Experience the Only Space Shuttle in Launch Configuration at the California Science Center in Los Angeles - Travel Dreams Magazine
WHAT On November 13, 2026, the California Science Center will open its highly anticipated expansion, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, featuring Space Shuttle Endeavour, the only complete, authentic space shuttle system in the world displayed in a 20-story launch configuration. The new Air and Space Center is comprised of three multi-level galleries that […]
On November 13, 2026, theCalifornia Science Centerwill open its highly anticipated expansion, theSamuel Oschin Air and Space Center, featuringSpace Shuttle Endeavour, the only complete, authentic space shuttle system in the world displayed in a 20-story launch configuration. The new Air and Space Center is comprised of three multi-level galleries that invite guests of all ages to investigate the scientific and engineering principles of atmospheric flight and the exploration of the universe through a diverse collection of 100 artifacts, including rare and historic aerospace objects, as well as 100 hands-on exhibits. In addition to Endeavour, theSamuel Oschin Shuttle Galleryfeatures:· A 140-foot ascent aboard a gantry-style elevator up the shuttle stack, evoking the experience of astronauts preparing for launch. · The opportunity to sit inside a replica flight deck and interact with joysticks, switches, lights, buttons, and pedals like those that the shuttle commander and pilot would operate. · The Shuttle Descent Slide, which drops 45 feet in elevation down a 115-foot-long tubular slide that represents the shuttle’s descent from orbit. Guests will see bright orange light representing the plasma that glows as a shuttle re-enters the atmosphere and hear a double boom that evokes the sound of the nose and tail as each breaks the sound barrier on return to Earth. TheKorean Air Aviation Galleryfeatures:· More than a dozen authentic aircraft, from gliders to fighter jets, including the Hawker Siddeley Harrier T. 4. and a Pitts Special S-1C. · Access to the forward 70 feet of a Korean Air–operated Boeing 747 commercial airliner and the opportunity to experience a “flight” from LA to Seoul compressed into a five-minute video journey in an onboard theater presentation. TheKent Kresa Space Galleryfeatures:· Machines built to explore space, from rockets and robots to space capsules and telescopes, including flown spacecraft like the Mercury-Redstone 2 capsule, Gemini 11 capsule, and Apollo-Soyuz Command Module. · A space shuttle main engine. · The opportunity to walk through a section of a real solid rocket booster.