Commander Mark Kelly, STS-134 Crew Participate
The Space Shuttle Endeavour officially has a new owner. The
title transfer to the California Science Center was finalized
Tuesday morning with former NASA astronaut and STS-134 Commander
Mark Kelly, the STS-134 crew, NASA Associate Deputy Administrator
Richard Keegan and California Science Center President Jeffrey N.
Rudolph. Also present to witness the title transfer to the
California Science Center Foundation were California State Consumer
Services Agency Secretary Anna Caballero, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Senator Curren Price,
Assemblyman Steve Bradford, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark
Ridley Thomas, and Senior Advisor to the California Science Center
Foundation for EndeavourLA Steve Soboroff. The event included more
than 400 business, community and philanthropic leaders as well as
Science Center members and Science Center School students.
Endeavour Docked At ISS
A highlight of the event was the display of four flown tires
– from Atlantis, Discovery and Columbia. Commander Mark Kelly
and the astronauts - Michael Fincke, Gregory Johnson and Andrew
Feustel – gave a slide presentation on their experiences with
the Endeavour, as the STS-134 crew which flew Endeavour's final
space mission. "NASA is pleased to share this wonderful orbiter
with the California Science Center to help inspire a new generation
of explorers," said NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden.
"The next chapter in space exploration begins now, and we're
standing on the shoulders of the men and women of the shuttle
program to reach farther into the solar system."
California Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph said, "Today
marks the beginning of Endeavour's new mission to stimulate
interest in science and engineering in future generations."
Rudolph also announced the launch of EndeavourLA, a
comprehensive fundraising campaign to raise $200 million, which
will help bring Endeavour to Los Angeles, create a new Air and
Space Center, and support ongoing programs and operations. Members
of the public can donate by visiting www.BringEndeavourHome.org.
In addition to making a general donation to support EndeavourLA,
the public can sponsor a thermal protection system tile and be
associated with Endeavour in perpetuity. Sponsorship levels begin
at $1,000.
"Having Endeavour at the California Science Center will
serve to motivate and inspire millions of young people to dream
about possibilities and will attract people from around the world
to our great city," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "The Endeavour, as a
historical treasure, will be a brilliant centerpiece for Los
Angeles and will assist in our city's economic revitalization."