California Science Center

Trees, traffic lights and power lines will have to come down -- how else could you possibly move 180,000 pounds of metal along an L.A. street, especially when it measures 122 feet long and has a wingspan of 78 feet? That will be the next mission of the California Science Center, the state museum that on Tuesday was officially granted ownership of the retired space shuttle Endeavour. The ship won't arrive until the latter half of 2012, fortunately, because finding a clear path for it will be a gargantuan task.

If you love L.A., you'll probably enjoy the very sunny look at the nation's second-largest city captured in the video above. It will be played this evening before Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's eighth and final State of the City speech. “L.A. Voices,” produced by a city team led by videographer Jenessa Joffe, opens with a series of feel-good shots of a navigable Los Angeles River, a group of bicycle riders and a shot of the slow-moving Space Shuttle Endeavour on its way to the California Science Center.

More than 1 million people have visited the California Science Center since space shuttle Endeavour made its debut just over four months ago, far surpassing officials' expectations for the Exposition Park museum. Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph initially guessed about 2 million people would see the retired orbiter in its first year at the free museum, which averages about 1.6 million visitors per year. Now, he estimates at least 2.5 million people will pass through its turnstiles - a record.

More than 1 million people have visited the California Science Center since space shuttle Endeavour made its debut just over four months ago, far surpassing officials' expectations for the Exposition Park museum. Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph initially guessed about 2 million people would see the retired orbiter in its first year at the free museum, which averages about 1.6 million visitors per year. Now, he estimates at least 2.5 million people will pass through its turnstiles - a record.

The president of the California Science Center has "serious concerns" that USC's planned takeover of the neighboring Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum could restrict public parking and cause disruptions at the state museum, which soon will be home to the space shuttle Endeavour. Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph said last week that he was worried USC's bid to control state-owned parking lots near the Coliseum could limit their availability to Exposition Park's three museums. Rudolph also expressed fears that the museum operations could otherwise be overwhelmed by large events USC would stage at the taxpayer-owned Coliseum, apart from Trojans football games.

A well-dressed miller from Hungary, a 6,500-year-old child found in Peru, a baby crocodile — these aren't your mother's mummies. You can see all three of them, along with more than 40 others, at the world premiere of "Mummies of the World," starting Thursday at the California Science Center. Don't worry, there are a few linen-wrapped Egyptian mummies too. But this exhibit isn't limited to one ancient civilization. Made up of specimens lent from 20 international institutions, it showcases the incredible variety of mummies, highlighting how they're created and all that can be learned from these relics of the past.

The California Science Center has received what officials describe as an "extraordinary" financial contribution to the new Air and Space Center that will house the space shuttle Endeavour. The gift, to be announced at a news conference Thursday, comes from a foundation chaired by Lynda Oschin, wife of the late Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist Samuel Oschin, whose name already graces the Griffith Observatory planetarium and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cancer institute stemming from charitable contributions there.

At the grand opening gala for "Ecosystems" at L.A.'s California Science Center, Al Roker of NBC's "Today Show" reminded the audience of the museum's value in inspiring young minds and generating a new generation of scientists. "The next cure for cancer, the next breakthrough in hydroelectricity and renewable resources," Roker said. "Who knows what a kid might get from the California Science Center?" En route to the 11 environments, the crowd of 700 at the March 20 event indulged in eco-friendly appetizers, which were "all sustainable, fished responsibly," said Susan Feniger, co-owner of the Border Grill.

L.A.'s California Science Center will start the new year defending itself in court for canceling a documentary film attacking Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. A lawsuit alleges that the state-owned center improperly bowed to pressure from the Smithsonian Institution, as well as e-mailed complaints from USC professors and others. It contends that the center violated both the 1st Amendment and a contract to rent the museum's Imax Theater when it canceled the screening of "Darwin's Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record."

The California Science Center--which opens Saturday--is a strange fusion of past and future. The massive geometric forms of its new entry plaza gleam like a mock lunar city. Turnthe corner and an elegant Beaux-Arts facade--the only detail restored from the original building--evokes a world of wire-rim glasses and bowler hats. The 245,000-square-foot, $130-million museum is only the first phase in an ambitious plan that will extend 900 feet along Coliseum Drive.

The financially strapped Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission has failed to pay $500,000 in rent to the state of California. The board of the California Science Center, which owns the land where the Coliseum sits, has asked the state attorney general's office to assess its legal options, Jeffrey Rudolph, the center's president, said Friday. The Coliseum is in deep financial difficulty. Officials there said this week that they may not have enough money to pay employees by the end of March.

There's art to the gift of giving. Some folks have mastered it; others not so much. It starts with a good eye and an understanding of your own budget. Worried that you might not have what it takes? Not to fret, we're making things easy this season. From reliable stocking stuffers to hard-to-find items, we've got gifts for everyone on your list. Here are more than 100 gift ideas for under $100. $5 and under Charles and Ray Eames top This wooden top bears a design from Southern California designers Charles and Ray Eames' 1961 exhibit, "Mathematica: A World of Numbers ... & Beyond," on display at the New York Hall of Sciences in Queens.

Granted, moving Atlantis, the last of the retired space shuttles, won't be as difficult as Endeavour's recent, and tortuous, trip through Los Angeles. That journey required the chopping down of hundreds of trees - and Endeavour arrived 16 hours behind schedule Still, moving Atlantis 9.8 miles will be no piece of cake. “You're talking about 165,000 pounds, a national treasure, a priceless artifact.... No pressure," said Tim Macy, director of project development and construction for Delaware North Cos., which operates the Kennedy Space Center visitors complex in Florida.

Re "Shuttle crawls obstacle course," Oct. 14 Thank you for your coverage of the space shuttle Endeavour's final journey. The photos were inspiring, and you can see that the shuttle is a bit scarred from its travels but handsome just the same. She deserves the attention after her service to our country. Thanks to Los Angeles for providing a home for this veteran. Christine Chamness Appleton, Wis. I was among the thousands who attended the Endeavour ceremony at the Forum in Inglewood, and was at the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards to witness this historic mission.

Like a Dodgers fan showing up in the top of the fourth inning, Endeavour arrived noticeably late to Sunday's big party at the California Science Center in Exposition Park, delayed by the notorious unpredictability of using surface streets to get from one side of Los Angeles to the other. In that sense, the retired space shuttle seemed to confirm a familiar stereotype, but in other ways its trip across the city - and our collective excitement in seeing it live - efficiently demolished a series of myths about Los Angeles.

It was built for orbital speeds approaching five miles per second, but space shuttle Endeavour took its own sweet time Sunday as it wheeled triumphantly onto the grounds of its new home, the California Science Center. "Mission 26 - mission accomplished," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced, amid the cheers of thousands of spectators. Before it was retired by NASA, the spacecraft had logged 25 flight missions. However, its final journey was slowed by unexpected maintenance issues and last-minute maneuvers to avoid obstacles like trees and utility poles.

The space shuttle Endeavour arrived in Los Angeles last month with an air of majesty, soaring over ocean and mountains, swooping past the Hollywood sign and Disneyland, and dazzling crowds gazing up from the ground. Endeavour lost a little of that grandeur Friday, towed by four trailers, inching down city streets from Los Angeles International Airport toward its new life as an exhibit at the California Science Center. But it was greeted with fanfare by large crowds who marveled at its sheer size against the city backdrop.

The space shuttle Endeavour drank in fuel on its launchpad, condensation rising off its metal body as gases leaked through vent ports. It seemed to astronaut Andrew Thomas like an animal poised to pounce. "It's almost breathing," he said. "You have a sense that it's a creature that's coming to life. " When it did, the rocket boosters roared and clouds plummeted into the distance. Endeavour was going from zero to 17,500 mph in 8 1/2 minutes. "It is without a doubt the ride of your life," said Thomas, who flew aboard Endeavour twice.