• Menu

Space Shuttle Endeavour, California Science Center, Los Angeles

*Affiliate disclosure: I may receive commissions if you buy via the links below. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The last time I saw the space shuttle Endeavour, it was piggybacking a Boeing 747 flying over Palo Alto in September 2012, just weeks after my own arrival in California.

Then

The retired NASA space shuttle Endeavour flies over Palo Alto

On its journey to its final resting place at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the shuttle traveled from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, all the way to LA, where hundreds of trees had to be cut down to make way for the 170,000-pound shuttle to be paraded through the city streets.

It seemed only right to bring my experience full circle and visit the Endeavour in its retirement home when I went to LA.

Want to become a digital nomad and learn how to blog as a career?
​
Swipe my FREE Profitable Blog Business Plan!

Subscribe to get our latest content by email.

    We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
    Powered By ConvertKit

    Now

    It was strange. First of all, the shuttle is much bigger than I could have fathomed. In fact, getting far enough away to take a photo of its entirety was a challenge.

    Endeavour at California Science Center
    Nope.
    Nope.
    Nope.
    Not quite. Okay, so I failed at getting a shot of the Endeavour in its entirety.
    Not quite. Okay, so I failed at getting a shot of the Endeavour in its entirety.

    Second, seeing it there in an enclosed exhibit gave me the feeling akin to seeing a lion in a cage…or a horse in a stable…or an old, but still capable, lady in a nursing home…or a–okay, I think you get the idea.

    The place was packed and chaotic. Screaming kids ran around, escaping their parents’ grasps; amateur photographers with zoom lenses unnecessary for such a large object in close proximity struggled to squeeze the massive spacecraft into their shot’s frame; and tourists thought it would be novel and hilarious to get a photo of them “holding up” the Endeavour. (Believe me, it was MUCH MORE HILARIOUS getting a photo of them attempting that photo.)

     

    People posing in front of Endeavour

    Future

    There are plans to expand the exhibit by 2017, when the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center should be completed. Models of the future exhibit show the Endeavour situated upright, as if it were about to take off from a launch pad.

    Models of what the Endeavour exhibit will look like

    And I hope they are serious about these slides.

    I would like the record to show that THEY PROMISED ME SLIDES.
    I would like the record to show that THEY PROMISED ME SLIDES.

    Facts About the Endeavour

    During the course of its 25 missions, the Endeavour accomplished many things, but perhaps most importantly, this space shuttle is the only orbiter that began construction of the International Space Station and completed U.S. assembly of it, no small feat considering the ISS is orbiting earth right now with PEOPLE LIVING IN IT and conducting research. Whoa.

    Endeavour stats (source: California Science Center):

    • Wingspan: 78 feet
    • Weight: 170,000 pounds
    • Earth orbits: 4,671
    • Miles traveled: 122,883,151
    • Time in space: 299 days
    • Total flights: 25

    How to see the Endeavour

    Because so many people visit, seeing the Endeavour requires a timed ticket, which incurs a $2 service fee charge. Tickets to see the Endeavour are free with an IMAX purchase. You can reserve tickets online or buy them at the box office when you get there. For more information visit the California Science Center Website.

    Don't forget travel insurance to protect your trip in case of injury or delays! Get World Nomads