming to an end, and yesterday the exhibit was closed to the public.
The reason for closing the exhibit to the public is the museum's intention to lift the space shuttle from its current state – horizontal, similar to an airplane – and place it vertically, as it was on the launch pad for each of its 25 flights, which began in 1992 and ended in 2011. To further simulate the launch pad, the shuttle will be connected to a pair of rocket boosters and an external fuel tank – all made of solid plastic.
The new vertical display will be the centerpiece at the new Samuel Ouchin Air and Space Center – an extension of the Science Center, currently under construction and designed according to the shape of this installation. The delivery of the shuttle and the attachment of copies of the launch missile are expected to be completed this year – but the public will not be able to see the new exhibit until the opening of the new building, which is scheduled only for 2025.
Moving the shuttle and building the new building that will house it is a huge project, the purpose of which is to allow visitors to see the shuttle as seen by the astronauts who came to take off on it, as well as NASA employees, at most of its public appearances (the landings usually received less crowds, as they are less impressive than the vertical takeoff of a powerful rocket).
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