Advance reservations to see space shuttle Endeavour in its permanent home at the California Science Center’s new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will become available Wednesday, ahead of the facility’s Nov. 13 public opening.
Reservations will open to the general public at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, following early access for California Science Center members that began Monday.
The 200,000-square-foot expansion at Exposition Park will nearly double the California Science Center’s exhibit space and feature more than 100 aerospace artifacts and 100 new hands-on exhibits focused on science, technology and engineering.
The centerpiece will be Endeavour, displayed vertically in a launch- ready configuration with authentic solid rocket boosters and ET-94, the last remaining flight-qualified external tank.
“Fourteen years after Space Shuttle Endeavour arrived at the California Science Center, following its incredible overland journey across Los Angeles and Inglewood, reservations will soon become available to see it in its permanent home this November,” said Jeffrey Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center. “The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center fulfills a decades-long dream and provides us with our biggest platform yet to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone.”
The new facility will feature three multilevel galleries: the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, Korean Air Aviation Gallery and Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
The expansion represents the third and final phase of a three-decade master plan for the California Science Center.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is scheduled to open to the public at 10 a.m. Nov. 13.
Although general admission to the California Science Center is free, advance reservations for the new facility, including access to Endeavour, are strongly encouraged because of anticipated demand, officials said.
A $4 reservation service fee will apply per person, although the fee will be waived for California Science Center members. Entry may be limited for visitors without reservations.
Visitors can make up to 19 individual reservations per entry time. Groups of 20 or more must make separate arrangements through the museum’s group reservation system.
Reservations will be available beginning at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at https://californiasciencecenter.org/visit/get-reservations-tickets or by calling 213-744-2019.
Endeavour arrived in Los Angeles in 2012 and traveled through city streets from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center, where it was previously displayed horizontally.
The new facility will allow visitors to see the retired NASA orbiter in a vertical configuration resembling its position on the launchpad before liftoff.
The project is supported by the California Science Center Foundation’s EndeavourLA fundraising campaign, which has raised more than $415 million toward a $450 million goal.