The space shuttle Endeavour has found a permanent home at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, part of a $450 million expansion to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The facility opened to the public on November 13, offering visitors the unique opportunity to view a complete space shuttle system with an orbiter that completed 25 missions. This shuttle stack comprises Endeavour itself, two solid rocket boosters, and an orange external fuel tank.

Astronaut John Daniel “Danny” Olivas, who flew two missions aboard the shuttles Atlantis and Discovery, served as a guide during a recent tour of the exhibit. Although Olivas did not fly on Endeavour, he has a longstanding connection to the orbiter, having first encountered it in 1998 at Edwards Air Force Base while it was undergoing refurbishment. He described Endeavour as “near and dear” for ushering in a new era of diversity in NASA’s astronaut corps, highlighting the shuttle program’s role in including the first female, African American, African American female, and Hispanic astronauts.

The exhibit recreates Endeavour in a flight configuration closely resembling the spacecraft ready for launch, save for the omission of certain structural elements needed to support the orbiter’s open payload bay doors under Earth’s gravity. The external tank on display, ET-94, is the last flight-qualified tank in existence and once held over 1.6 million pounds of cryogenic propellants.

Olivas spoke about the sensory elements missing from the exhibit, such as the hissing of vent lines and the creaking caused by thermal expansion and contraction as the tank’s contents cooled, sensations familiar to those at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during launch preparations. The display includes detailed features like blue Velcro patches inside the hatch used to secure floating objects, where crews—he recalled—kept tortillas because they resisted creating crumbs, a tradition dating back to Mexico’s first astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela.

The shuttle program is also remembered for its technical challenges and triumphs. Olivas recounted preparing in space to repair a hole on Atlantis using a medical stapler, improvised on the spot. He cited past tragedies such as the Challenger and Columbia disasters, both caused by relatively small component failures, underscoring the precision required in spaceflight.

Since its transfer to the Science Center 15 years ago, Endeavour’s journey to Exposition Park captivated the public, including its dramatic transport through Los Angeles. Jeffrey N. Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, emphasized the broad appeal of the exhibit, noting its ability to inspire awe across age groups.

Reflecting on his time in space, Olivas highlighted the universal message from orbit: the Earth’s borders fade from view, revealing common humanity. “When we work together, we can accomplish phenomenal things,” he said, lamenting that societal focus on differences often leads to conflict despite widespread shared aspirations for a healthy, happy life. The Endeavour exhibit aims to convey this spirit of collaboration and exploration to all who visit.