Space nerds, rejoice! The fully assembled, 20-story-tall spaceship will soon be on display in a new exhibit, and it looks like it’s ready to take off once again.
There is a California Science Center announced The much-anticipated Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will open to the public on November 13, kicking off Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission. The retired orbiter will be on permanent display in its new home in Los Angeles, remaining upright, ready for launch, as the centerpiece of the museum.
A legendary run
Endeavor was the fifth and final NASA spacecraft built to replace the lost Challenger orbiter. His first visit took place May 1992when crew members embark on a daring spacewalk to capture a stranded satellite so it can be repaired and relaunched.
Endeavor also participated in the first Hubble Space Telescope maintenance and repair mission in 1993. During 12 missions, Endeavor assisted in the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS).
Now for the effort the last time June 1, 2011 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a 16-day mission to the ISS. This landing was followed by only one other Shuttle mission, Atlantis STS-135, marking the end of NASA’s 30-year shuttle era that began in 1981.
Nursing home
Endeavor has been on display at the California Science Center since its retirement, though it is lying horizontally instead of upright as if ready to take off.
The upcoming display will feature the Endeavour’s orbiter, the rocket’s robust boosters and its external tank. When fully assembled, the 20-story vertical display will be the world’s only “launch-ready” Space Shuttle system in terms of its structure and appearance.
Engineers took nearly six months to fully assemble Endeavor for its new display through the complex Go for Stack process, which began on July 20, 2023, and continued until the Endeavor orbiter was lifted off and connected to the external tank.
In just a few months, Space Shuttle Endeavor will be ready to be viewed in all its glory in its new permanent home to commemorate its rising legacy.
