The city of Downey witnessed an unusual transport this Thursday as the original full-size space shuttle mock-up, "Inspiration", began its journey from a city maintenance yard to a renovation center for an upcoming display at the Columbia Memorial Space Center. Constructed in 1972 by Rockwell International during their bid to build NASA's shuttles, the mock-up, although never having reached space, has been a critical tool for fitting instruments and payloads intended for the actual shuttles. According to ABC7 Los Angeles, the disassembled shuttle spanned 122 feet long and 35 feet tall and will be transported in seven large segments on Thursday and Friday.
The move of the prototype is a prelude to its eventual installation in a new 20,000-square-foot facility designed to expand the educational reach of the Columbia Memorial Space Center, as NBC Los Angeles reported. The main parts of the shuttle were scheduled to travel north on Bellflower Boulevard to the restoration center located at 12140 Bellflower Blvd. The transportation is just one step in the space center's ambitious Project Inspiration campaign, aiming to raise $50 million for the completion of the new complex and its educational programs.
Commemorating aerospace history while focusing on future exploration, the mock-up will eventually be displayed in an advanced complex featuring hands-on exhibits and learning spaces. "Inspiration was probably the biggest step to being able to build a space shuttle that could actually go into space and then come back and be reused," Ben Dickow, president and executive director of the space center, told LAist.
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