Space shuttle ready for new mission in California

Pallade Veneta - Space shuttle ready for new mission in California

CULTURE 24.06.2026

Space shuttle ready for new mission in California / Photo: Patrick T. Fallon - AFP

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, which took astronauts into orbit 25 times, went on display at the California Science Center on its final mission Wednesday.

Change text size:

The orbiter, built to replace the ill-fated Challenger which exploded in 1986, stands as the centerpiece of a new exhibition that will open in November at the Los Angeles institution.

This "will be the only place in the world to see a complete authentic space shuttle system," said Jeffrey N. Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center.

The shuttle -- the height of a 20-story building -- is being displayed in its upright launch position, attached to two solid rocket boosters and the ET-94 external tank, a massive, pointed orange cylinder that held the fuel and oxidizer used to propel the spacecraft into orbit.

"It's large, it's very complicated, but we wanted people to understand," Kenneth E. Phillips, a curator at the California Science Center, told AFP.

"This is an opportunity to see it very up close and personal."

Visitors will be able to take an elevator up the access tower to reach the area where the crew entered the shuttle.

Higher up, they will be able to stand on a glass floor and look down into the inner workings of the spacecraft.

Endeavour, built using recycled parts from its older siblings — the shuttles Discovery and Atlantis — spent a total of 299 days in space across 25 successful missions carried out between 1992 and 2011.

Its final mission was commanded by Mark Kelly, now a Democratic senator from Arizona and a frequent antagonist of President Donald Trump.

O.Mucciarone--PV

Jersey Boys Anniversary Tour Opens in Birmingham With Gritty Account of Crime and Fame

The 20th-anniversary tour of Jersey Boys has opened at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre, offering a gritty and unvarnished look at the Four Seasons’ journey. The production details the band's turbulent rise from New Jersey petty criminals to international rock stars, highlighting the complex personal costs behind their musical success.

UBC professor describes police call after Galloway remark as act of care

VANCOUVER — A University of British Columbia professor has testified about a colleague’s decision to call police to visit Steven Galloway after he was accused of sexual assault, describing it as an “act of care” toward the author, who had spoken of killing himself. Galloway, who is suing his accuser and others in a defamation trial centred on the unproven allegations, has described his subsequent committal to a hospital in the United States as “terrifying.

Pallade Veneta - Space shuttle ready for new mission in California