When NASA’s shuttles were retired, Endeavour was flown to California atop NASA’s special Boeing 747 shuttle carrier in 2012, drawing crowds as it flew over the state.Īfter landing at Los Angeles International Airport, the shuttle was placed on a special trailer that was carefully towed through tight streets to the California Science Center during several days.Ĭopyright 2022 Associated Press.
The shuttle will be housed in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a 200,000-square-foot (18,580-square-meter) addition that will rise 20 stories high and contain 150 educational exhibits in multi-level galleries.Ībout halfway through construction, Endeavour will be positioned in the new museum and the building will be completed around the full shuttle stack.Įndeavour was built as a replacement for the destroyed shuttle Challenger and flew 25 missions between 19. The event coincided with the 11th anniversary of Endeavour‘s final return from space. Alex Padilla, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other local leaders attended the ceremony at the California Science Center in Exposition Park. LOS ANGELES (AP) – A groundbreaking ceremony was held June 1 for a museum that will permanently exhibit the retired NASA space shuttle Endeavour in Los Angeles.Įndeavour will be displayed vertically as if ready for launch, complete with a massive external tank and solid rocket boosters on each side.
Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license Endeavour is on a mission to the International Space Station.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Bluesnote. AP Photo Space shuttle Endeavour lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Ground was broken for a new museum devoted to Endeavour on June 1. With the conclusion of the STS-134 mission that launched on this day in 2011, the orbiter spent 299 days in space, completed 4,671 orbits of Earth, and traveled 122,883,151 miles over 25 missions.The Space Shuttle Endeavour pictured with the Los Angeles landmark Randy’s Donuts as the retired spaceship proceeded to the California Science Center on October 12, 2012. The Shuttle Endeavour embarked on 25 voyages of scientific exploration during its lifetime.
While sailing with Cook, naturalist Joseph Banks and Carl Solander collected many new families and species of plants, and encountered numerous new species of animals.” NASA’s website for Endeavour notes that “Cook’s voyage on the Endeavour also established the usefulness of sending scientists on voyages of exploration. The Space Shuttle Endeavour (Images of Modern America) Silberkraus, Stephen Hayward on. The orbiter, as well as the Apollo 15 Command Module, were named after the ship that the famous British Explorer James Cook commanded in the 18th century. Endeavour’s first landing was also the first test of the drag chute in the Shuttle program, which is pictured here in this post.Įndeavour had quite the service life and quite the namesake. Nineteen years earlier, on May 16th, 1992, Endeavour landed at Edwards Air Force Base, concluding its first mission, STS-49. STS-134 was a mission to the International Space Station to deliver an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier and other supplies and experiments to the station. A NASA chase plane was in the perfect spot to capture these iconic images. This incredible shot shows Endeavour as it passed through clouds during liftoff. The Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off for the 25th and final time on May 16, 2011.įUN FACT: The Cosmosphere has a full scale replica of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in our Grand Lobby! Cordoba Corporation was an integral part of a team of consultants. Reservations are required for groups of 15 or more. To visit our IMAX Theater, or our current special exhibition, we recommend you purchase tickets online before your visit.