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By Carolyn Giardina For the many members of our Creative + Tech Orbit family that are as inspired by space exploration as we are, we’re happy share that with this morning’s ceremony and ribbon cutting, the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center in Los Angeles is now open to the public. It’s highlighted by Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is displayed in a remarkable 20-story-tall launch configuration with solid rocket boosters and an external tank. The flown orbiter can be viewed on multiple levels of the building—and a 140-foot ascent aboard an elevator leads to a glass floor observation platform hovering over the shuttle’s nose and the interior of the payload bay. Visitors will arrive in this gallery after viewing a short film produced by Bad Robot. The film concludes with a Shuttle launch and atmospheric effects as the screen is lifted to reveal Endeavour. California Science Center President and CEO Jeffrey N. Rudolph preceded over an opening ceremony just prior to the ribbon cutting. Guests and speakers included government officials and roughly 30 former NASA astronauts. “This ship is a testament and now a monument to American ingenuity,” said Senator Mark Kelly, former NASA astronaut who served as Commander for Endeavour’s final mission. Chairman of the Mr. and Mrs. Oschin Family Foundation Lynda Oschin noted that the massive effort is “about the children, and it’s about the future, and inspiration, curiosity and knowledge.” The ribbon-cutting was attended by hundreds of school children and guests. In all, the 200,000-square-foot expansion of the California Science Center has three galleries – the Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, and the Kent Kresa Space Gallery — and houses roughly 100 artifacts, in addition to interactive and immersive experiences focused on science and engineering. Artifacts includes a range of flown spacecraft, including the Mercury-Redstone 2 capsule, Gemini 11 capsule, and Apollo-Soyuz Command Module. If you plan to visit this weekend, you can catch astronaut and aerospace-related talks given by astronauts and experts from JPL and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. California Science Center’s IMAX Theater is showing themed movies today, including The Dream Is Alive, Journey to Space 3D, Hubble 3D, and A Beautiful Planet 3D. Also opening this weekend is “Endeavour’s Long Journey,” a photo exhibit documenting Endeavour’s final flight over California, its ambitious journey through the streets to the Science Center, along with the multi-phase process of stacking each of the space shuttle components in vertical configuration. The Center also features the short film that follows this national treasure’s journey to the Science Center, made by more than 150 volunteers and donors from the Hollywood community.

creativetechorbit.substack.com · Nov 13, 2026