Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center Tag

We love sharing drone footage documenting progress at the Samuel Oschin Air & Space Center building site! Last Wednesday the project hit a major milestone—construction crews poured concrete for the isolator pad that will support Endeavour’s entire shuttle stack. The isolator pad is ~8 feet thick, so it was a LOT of concrete. It’s the dark gray rectangle within the rounded Shuttle Gallery in the clips below. (The Air Gallery is the yellow area; the Space Gallery is the adjacent gray area.)

The California Science Center opened Endeavour‘s 60-foot-long payload bay doors for the first time since 2014 – a significant endeavor in itself! Crane operators, former NASA contractors and museum staff installed a replica of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), a 50-foot-long camera-and-laser tipped extension to the robotic Canadarm that astronauts used to inspect the vehicle for damage incurred during launch or while in space. In its permanent home in the new Samuel Oschin Air + Space Center, currently under construction, Endeavour will be displayed vertically in full shuttle stack mode with one payload door will be open so guests can see inside the cargo hold as it was configured for its 20th mission, STS-118. Learn more at collectSpace.

Photos courtesy of California Science Center and Lois Huneycutt.

After digging way down, the walls of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center are now going up—what a view from the drone! The site is full of rebar, concrete, and constant activity as the gallery that will be Endeavour’s permanent home takes shape. In a few months, the orbiter will be raised and installed vertically as if on the launchpad and then the building will be completed around it.

Images courtesy of the California Science Center.

Construction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is racing along! There’s a huge hole in the ground, the pilings are almost finished, and soon the first concrete will be poured. Can you guess where the Endeavour stack will live? Check out the drone’s view from above.

Evidence Design is over the moon to announce that the Samuel Oschin Air + Space Center broke ground on June 1st. Kudos to the California Science Center and the entire team, including ZGF Architects with whom we have enjoyed a close collaboration from the project’s inception.

“The California Science Center is thrilled to celebrate this milestone today,” remarked California Science Center President and CEO, Jeffrey Rudolph. “The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will be a launchpad for creativity and innovation to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.”

Artist rendering courtesy California Science Center/ ZGF Architects

After everybody got a few hours sleep, the move continued this morning. We now have ET-94 in its temporary storage location beside the Pavilion housing Endeavour, although the movers still need to disconnect and remove the dollies from the strongback (will be done tomorrow). Permanent fence will go up Tuesday, then we will begin restoring the tank so that it can take its place in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center supporting Endeavour.

ET-94 Status for May 22, 2016 Dennis Jenkins, Project Director, Phase III

The move started at midnight from Marina del Rey and arrived at Exposition Park about 19:00 … weather was perfect. Move went without incident. A surprising number of people turn out to watch. The crew was too tired to finish the move and will return Saturday to accomplish the last 500 feet and spot the tank in its temporary parking spot.

ET-94 Status for May 21, 2016 Dennis Jenkins, Project Director, Phase III

Shannan Dann arrived at the Marina Del Rey breakwater on schedule at 0600 and was at the offload area about 0800. We cut the welds holding the transporter to the barge, released the chains, and rolled-off the Gulfmaster I amid much pomp and circumstance. ET-94 is resting comfortably in the parking lot at Fisherman’s Village and Shannon Dann and Gulfmaster I are in San Pedro being readied for their return to New Orleans via the Panama Canal. The move through the streets will take place on Saturday!

ET-94 Status for May 18, 2016 Dennis Jenkins, Project Director, Phase III

Shannon Dann and Gulfmaster I, carrying ET-94, departed the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego at 07:30 this morning, making for Marina del Rey. ETA at the breakwater in Marina del Rey is 06:00 Wednesday, 18 May.

ET-94 Status for May 17, 2016 Dennis Jenkins, Project Director, Phase III

Spent the day preparing Gulfmaster I and Shannon Dann for the off-load in Marina del Rey. This involved removing some of the equipment from the barge we had installed for the Panama Canal, and then installing the hinge plates for the ramps that will bridge the distance between the barge and the sea wall in the Marina. Shannon Dann also got spiffed up with a new coat of paint.

Departing 0800 on Tuesday; ETA Marina del Rey, 06:00 on Wednesday.

ET-94 Status for May 16, 2016 Dennis Jenkins, Project Director, Phase III