Wave Staff Report
DOWNEY — The city has formally accepted a state grant of $2.714 million to add an extension to the Columbia Memorial Space Center, 12400 Columbia Way, to house a mockup of the Space Shuttle Inspiration and other exhibits.
Work is to be completed by March 1, 2026 under terms of the grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, said Benjamin Dickow, executive director of the center.
The center occupies part of the former NASA site where the mock up was constructed.
Built in 1972 by Rockwell International, the space shuttle mock-up has remained in storage at Downey Studios for decades and the city hopes to eventually restore the full-size shuttle, which was used until the 1990s for detailed engineering fittings and testing, according to the center website.
The new Space Center building will also include exhibits, additional science, technology, engineering and math programming for youth and increased public meeting space, Dickow said.
The grant was obtained with help from Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco, R-Downey, who informed the city of the grant in June 2023.
Under terms of the grant, the city will submit quarterly reports to the California Natural Resources Agency updating the agency on the progress of the project, Dickow said.
The project covered by the grant funds will significantly increase the capability and capacity of the Columbia Memorial Space Center to serve the public and fulfill its mission “to ignite a community of creative and critical thinkers,” he added.
The Columbia Memorial Space Center was named after the Space Shuttle Columbia in honor of the shuttle crew of Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and IIan Ramon who were all killed Feb. 1, 2003 when the shuttle exploded during re-entry on the Columbia’s 28th mission.
The center opened to the public in October 2009. A 20,000-square-foot, two-story building, it features a robotics lab, high definition computer lab, and a wide range of interactive exhibits that provide insights into space shuttle operations, living and working on the International Space Station, exploration of the solar system, aerospace engineering and the range of fields of study and jobs related to human and robotic space exploration, its website states.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. General admission is $5. Cost is $3 for senior citizens and veterans. Downey students, children 3 and under, members of the center or members of museums within 90 miles are admitted free.
Information: 562-231-1200.
