May 18, 2012
The California Science Center in Los Angeles has received a significant gift to enable its new Air and Space Center to house the space shuttle Endeavour, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The exact amount of the gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation has not been undisclosed, but CSC officials described it as "transformational." Indeed, with the gift the museum has nearly reached the halfway point in its campaign to raise $200 million to transport the shuttle from Florida, build a temporary hangar, and design and construct a permanent museum wing that will house the spacecraft, which is scheduled to arrive in California in the fall. In recognition of the gift, the new wing, which is expected to open in 2017, will be called the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, while the interim hangar, which is under construction, will be called the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion. Once it is moved to the permanent wing, the shuttle will be positioned vertically, as if prepared for launch.
Samuel Oschin, who died in 2003, made his fortune at a savings and loan company and in real estate. He also was an avid student of science, math, and astronomy. During Oschin's lifetime, he made gifts through his foundation to the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, which led officials to name a 48-inch telescope in his honor, and the Griffith Observatory, which posthumously renamed its planetarium in his honor.
"It's a huge boost," CSC president Jeffrey N. Rudolph told the Los Anegles Times. "It gives us enough money to ensure we can complete the architecture and exhibit design. [Plus,] it lets others in the philanthropic community see that this project has real validity to it....It's a vote of confidence to let people know that they can join in and have a high likelihood of success."
