California State Science Center artists perform at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Samuel Oshin Air and Space Center, which will be the permanent home of NASA’s retired space shuttle Endeavor, Wednesday, June 1, in California, California. A rendering of what the gallery will look like in 2022. (Photo Credit: Gene Blevins/Photo Credit)
Some unusual cargo has been carried through the streets of Southern California, including a pair of large space-age solid rocket motors that will be delivered to the California Science Center and eventually incorporated into the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s upright exhibit.
The rocket motor will depart from Mojave Air and Space Port in the desert starting Tuesday and arrive at Exposition Park on Wednesday, where a celebration with the shuttle will be held.
Rocket motors are the main components of the twin solid rocket boosters that were used to propel the Shuttle into space using fuel from a large connected external tank. All launch components, including the shuttle, rocket boosters and fuel tanks, will be included in Endeavor’s vertical exhibit at its new home at the $400 million Samuel Oshin Air and Space Center.
When completed, this display will be the world’s only vertical, launch-ready shuttle configuration.
The shuttle has been on horizontal display at the science center for 11 years. The giant external fuel tank is already in the science center, waiting to be installed upright in the new display.
Therefore, the delivery of solid rocket motors is one of the last major components needed for this plan. In July, CSC officials officially began the vertical display creation process, which they dubbed the “Go for Stack” process.
On Wednesday, the rocket motor, donated by Northrop Grumman, will begin its final leg of its journey from Mojave Air and Space Port, north of Lancaster, where it was stored. The public is then invited to watch as the motor is towed from the Harbor (110) Freeway and driven along Figueroa Avenue toward the Science Center.
“Eleven years after Endeavor’s unforgettable journey across the city, we will once again join in on this next historic arrival,” California Science Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rudolph said in a statement. We are pleased to invite the public to participate.”
“SRM’s arrival brings us one step closer to completing the future Samuel Oshin Aerospace Center. This center will serve as a springboard for creativity and innovation, inspiring future generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers. will give you a ration.”
The motor’s arrival comes 11 years to the day Shuttle Endeavor began its fascinating journey across the city from Los Angeles International Airport to the Science Center.
Moving the motor is also not an easy task. Each rocket motor is 116 feet long and over 12 feet in diameter. And they both weigh 104,000 pounds.
At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, the rocket motor will be transported north from 43rd and 39th Streets on Figueroa Avenue, and the public is encouraged to line the streets along that stretch to watch the arrival. When the motor arrives at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 8 a.m., it will pause for an extended photo session before officially moving to the Science Center at 9 a.m.
Upon arrival, the motor is placed in temporary storage awaiting placement in the upright Endeavor display.
The Science Center will open early at 9 a.m. Wednesday for an arrival celebration. Center officials said the motor’s arrival will be “a great opportunity for the public to witness firsthand every step of ‘Go for Stack.'”
The six-month “Go for Stack” process began in July with the installation of the rocket booster’s rear skirt. The next stage involves moving the solid rocket booster’s rocket motor and other components into a vertical position, followed by placing the external fuel tank, known as ET-94, in place.
The final component involves the delicate movement of the shuttle itself across Expo Park and the use of a crane to lift it into a vertical display towering 200 feet into the air. The Samuel Oshin Aerospace Center, which will house the exhibits, will then be built around it and is scheduled to open in 2025.
Space Shuttle Endeavor will be closed to the public for the relocation and construction process, and the last chance for people to see the shuttle in its current form will be Dec. 31.
The 200,000-square-foot Samuel Oshin Air and Space Center at Exposition Park will nearly double the science center’s educational exhibit space, officials said. The building includes his three multi-level galleries with aviation, space and shuttle themes. The new facility will also include an event and exhibition center that will host large-scale regular exhibitions.