The Endeavour space shuttle’s new home is inching closer to completion

The Endeavour space shuttle’s new home reached another major construction milestone Thursday with a ceremonial “topping out.”

A few of the final steel beams were lifted into place for the complex diagrid structure in the soon-to-be Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

The 200,000-square-foot expansion of the California Science Center still has a few years to go until it’s ready to welcome visitors. But the self-supporting set-up promises to provide unobstructed views of the Endeavour in the new building’s 20-story shuttle gallery.

Garrett Reisman, a former astronaut who flew the Endeavour for his first ride into space and a current professor at the University of Southern California, told LAist that seeing the shuttle is going to inspire millions of kids, just like he was once.

“The great thing about this is that everybody will be able to come and have that same [launchpad] view, have that same experience of standing there gazing up and just really soaking in the scale of it,” he said. “And I just can't wait till everybody has that opportunity.”

Where the shuttle stands

You can still spot part of the Endeavour sticking out in the sky over Exposition Park, but the new building is coming up quickly around it.

The diagrid, which sits on top of the expansion, is a unique triangulated support system made of intersecting steel beams. It can be seen in buildings like the Swiss Re in London, the Seattle Public Library, and the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing.

Amie Nulman, a structural engineer and principal at Arup who led the team that designed the structure and support system, told LAist it’s also a bit of a personal project — her grandfather was a mechanical engineer on the space shuttle program.

“I feel like my role as a structural engineer of the permanent home for space shuttle Endeavour, in launch ready vertical stack, is really like an homage to his life's work, and then the influence he was on my life,” Nulman said.

About the ceremony

The “topping out” is a tradition for major projects and a way to celebrate all of the architects, engineers, and curators who’ve poured their time and energy into the building.

Sean Brunton, president of Plas-Tal Manufacturing Company, told LAist that thousands of people have worked on the massive structure over the past two-and-a-half years — including iron workers, painting subcontractors, and equipment operators.

“Part of why I went into construction in general is, you know, you build something and you kind of leave it behind for future generations,” he said. “But this, it's just a huge landmark that'll be here for a long time … it’s special.”

Brunton added that Endeavour has an “aura” about it, kind of like hanging out with a world-famous celebrity.

Each of the final beams were covered in signatures from people who’ve helped support the project, including Lynda Oschin, whose late husband Samuel Oschin is the namesake of the air and space center.

She said the Endeavour exemplifies so many of his passions, including helping others achieve their dreams.

“This major expansion of the science center will inspire generations of children to pursue lives of adventure, innovation, and discovery, and to explore careers in science, math, and engineering,” she said during the ceremony.

What’s next

Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price said the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is elevating District 9 into a “galactic map.”

But Price noted it’s also going to be an economic boost, bringing employment opportunities and tourism to Exposition Park in one fell swoop. It’s expected to attract 1 million more visitors to the California Science Center each year, he said.

“The overall impact projected by the L.A. Tourism and Convention Board is to exceed three billion dollars in spending by visitors during the first 5 years alone,” he said during the ceremony. “That's simply incredible.”

The construction itself is expected to be completed around the middle of next year, which is on track with the science center’s target.

But it’ll take another couple of years to actually install the 100 artifacts and 100 exhibits, including a real Boeing 747 jumbo jet, a wind tunnel lab that will help explain how planes fly, and a Gemini 11 space capsule.