intensive overnight operation<\/a>. <\/p>\nWith several observation areas spanning the nearly 200-foot tall shuttle stack, Rudolph said the new installation will offer visitors \u201cviews that almost no one\u2019s ever seen.\u201d <\/p>\n
A cutting-edge building design by architectural firm ZGF Architects contributes to that awe-inspiring experience with a 2,000-ton curved structural framework of diagonally intersecting steel beams called a diagrid, which eliminates interior columns and allows visitors unobstructed views of the shuttle stack. <\/p>\n
The idea is that \u201cyou don\u2019t have a sense there\u2019s a building at all,\u201d said Ted Hyman, partner at ZGF Architects. Instead, you\u2019re meant to feel like you\u2019re standing on a launch pad outside. The dimness of the shuttle gallery also assists in the immersive fantasy, both as an artistic choice and a practical one due to the shuttle\u2019s sensitivity to light.<\/p>\n
Yet while the structure is designed to be undetectable from the inside, it\u2019s a full-blown metallic colossus on the outside \u2014 visible from the surrounding L.A. freeways. Its colors are most magnificent at sunset. <\/p>\n
When asked whether he\u2019d had any doubts about the feasibility of the intricately choreographed construction project, Hyman replied, \u201cI think up until about last week.\u201d <\/p>\n
Nonetheless, he said, \u201cyou forget about the challenges when you see the building done.\u201d <\/p>\n
Lynda Oschin, wife of the new air and space center\u2019s titular philanthropist Samuel, called the project a \u201cdream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis space shuttle is everything rolled into one that my husband loved: astronomy, innovation, exploration, science, math and especially children,\u201d Oschin said. \u201cWhat this is going to do for the children is just incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The donor said her husband, whose picture is in the cockpit of the Endeavour, would have been very proud \u2014 if a little embarrassed \u2014 that his name is on the new building. <\/p>\n
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The Samuel Oschin Air & Space Center is 20 stories tall. <\/p>\n
(Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
With the construction phase in the rearview, Rudolph said the center is now focused on completing installation of the galleries\u2019 artifacts and hands-on installations. The Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery, which houses the Endeavour shuttle stack, is nearest to completion. In the two others, artifact installation is well underway. <\/p>\n
The Korean Air Aviation Gallery explores the mechanics of flight and will display approximately 25 aircraft, from historical relics like the WWII \u201cVampire\u201d jet to modern supersonic jet fighters. The Kent Kresa Space Gallery will feature a wide array of spacecraft, planetary probes, telescopes and more. Rudolph was especially excited about acquiring a SpaceX Cargo Dragon, which will further the air and space center\u2019s goal to \u201cshow people that this isn\u2019t all history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of amazing things going on in aviation and space, and a lot of it happening in California,\u201d the executive said. <\/p>\n
The interactive installations complementing the artifacts include a 747 flight simulation and a 45-foot-long slide carrying visitors down to the bottom of the shuttle stack, which Rudolph himself has already ridden. His goal with these novelties was to both educate visitors about scientific principles and get children excited about the subject, which can get flattened in the traditional school system.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids get turned off to science very early,\u201d Rudolph said, but when they come to the science center, it\u2019s like a whole new world opens up to them. <\/p>\n
Rudolph said he expects to announce an opening date for the Samuel Oschin Air & Space Center this summer. He added that while it\u2019s his intention to open by the 2028 L.A. Olympics, \u201cwe\u2019re not really building this for a two-week athletic event.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building this for the next 50 years to serve our community and inspire people,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
As Rudolph made his way across the science center campus in March, he chuckled at the children bumping into him on their way to the exhibits. <\/p>\n
\u201cFuture scientists, right?\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
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