Space shuttle Endeavour coming to California Science Center, permanently

The space shuttle Endeavour is coming home to Southern California for permanent display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The shuttle, much of which was built in Southern California, has one more scheduled flight, on April 29. The flight will be commanded by Capt. Mark E. Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman severely injured in the mass shooting in Tucson in January.

Two other retired shuttles will go to two other sites -- Florida's Kennedy Space Center and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum -- NASA announced Tuesday after a fierce competition for what one museum director called the rarest of space artifacts.

"We are thrilled," said Jeffrey N. Rudolph, president of the science center in a statement Tuesday thanking NASA for recognizing "the importance of returning the Endeavour to its home in California."

"The Endeavour will provide an educational platform for the public to celebrate California’s long time leadership in science, technology, mathematics and engineering," he added. "We are confident that it will serve to motivate and inspire millions of young people to dream about possibilities and will attract and engage the next generation of California’s and our nation’s workforce in these fields.”

The test orbiter now on display at the Smithsonian will go to New York's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. made the announcement at a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch.

Officials at the California Science Center in Exposition Park got a shuttle-like blast from beating out more than a dozen other cities for the right to house the orbiter, which will enhance the museum's prestige and could provide an economic boost for the city.

Now, the museum must pay $28.8 million to bring the Endeavour to Los Angeles and overcome the logistical challenges of transporting the craft, with its 78-foot wingspan, to a city famous for its traffic problems.

Southern California's ties to the shuttle program date back to the early 1970s. The program pumped billions of dollars into the economy and employed thousands in communities including Downey, Canoga Park and Palmdale. An occasional reminder of the effects of the program came in the form of a sonic boom, which jarred the region during shuttle landings at Edwards Air Force Base.

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-- Richard Simon in Washington

Photos, from top: Space shuttle Endeavour, shown last month during its slow move to its launch pad, will be displayed at L.A.'s California Science Center after its final flight, scheduled for April 29. Credit: John Raoux / Associated Press. California Science Center in Exposition Park. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Tom]

OK Times. Time for factual investigative reporting. Who exactly is going to pay the $28.8 million? Taxpayers?

Our federal government, state, and City of L.A. are not only broke, but deeply in debt. Time to factual investigative reporting.

[Jill Roberts]

I'm betting Johnson Space Center, Houston and/or Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral both being federally-funded bases of NASA could not afford to transport / house the retired shuttles -- crazy as that may sound. But Congress and the American people have done little to truly support the space program for years now.

[will]

Keith, I agree that it is surprising that Houston didn't get one. NY doesn't really have anything to do with space but as the biggest city in the country, with the most tourists, it will attract the most people to see it.

Houston deserved it more than CA, in my opinion, but they needed one on the West Coast. FL and DC are no brainers.

[Chris L]

All these angry comments about how the East Coast will have 3 shuttles (NY/DC/FL) are forgetting one thing: The east coast already HAS one at the Air & Space annex in Dulles. So actually the East Coast will have 4, and the DC area alone will have 2. I'm thrilled that we're getting one in LA, but I agree with commenters that they could have been distributed more evenly. Give Houston one because of their connection to the shuttle program, or Chicago one for the sake of giving the hundred million people in Midwest access to one.

[Chris L]

Scratch what I just said...I see what happened now:

The shuttle that is currently in Dulles, VA (the Enterprise test vehicle) is getting moved to NY, and the shuttle Discovery is getting moved to Dulles. So DC just upgraded from a test vehicle to one that was used for missions. That's a little more fair...I thought they were getting 2. Still, I agree that Houston or Chicago should have gotten one. NY is pretty darn close to DC.

[Darth Tom]

"All these angry comments about how the East Coast will have 3 shuttles (NY/DC/FL) are forgetting one thing: The east coast already HAS one at the Air & Space annex in Dulles. So actually the East Coast will have 4, and the DC area alone will have 2."

There are only 4 shuttles that are still around; Atlantis, Discovery, Endeavour and Enterprise. The one in DC right now; Enterprise, is moving to New York and Atlantis or Discovery is taking its place. I'm amazed that Huston didn't get Enterprise over New York with all of the connections that Huston has with the Space Program.

Wonder how Endeavour is going to get back to California after it is retired.

[Moose]

@Chris L: There are 4 shuttles total: Discovery, Endeavour, Atlantis, and Enterprise (which never went into space). The Smithsonian is exchanging Enterprise for Discovery, and Enterprise is heading to NY. California gets Endeavour, and Florida gets Atlantis.

But yeah, New York shouldn't get the shuttle. It doesn't make sense. (May make economic sense, but other that that, nope.)

[i want to beleive]

Houston deserves nothing! That's what you get for NASA's involvement in the Moon landing hoax...

[Major Variola (ret)]

Angelinos will ravage it for bricks to throw during the next riot.

Pearls before infected swine.

[schlock]

not to be a party poop - but generally speaking...for the trillions of dollars the space shuttle cost the us the taxpayers dating back to the early 70's, what exactly did we get for our money? an unmanned rocket would of cost a lot less and could of accomplished the same things. just sayin

[bill]

hope they house it well and not just up on sticks outside exposed to the elements like the other planes they have.

[Les]

This is great news.

Thousands of aerospace people in Los Angeles and Southern California worked on building these magnificent machines at the Rockwell plant in Downey. Also NASA ran all the early space programs including the Moon launches from JPL in Pasadena.

There is a 1/7th scale memorial to the Challenger and Columbia Shuttles at Valhalla Memorial Park in Burbank hosted by the Burbank Aviation Museum. It's behind the Portal of the Folded Wings, Shrine to Aviation, where many aviation pioneers are interred.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e193/empiremfg/IMG_1218.jpg
.

[Bill]

You idiots who bash CA for getting a shuttle obviously have no idea about the space program. Do some research and look up JPL. I agree that Houston deserves one, not New York.

[2 cents]

the location is in one of the worst parts of LA - I'd have been more likely to see it in Houston - Exposition park has been strictly off-limits for decades

[Bob]

All right!

Can't wait to see it, up close and personal!

[J]

Tear down old Sports Arena, build a new Shuttle Dome with parking underneath, and large outdoor area to tow the shuttle outside on Holidays.

[PHDOreginian]

I believe one of the prerequisites was, which ever entity was selected to receive a shuttle, they adjoined an airport and have a facility already constructed. Do the plan to land the 747 w/shuttle onboard on exposition blvd. , and perhaps they'll put a dome over the Coliseum to house it? I don't believe that 747 could land on the USS Intrepid either?

[dtran79]

Are you kidding when you question LA's significance to the space program?

What do you think JPL has been doing for the last 50 years? Los Angeles BUILT the Endeavor AND Atlantis.

And then told Houston how to use it!

[PHDOreginian]

I can't imagine George Soros had anything to do with this. Give me a break, how will either New York or California be able to pay for this. That 28.8 million doesn't include transportation from the airport.

[John Skookum]

California deserves one but New York certainly does not. This is typical left-wing political favor-mongering.

[PHDOreginian]

California already employs the people that operate the California Science Center, whats another $30,000,000.00 or so to add to the deficit, to bring a shuttle to LA?

I have been to this museum before and it is nice, but it doesn't compare to the Evergreen Air & Space Museum in Mc Minnville, OR. Evergreen would have been a much nicer place for a shuttle and they already have a space set aside in the space museum building. It would have looked at home along side the full size 110' tall Titan II rocket and SR71 Blackbird.

When the taxpayers find out they have to cough up the cash for a shuttle maybe things will change.

Check out the Evergreen website.

[TRW]

No better place for that white elephant than L.A...Very symbolic of the SoCal aerospace blue and white collar welfare programs.

[Marcus]

Considering the governor of TX constantly disrespects this our president and has openly confessed his desire for Texas to withdraw from the Union. Also the prevailing religious/ anti-science attitudes of the Texans, you have to ask ,why then would the Federal Government go out of its way to do any thing for Tx? , I think it was a good choice.

[Seattle757]

Some of you are so blinded by partisan politics you all sound like idiots about who is paying for the Shuttles relocation. It's private money, not taxpayer money.

[Max]

Wow, everything is bigger in Texas...including the whining crybabies.