Space Shuttle Endeavour is Successfully Secured into Full Shuttle Stack

(Los Angeles, CA | January 31, 2024) — The California Science Center has successfully completed the world’s only authentic space shuttle system display in launch configuration. Endeavour’s installation in the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a major expansion of the California Science Center, is the grand finale of the unprecedented Go for Stack process. With Endeavour’s detachment from the gigantic, 450-foot crane and metal sling just after midnight, today marks the official completion of the complex, six-month, multi-phase process. The 20-story space shuttle exhibit will be the star attraction of the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

Work began Monday, January 29 around 9:30 p.m. for Endeavour’s “soft mate” to the rest of the space shuttle stack. Overnight, Endeavour was lifted into the construction site and captured at attach points on the massive orange external tank, ET-94. Work resumed the evening of Tuesday, January 30 to achieve the “hard mate,” where the flight hardware bolts were completely torqued. Endeavour was hard mated and firmly secured in place as of 9:15 p.m. on January 30. At 12:15 a.m. on January 31, after almost fourteen hours of work in total, Endeavour was fully detached from the crane and sling, and the final mating of the space shuttle to the external tank and two solid rocket boosters was complete.

“With the lift and mating of Endeavour, we have successfully completed the last-ever space shuttle stack. This is a dream over thirty years in the making, and a feat that has never before been accomplished outside of a NASA or Air Force facility,” shared Jeffrey Rudolph, the President and CEO of the California Science Center. “The California Science Center has been fortunate to have a remarkable group of experts devoted to this project who have decades of experience working with NASA and the shuttle program—some from the very first space shuttle launch in 1981. Go for Stack marked the final time they’ll work together to lift and mate a space shuttle. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to the space shuttle team and our entire Science Center team, whose dedication and years of hard work has made every stage of this complex and unprecedented operation a success.”

Space shuttle Endeavour flew 25 missions in space and has inspired roughly 20 million guests from around the world since arriving at the California Science Center in October of 2012. The 122-foot-long orbiter has a wingspan of 78 feet and is just one part of the full space shuttle system. Now fully installed, the California Science Center’s authentic space shuttle stack also includes two solid rocket boosters—each consisting of an aft skirt at their base, a 116-foot solid rocket motor, and a forward assembly on top—and the largest component of the stack, 154-foot external tank. The roughly six-month Go for Stack process began in July 2023 with the installation of the aft skirts. The solid rocket motors were installed in November, followed by the forward assemblies in early December. ET-94 was installed in early January.

The final preparations to move the orbiter to its new home began immediately after Endeavour’s exhibition closed to the public on December 31, 2023. On the morning of January 2, crews began to carefully envelop Endeavour in shrink wrap to protect it during its journey, installation, and for the duration of construction. Endeavour moved out of its previous and temporary home, the Samuel Oschin Pavilion at the California Science Center, on January 18 and made the 1,000-foot journey down State Drive to the site of the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center on January 26.

Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a major expansion of the California Science Center and Endeavour’s permanent home, began in 2022 and will continue around the 20-story shuttle display. Endeavour’s stack will remain covered by scaffolding and additional plywood and Kevlar fabric throughout the duration of the Air and Space Center construction process. A positive purge using filtered air will also minimize dust near the space shuttle stack.

The future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will serve as a launchpad for creativity and innovation to inspire future generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers. The 200,000-square-foot expansion will nearly double the California Science Center’s educational exhibition space, adding an impressive collection of 100 authentic artifacts integrated with 100 new hands-on exhibits. Guests of all ages will be encouraged to investigate scientific and engineering principles of atmospheric flight and the exploration of the universe in three major galleries—the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery. As the third phase of the California Science Center’s three-phase, three-decade master plan to develop one of the world’s leading science learning centers, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will provide a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity for the Los Angeles community, the state of California, and guests from around the globe. Construction is expected to continue for about a year and a half. Following artifact and exhibit installation, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will be ready to welcome guests in a few years.

For more information, visit californiasciencecenter.org/goforstack.