Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center

Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids

Mark your calendars! 

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center opens to the public at 10:00 am on Friday, November 13th. There will be a celebratory program and ribbon-cutting featuring approximately 30 astronauts, including all six crew members from Endeavour’s final mission, STS-134, which was commanded by current-U. S. Senator, Mark Kelly.

Additionally, during opening weekend (Friday, November 13th to Sunday, November 15th), astronaut and space-related talks will be hosted every half hour.

The Family Guide to The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center
At the California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90037 

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is a 200,000-square foot expansion of the California Science Center. It is not an exaggeration to say there is no place like it in the world. Los Angeles is  the only place on the planet where you can see an authentic Space Shuttle System displayed in launch position.

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is divided into three new galleries: 

– Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, the new permanent home of the space shuttle Endeavour. Endeavor is now displayed vertically, attached to two solid rocket boosters and an external tank (ET-94, the last remaining flight-qualified external tank). The shuttle stack towers almost 200 feet (about 20 stories tall).

– Kent Kresa Space Gallery, includes three flown space capsules —  Mercury MR-2 which carried chimpanzee, Ham, on a suborbital flight; Gemini XI which flew Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. and Richard F. Gordon Jr. who tested rendezvous and docking skills; and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Command Module, three NASA astronauts docked with a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft, carrying three Russian cosmonauts, in Earth orbit. 

– Korean Air Aviation Gallery, featuring a number of aircraft on display, from gliders to jets, including the forward third of a Korean Air Boeing 747-400.

In addition to the incredible machinery on display, there are many fun interactive experiences and things to do. Here are just a few:

– Before seeing the shuttle stack in launch position, visitors will watch an introductory video produced by J. J. Abrams. The video “celebrates the Space Shuttle Program and transports viewers to Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final launch into space.”

– Launch Tower: visitors can take an elevator 140-feet up, leading to a glass floor observation platform over Endeavour’s nose.

– Shuttle Descent Slide: visitors can take a turn sliding down a tubular slide. Participants will drop 45 feet in elevation, representing the space shuttle’s descent and landing. While sliding, visitors will see bright orange light which represents the plasma that glows as a space shuttle enters the atmosphere. 

– Flight Deck Replica: sit in the commander and pilot’s seats in this replica of the Endeavour’s flight deck.

– The 747 Experience: visitors can sit in real airplane seats aboard the forward third of a Korean Air Boeing 747-400 and take a a five-minute “flight” from LAX to Seoul.

– Wing Shape and Distance Interactive: visitors can launch aircraft models with different wing shapes to experiment and see how they fly at different speeds. 

Timed reservations to the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center are available online. (While admission to the Science Center is free, there is a $4 service fee per ticket.)

Wendy Kennar is a mother, writer, and former teacher who has lived her entire life in the same Los Angeles zip code. You can read more from Wendy at her website WendyKennar.com where she writes about books, boys, and bodies (living with an invisible disability).

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