— With more than 25 of its crewmates reunited at its base, the space shuttle Endeavour was restored to public display during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the California Science Center's new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles on Friday (Nov. 13).

Featuring the winged spacecraft, now in its launch configuration, the new center displays more than 100 aviation and aerospace vehicles and exhibits, immediately making it one of the premier air and space museums in the United States, if not the entire world. Endeavour, alone, is the only fully authentic space shuttle stack in existence and is believed to be the world's tallest indoor museum artifact.

"The opening of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is the fulfillment of a decades-long dream to create one of the world's leading science centers," Jeffrey Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said in a statement. "With its display of Endeavour in launch position, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will give us a greater platform than ever before to accomplish our mission, to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone."

"This unparalleled educational experience will stand as an enduring source of inspiration for generations of scientists, engineers and explorers," he said.

Joining Rudolph in delivering remarks at the opening was U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, who as a NASA astronaut commanded Endeavour's 25th and final flight in 2011.

"This is going to be one of the biggest museum attractions in the country," said Kelly in an interview with collectSPACE. "I can't think of something that's going to be a bigger draw when people realize what is here and word gets around. They just did a fantastic job with how it is displayed."

All but one of Kelly's STS-134 crewmates were there on Friday, as were three members of his first mission, which was also on Endeavour. Kelly's twin brother, Scott, attended, as did two other members of the STS-118 crew.

Endeavour's payload bay, which visitors see inside through its one open 60-foot (18-meter) door, is configured after the 2007 mission.

"That Spacehab is ours," Barbara Morgan, NASA's first educator-astronaut and STS-118 mission specialist, told collectSPACE, referring to the logistics single module that was packed with cargo and science investigations for the International Space Station.

Endeavour's display is not just a tribute to one mission, though, said Morgan.

"They are paying tribute to all of the missions, and it's interesting too, because on the wall as you walk around they have every mission with a brief description," she said. "They color-coded the background according to what orbiter it was — and of course Endeavour stands out. They used the brightest color for its missions."

Other Endeavour astronauts at the opening were two members of its first mission, STS-49, including its first commander Dan Brandenstein; Canadian and Italian crew members; and Bob Cabana, the commander who docked Endeavour on the first space shuttle mission to the International Space Station.

Beyond the Shuttle Gallery, the Oschin Air and Space Center includes the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and Kent Kresa Space Gallery, each with their own highlights.

"I would say the 747 experience, which is awesome," said Rudolph, listing his favorites among the new center's attractions. In the aviation gallery, guests can access the forward 70 feet (21 meters) of a Korean Air-operated Boeing 747 commercial airliner and experience a "flight" from L.A. to Seoul compressed into a five-minute video journey in an onboard theater presentation.

"I would also add the slide, which is the fastest way to go from the second level down to the lower level," Rudolph said. The shuttle descent slide drops guests 45 feet (14 meters) to represent the Endeavour's return to Earth.

"I will also add our drone exhibit on autonomous flight and the Mars exhibit with the models that Caltech has gifted," said Rudolph. Visitors can launch simultaneous drone missions over a Los Angeles cityscape or program a rover and test their skills as a driver on the Red Planet.

As many as 10,000 people a day are expected to tour through the new center with timed entry tickets allowing 450 people every 15 minutes.

"We actually saw that when we first brought Endeavour in," said Rudolph, referring to the orbiter's original horizontal display that began in 2012 and ran through 2023. "The difference now is that there is so much more for visitors to do."

The 200,000-square-foot (18,581-square-meters) expansion to the California Science Center was made possible by a leading gift by the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation. The late Samuel Oschin, who died in 2003, was a Los Angeles entrepreneur and philanthropist. In addition to naming the air and space center after him, his photo was placed inside Endeavour at his wife's request.

"I think about my husband and what we have accomplished for the children," said Lynda Oschin in an interview. "It is always about the children. This new center is going to inspire kids to fulfill their dreams and to know that it's possible."

Admission to the California Science Center, including the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, is free. Due to anticipated high demand, there will be timed reservations for entry to the air and space center, which can be made in advance for a fee. For more details and to make reservations, visit the center's website.