Space Shuttle Endeavour's new home opens Nov. 13 in Exposition Park
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center puts Endeavour in launch position, 20 stories tall. Admission is free with a $4 timed reservation.
By LA This Weekend Team · November 8, 20267 views
Space Shuttle Endeavour finally stands up. The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, Endeavour's permanent home at the California Science Center, opens to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
The shuttle is displayed in launch position, standing 20 stories tall with its solid rocket boosters and external tank. The Science Center says it is the only place in the world to see a complete, flown space shuttle system.
What's inside
The 200,000-square-foot addition nearly doubles the Science Center's exhibit space, with about 100 artifacts and 100 new hands-on exhibits across three galleries.
- Launch Tower: an elevator ride 140 feet up the shuttle stack to a glass-floor platform over Endeavour's nose.
- Shuttle Descent Slide: a 45-foot drop meant to feel like a shuttle coming home from orbit.
- A replica flight deck and an orbiter landing simulator.
- Aircraft in the Korean Air Aviation Gallery, including the front 70 feet of a Boeing 747.
- Flown spacecraft in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, including the Gemini 11 capsule and the Apollo-Soyuz command module.
Opening weekend
About 30 astronauts are expected for the opening, including all six crew members of Endeavour's final mission, STS-134. Astronaut talks run Nov. 13 to 15, every half hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Getting in
Admission to the Science Center is free. Timed reservations for the new center carry a $4 service fee, so book ahead for opening weekend. The address is 700 Exposition Park Drive, a short walk from the Expo Park/USC stop on the Metro E Line.
The project cost $450 million, and the Science Center says it has raised more than $415 million so far.
Sources
- California Science Center: Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opening press release (Oct. 29, 2026)
- NBC Los Angeles: Space Shuttle Endeavour tickets are nearly ready for lift-off
- Discover Los Angeles: Fall 2026 newsletter
Photo: Endeavour in its temporary hangar at the California Science Center, December 2022, by Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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LA This Weekend Team