Endeavour shuttle helps draw 1 million visitors to Science Center

More than 1 million people have visited the California Science Center since space shuttle Endeavour arrived about four months ago, a considerable boost for the Exposition Park museum that had averaged about 1.6 million visitors a year.

Science Center officials initially guessed about 2 million people would see the shuttle in the first year after the display opened Oct. 31.

But now the museum  estimates that at least 2.5 million people could see the retired orbiter in its first year at the Science Center.

"In terms of numbers, it's exceeded our expectations," said Science Center president Jeffrey Rudolph.

"It's surpassed them," said Lynda Oschin, whose foundation made what was described as an "extraordinary" financial contribution to bring the shuttle to Los Angeles. The Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Lynda Oschin Foundation was formed in honor of Oschin's late husband, a Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist.

"I never dreamed that it would be this important to L.A.," Oschin said. "To see all the people come out, all the children ... it's mind boggling to me, the whole thing. It's still unbelievable to me."

The Science Center had long dreamed of obtaining a space shuttle — aerospace curator Ken Phillips first pitched the idea to Rudolph two decades ago. NASA awarded the orbiter to the California Science Center in April 2011 after a competitive national search.

It’s the only museum outside the East Coast with a shuttle.

The two other museums that house orbiters — the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York and the Smithsonian Institution’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia — both reported increased attendance since their own displays opened. The final shuttle, Atlantis, will be showcased at a new facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is expected to open later this year.

For now, Endeavour is housed in a temporary display pavilion. But museum officials are already drawing up designs for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, an air and space wing, expected to open in about five years. The shuttle will be displayed vertically in the new wing.

On Monday, the museum unveiled another orbiter-themed exhibit: "Mission 26: The Big Endeavour," which documents the shuttle's celebratory flight over California and its 12-mile, three-day trek from Los Angeles International Airport to Exposition Park last year.

The exhibit is the second to accompany the temporary pavilion. The new display includes photographs of the shuttle's move (including images from Times photographers), video and a bulletin board where visitors can post their own messages about the shuttle.

It also includes a rotating display of Endeavour-related projects from Century Park Elementary School in Inglewood. When Amy Davis' fifth-grade class saw the shuttle fly over the school in September, one student was so moved by the experience he began to cry. Davis wrote the Science Center, which later asked her class for help in putting together the new exhibit.

Davis teared up when talking about her students' work.

"To see their work and everything here — it just validates who they are as scholars," she said. "I tell them every day how brilliant they are, how beautiful they are, how much they can go out and change the world. And this proves it to them."

Tori Morris, 10, and her classmates were excited to see their projects unveiled.

"This is like, very amazing to see our projects in a museum because not a lot of schools have this opportunity," Morris said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

School groups were just part of the stream of visitors that filled the display pavilion Monday. Guests stopped almost immediately after entering, snapping photos of the shuttle in awe.

"Keep moving," a museum attendant said.

Sharon Carbonneau and her family spent Monday at the museum as part of their vacation from Albuquerque, N.M. It wasn't the reason they visited Los Angeles — that was Disneyland — but still something they wanted to see.

"It's just a piece of history," Carbonneau said. "We may never get a chance to see it actually launch but we figured we could come and see a piece of history."

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Photo: Fifth-graders from Century Park Elementary School look at pictures of space shuttle Endeavour at the opening of a new exhibit Monday at the California Science Center. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Space shuttle Endeavour exhibit officially opens to public

The children filed into the building two by two, holding hands with their classmates so they wouldn't get lost in the crowd. Some pointed and grinned. Others stared in silence, their necks craned back as they eyed the 57-foot-tall space shuttle. 

"On TV it's very small," 6-year-old Elaine McNeil said. "When I see it in real life, it's really big and humongous. I don't know how they fit it in here."

The children were some of the first visitors to see space shuttle Endeavour in its new home at the California Science Center, which opened the doors to the Samuel Oschin display pavilion Tuesday. Hundreds of people lined up outside to see the retired orbiter, which arrived in Los Angeles last month.

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's final journey to L.A.

Frankie Medina, 6, who wants to be an astronaut, said he couldn't really describe his reaction.

"I just feel like I'm gonna burst on the floor," he said.

Several public officials were also on hand to mark the pavilion's opening at a morning ceremony, including Gov. Jerry Brown, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts. The family of late astronaut Sally Ride was also in attendance, along with actresses June Lockhart ("Lost in Space") and Nichelle Nichols ("Star Trek").

Time-lapse video: Endeavour's crosstown journey

"California’s always been at the forefront of space development and exploration," the governor said. "This wonderful space shuttle was built by Rockwell, not too many miles from here. And even today, the Mars rover is out there on Mars, being driven by people in Pasadena. Californians.... It's amazing what it does for the human imagination."

California Science Center set for Endeavour exhibit opening today

Space shuttle Endeavour will once again be on public display Tuesday as the California Science Center opens its doors to the pavilion that will showcase its new crown jewel.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts are among those expected to be at the Exposition Park museum to mark the opening of the 18,000-square-foot Samuel Oschin display pavilion. Choreographer and actress Debbie Allen will also lead a dance performance during an opening ceremony.

The temporary exhibit will house the retired orbiter until a yet-to-be-built air and space wing opens in about five years, said California Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph.

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's final journey to L.A.

Museum visitors won't be able to go inside the 122-foot-long Endeavour, but they can virtually navigate the flight deck, mid-deck and payload bay by using a touchscreen display. Officials also removed the shuttle's galley and toilet to display separately.

Also on display will be one of the massive engines that propelled Endeavour into space — designed, built and tested by Canoga Park-based Rocketdyne — and the support center from which Rocketdyne crews would monitor the engines before and during launches.

Space shuttle Endeavour exhibit opens Tuesday at Science Center

Angelenos saw Endeavour as it soared over Southern California and crawled across city streets, and on Tuesday, they'll have another chance to see the space shuttle — only this time, it won't be going anywhere.

That's the day the California Science Center will open its doors to the display pavilion housing the retired orbiter, which arrived at the Exposition Park museum about two weeks ago. The 18,000-square-foot building will showcase the museum's prized exhibit until a new air and space wing opens in about five years.

"Obviously people were excited just to see it fly over or even [get] a closer look when they could see it going down the streets, but here they get a lot more of a chance to see it," Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph said. "People can learn a lot more about it."

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's final journey to L.A.

Museum visitors won't be able to go inside the 122-foot-long Endeavour, but they can virtually navigate the flight deck, mid-deck and payload bay by using a touch-screen display. Officials also removed the shuttle's galley and toilet to show separately.

Also on display will be one of the massive engines that propelled Endeavour into space — designed, built and tested by Canoga Park-based Rocketdyne — and the support center from which Rocketdyne crews would monitor the engines prior to and during launches

And then there's Endeavour itself.

Endeavour time lapse: How The Times recorded the L.A. move [Chat]

Times photo editor Bryan Chan will join city editor Shelby Grad at 1 p.m. PDT to discuss the time-lapse video created during space shuttle Endeavour's three-day move through Los Angeles in a Google+ Hangout.

The time lapse lasts less than three minutes, but tracks the shuttles lengthy journey and the trickiest points of the trek, including a close call with a tree on Crenshaw Drive.

The shuttle’s arrival at the California Science Center, shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, was more than 16 hours behind schedule, but the 85-ton orbiter survived its 12-mile journey through the city streets, from Los Angeles International Airport to the museum at Exposition Park, without a scratch. 

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's final journey through L.A.

“Mission 26 -- mission accomplished,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told reporters and spectators, standing at Exposition Park with the shuttle rising behind him as a backdrop. The mayor was referencing the shuttle’s 25 space missions and its journey across the city.

The Science Center said the total bill for transporting the Endeavour from LAX to its new home could exceed $10 million, a tab that the center is covering with donations. Officials have stressed that none of the costs will be paid with taxpayer dollars.

 

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GIF: Watch Space Shuttle Endeavour's close call with tree

The slow pace of the space shuttle Endeavour as it rolled through the streets of Los Angeles this weekend was blamed in part on the delicate maneuvering around trees and other objects.

The biggest problems came Sunday morning on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in South L.A.

The spacecraft's wings came within inches of the trees, forcing crews to do last-minute trims. In the predawn darkness, a crewman shined a flashlight on the tip of Endeavour's wingspan, which is so broad that it often hung over the boulevard’s sidewalks.

It took hours for the spacecraft to make it through.

Even so, many were impressed.

"Amazing they can control this machinery to control this huge spaceship -- how they can save the tree -- that was like inches," said Eleuterio Rojas of Leimert Park, moments after the shuttle's right wing cleared a tree by about an inch or so in front of Audubon Middle School.

The Times' Bryan Chan turned the shuttle's three-day move into a time-lapse video that lasts less than three minutes. Watch it here.

Above is a GIF from Chan's video showing the huge shuttle moving past a tree with agility.

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Did Endeavour-mania lead to drop in crime? LAPD chief says maybe

With the space shuttle Endeavour now lodged safely in its new home at the California Science Center, Police Chief Charlie Beck on Tuesday raised the possibility that the massive spacecraft's much-ballyhooed crosstown journey led to a drop in crime.

Nearly 1 million people came out over the weekend to catch a glimpse of Endeavour as it crept along a 12-mile course from LAX to the Science Center at Exposition Park, Beck said.

Planners had fretted about the prospect of having throngs of people getting in the way of the huge craft that had to be moved gingerly through streets barely wide enough to accommodate the shuttle's 78-foot wingspan.

PHOTOS: Endeavour rolls through the streets of L.A.

But in recapping the LAPD's efforts to patrol the crowds, Beck told the Police Commission on Tuesday that the spectators were perhaps the best he's ever seen. "I maybe have never been involved in policing a crowd that was so positive and so proud," he said.

Crime rates for the city during the shuttle's weekend journey, he said, were the lowest in months. Beck stopped short of saying the excitement and interest surrounding the shuttle's arrival had led to the crime drop, but said he believes it may have contributed to the relative calm that fell over the city.

Don't underestimate the effect, Beck said, of "having a community that is involved, energized, and has mutual goals."

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Shuttle Endeavour: Top reader photos from L.A. journey

-- Joel Rubin (@joelrubin) at LAPD headquarters

Shuttle Endeavour: Top reader photos from L.A. journey

Shuttle-watchers came out in droves this weekend for the Endeavour's final journey to its new home at the California Science Center.

The shuttle's dramatic trip was marked by delays and excited crowds. When it finally pulled up to its new home at the California Science Center a day later than expected, Endeavour was greeted by thousands of cheering spectators. 

We asked readers to share their best photos of the retired orbiter with the Times, and scores of people participated. Some people had some fun with the shuttle, using the tricks of photography to make them look closer to the shuttle than they actually were. You can see the full gallery here.

 READER PHOTOS: Shuttle's trek across L.A.

The shuttle was "slowing down due to gas prices," reader Christopher Martin joked about the photo above.

"Mission 26 — Mission Accomplished," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a news conference at Exposition Park, the shuttle rising behind him as a backdrop. The mayor was referencing the shuttle’s 25 space missions and its journey across the city.

The shuttle’s progress was slowed by unexpected maintenance issues and last-minute maneuvers to avoid trees and utility poles.

FULL COVERAGE: Endeavour's move through L.A.

The waiting crowds remained buoyant and peaceful. When the Endeavour reached the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Vermont Avenue about 10:45 a.m Sunday, thousands of people poured into the streets chanting “Science Center or bust!”, “Let’s go, let’s go!” and “So close, so close!”

There's still time to upload your pictures. Send them on Twitter to @latimes or Instagram to @latimesphotos with the hashtag #SpotTheShuttle or upload them here — and don't forget to tell us where you are in the photos.

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Photo: The shuttle Endeavour rolls by a 76 station on Saturday. Credit: Christopher Martin / Special to The Times

Space shuttle Endeavour gives L.A. a weekend to remember

The space shuttle Endeavour rolled home into its hangar at the California Science Center on Sunday evening — late for its party but not without enormous fanfare.

Los Angeles knows how to roll out the red carpet, but Endeavour's arrival is one for the history books.

The Times' architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne likened the orbiter to a "Dodgers fan showing up in the top of the fourth inning" — noticeably late and delayed by the unpredictability of surface streets.

TIMELINE: Endeavour's trek through L.A.

Despite predictable travel woes, Hawthorne said the 85-ton shuttle's move demolished Los Angeles stereotypes. Hawthorne wrote:

In a city supposedly obsessed with the fake, more comfortable with re-created or exaggerated than authentic spectacle, people relished seeing the real shuttle — scratched, dented and otherwise beat up by millions of miles of space travel — up close.

In a city blasé about celebrity and bold-faced names, watching this huge snub-nosed object with the words "Endeavour" and "United States" stamped on its side in sleek, sans-serif black type was enough to prompt cheers, whistles, screams, shouts and even tears.

And perhaps most dramatic of all: In a city whose residents are accused of disdaining public space, the orbiter's tour led Angelenos to crowd sidewalks 10 or 12 deep as well as drawing thousands of people who live north of the 10 Freeway to boulevards south of it. It packed gas stations and strip-mall parking lots with crowds.

Ken Carrion, a project manager for Sarens Group, the heavy-lifting firm that moved Endeavour, described the project as "the most humbling and exhilarating experience in my 40 years in construction.

PHOTOS: Endeavour rolls through the streets of L.A.

"Everywhere I was, it was giving me goose bumps to see the L.A. community come together," he said.

Once the shuttle was finally parked in the hangar, workers began the laborious task of welding Endeavour into place. But not before Sarens crew and Science Center employees took a few minutes to shake hands, call family and pat one another on the back.

"I'm speechless, this is unbelievable. The last moments of its final mission have ended," said Luis Vides, 25, a Science Center employee.

All weekend, people snapped photos of the spacecraft as it rolled down the streets of Los Angeles.

Scores of people shared their photos with The Times. You can see them here. There's still time to upload your pictures. Send them on Twitter to @latimes or Instagram to @latimesphotos with the hashtag #SpotTheShuttle or upload them here — and don't forget to tell us where you are in the photos.

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L.A. Now Live: What's next for shuttle Endeavour after move

Times reporter Kate Mather will join L.A. Now Live at 9 a.m. to recap space shuttle Endeavour's weekend move and discuss what comes next for the retired orbiter.

Its final journey was slowed by unexpected maintenance issues and last-minute maneuvers to avoid obstacles like trees and utility poles. Ultimately, the 85-ton orbiter survived the trip with nary a scratch.

Endeavour arrived at Exposition Park more than 16 hours late, after a three-day, 12-mile journey from Los Angeles International Airport.

"Mission 26 — mission accomplished," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Sunday, amid the cheers of thousands of spectators. Before it was retired by NASA, the spacecraft had logged 25 flight missions.