"We came from the Bay Area to see this opening," Ralph remarked. "The shuttle is such a part of us, of L.A., you know? I just can't wait to get inside!"īehind her stood Ralph and Linda Johnson. Clarisse Washington was typical of the crowd: "I just had to come," she said. (Image credit: Rod Pyle/)Ī few hundred feet away inside the adjoining museum, well over a thousand people stood in line awaiting the public opening at 11 a.m. Alexander Science Center School get their first look at Endeavour. The main engine exhibit, video kiosks and a Spacelab unit round out the exhibits inside the hangar.Ī group of children from the Dr. "He's only five, so it may be a bit soon. The boy, Matthew, pulled his father toward the nearby shuttle main engine display. "I wanted him to see the shuttle and remember this moment," he said. "It went to space 25 times." She then looked shyly at her friends surrounding her, and whispered, "I want to be an astronaut when I grow up and go to the moon!"ĭavid Dickenson of Los Angeles stood nearby with his young son. Sophie Juarez, a second grade student, proudly announced that she knew the number of flights that Endeavour had made. And now we have this," he gestured to the orbiter, "And that's really, really cool." "I like science, and my school is really cool because we get to do science. Īntonio Rosales, a fourth grader at the Science Center's resident magnet elementary school, could barely take his eyes off the orbiter. More than one simply stood, mouth agape, taking in the vast tiled underbody of the orbiter. Nichelle Nichols of "Star Trek" television fame was also present, as was June Lockhart from "Lost in Space." Both were warmly welcomed by the crowd, with Nichols acknowledging her introduction with a famous Vulcan gesture and a hearty "Live long and prosper."Īfter the speeches and a vibrant dance number choreographed by dancer and actress Debbie Allen (to the quirky theme of "Men In Black"), the schoolchildren, who had shown masterful restraint, were free to wander the exhibit and marvel at the machine above them. When the mayor addressed the children present, asking who wanted to be an astronaut, most of the adults in the room joined the kids to raise their hands with great enthusiasm. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also took the podium to comment on what Endeavour means to Los Angeles and the future of science and technology education. "Why? Because human beings are about exploration, are about experimentation," he said. He challenged the "many naysayers who ask why did we spend billions on the shuttle and $2.5 billion on Curiosity?" (Image credit: Rod Pyle/)Īmong the featured speakers were California Governor Jerry Brown, who pointed out that Endeavour had been built just a few miles away at (then) Rockwell International, and had been a boon to the California economy. "It gives me hope that one day regular folks like us can go into space and come back transformed," he said.Ī California Science Center guide discusses the Space Shuttle Main Engine display with invited guests. Ingram later commented that he was very proud to be associated with this grand opening, and how glad he was to have such an icon of the space age in Los Angeles. This will make Endeavour the only retired shuttle to be displayed in "launch mode."Įndeavour's sibling shuttle orbiters, Discovery and Atlantis, will spend their retirement at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum outside Washington, D.C., and the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Florida, respectively, while the prototype shuttle Enterprise is on display at New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.Įndeavour's opening ceremony began Wednesday with Bill Nye, former TV host and current CEO of The Planetary Society, introducing featured speakers.Īfter opening remarks, the Grammy Award-winning singer James Ingram delivered a stirring rendition of "I Believe I Can Fly." The assembled crowd joined in for the final refrains. A new, much larger building will be completed nearby within a few years, and will feature the shuttle in vertical configuration, complete with solid rocket boosters and an external tank mock-up. The orbiter is being temporarily housed in a metal hangar building connected to the main California Science Center museum. Crowds beneath the tiled underbelly of Endeavour during a pre-opening press tour.
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