posted 02-01-2007 02:00 PM               

Columbia Space Shuttle Tragedy Memorialized

On this day, the 4th anniversary of the Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy, Tower General Contractors has announced that it has been awarded the contract to build the Columbia Memorial Space Science Learning Center in Downey, California. In October, 2004, both Houses of Congress passed a resolution (Public Law No: 108-391) authored by US Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard and co-sponsored by the entire contingent of California Representatives to Congress, naming Downey, California the home of the Columbia Memorial Space Science Learning Center.

The Center will honor the memory of the Columbia Space Shuttle Crew, American heroes, who died in service to their country. The Center is also intended to serve as a tribute to the many people who have worked in the aviation and aerospace industry in Downey over seven decades. The leaders of the Center have a major educational goal: to enhance space science knowledge and scientific literacy. The Center is expected to be completed in early 2008.

On February 1, 2003, the Columbia shuttle made an uncontrolled reentry to the earth's atmosphere and the seven crew members lost their lives, including: Rick D. Husband, Commander; William C. McCool, Pilot; Michael P. Anderson, Payload Commander; David M. Brown, Mission Specialist 1; Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist 2; Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Mission Specialist 4; and Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist.

"We are pleased to have been selected to construct this distinguished building, which memorializes those who gave their lives for the exploration of space. The Center will educate future generations about science and aerospace making it a living tribute to their memory, while educating the next generation of astronauts," said Alex Guerrero, Executive Vice President of Tower General Contractors.

The 18,000 square feet facility will include active learning experiences that will educate students on various aspects of aerospace, including:

• The Challenger Learning Center will feature a simulated space mission that will test the participant's decision-making skills.

• The Center will include a Space Science Discovery Zone where visitors will find a variety of interactive exhibits that help them explore principles of flight, living in space, the search for life beyond earth, and the origins of the universe.

• The Mars Robotics Lab will allow young visitors the opportunity to design and program their own robots in order to complete a remote exploration mission to the planet Mars.

• Historical displays will tell the story of the men and women who contributed to the spirit of invention and innovation that led to the development of the aviation and aerospace industry in Downey, Southern California, and propelled the United States to a leadership role in space exploration.

Architectural Features

The design firms of Arquitectonica, which is responsible for the architecture and interior design, and Arquitectonica GEO, the landscape designer, will continue to oversee the project during construction.

The Building takes advantage of the visibility of its site by making a bold architectural statement, while marking the entrance to the future park. A prominent plaza in front of the building will serve as a gathering place and an outdoor room. It is designed to create a dynamic environment encouraging discovery and participation.

The architecture for the Center reflected the aspiration and the ambitions of the astronauts and mankind traveling to space. It's a dynamic form propelling itself forward and upward, expressive of the confident optimism that drove a century of aviation and space exploration achievement.

The identity of the Center is first apparent as the visitor approaches from afar -- the silvery skin reflecting the sunlight, the shape and profile distinctive and purposeful. Moving toward the entrance through the plaza, the building's metal-clad mass rises dramatically, opening the space underneath and inviting the visitor in. Much like the approach to a large aircraft, one is inspired by the expressive power of form and the latent energy contained within. Everything evokes the experience of moving through space, encouraging the sense of lightness and freedom so identifiable as intrinsic to the experience of flight. Once inside the double-height lobby, the visitor is drawn into the Space Science Discovery Zone -- the space is at once bold and dramatic with a large open stair connecting the two floors while also encouraging exploration and discovery deeper within. The circulation path is designed to carry visitors throughout the Discovery Zone, providing every opportunity possible to interact with the exhibits.

"In 1999, when the Downey NASA Plant closed, the City of Downey began a redevelopment effort, including an educational component. The construction of the Columbia Memorial Space Science & Learning Center is the culmination of our efforts to preserve Downey's 70-year legacy of aviation and aerospace history through space science education programs," said Rick Trejo, City of Downey Mayor. "The memorial will provide a way to extract something positive from the Columbia disaster," he added.

posted 03-30-2007 03:43 PM               

Columbia Science Center to Break Ground April 12, 2007

What:

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Columbia Memorial Space Science and Learning Center, Downey, California

A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Columbia Memorial Space Science & Learning Center and the new Downey park on a 13-acre site.

The Columbia Memorial Space Science & Learning Center is being built to honor the Columbia Space Shuttle Crew who gave their lives on February 1, 2003 in service to their country.

When: April 12, 2007; 4:30 PM PDT

Where: 12400 Clark Avenue, Downey, CA 90241

Who:

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard - California's 34th District, who was responsible for the passage of a measure to name and fund the Space Science Learning Center in Downey

Jonathan B. Clark M.D., M.P.H. - husband to Laurel Blair Salton Clark, M.D., NASA astronaut who died on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Dr. Clark is President of the Space Medicine Association. He is board certified in Neurology and Aerospace Medicine and is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association. He is also the Space Medicine Liaison, National Space Biomedical Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine.

Rick Trejo - Mayor of the City of Downey

Nato Flores - President, Tower General Contractors, the construction company building the Center

Alex Guerrero - EVP, Tower General Contractors

Why:

The Center is also intended to serve as a tribute to the many people who have worked in the aviation and aerospace industry in Downey over seven decades. The leaders of the Center have a major educational goal: to enhance space science knowledge and scientific literacy. The Center is slated for completion on February 1, 2008, the fifth anniversary of the tragedy.

posted 03-31-2007 03:52 PM               

We of the community are proud that the city leaders have chosen to build this center for the educators, teachers and children of our area.

posted 04-17-2007 01:22 PM               

The ceremony was suddenly moved indoors as wind gusts reached over 30 mph.

My exhibit area for the large room was quickly condensed into a small office! I would say that there were over 200 people that came down for the day. Many were former Rockwell employees. Some folks came from as far away as Vandenberg AFB.

posted 04-24-2007 03:13 PM               

Pam Leestma, the cousin of shuttle astronaut Dave Leestma, is a teacher in the Los Angeles area who is a space-a-holic like most of us. She could qualify as a teacher in space candidate as she has gone about Mach 1 in a Russian MiG-21 jet fighter!

posted 11-18-2008 04:40 PM               

Credit: Aerospace Legacy Foundation

To quote the director, Jon Betthauser in his email:

There appears to be no damage to either of the capsules from the fire. There is about 2 inches of water inside BP-19. BP-12 appears to be completely dry inside. The 8 sprinkler heads that were tripped by the fire above BP-19 have already been replaced, and a crew worked over the weekend to cover the charred and damaged side of Building 290.

• Downey Studios Building Charred by Fire
  
• Fire damages the exterior of Downey Studios
  
• Fire Reported on Set of 'Bones'

The dedication was conducted by the city of Downey inside the new building. A couple hundred invited people heard the various city officials including Mayor Dave Gafin and Mayor Pro-tem Mario Guerra, the Hon. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Assemblyman Hector De La Torre amongst others.

Representing the Columbia families was Doug Brown, brother of Columbia astronaut David Brown. He spoke of his brother's love of education and what it takes to become an astronaut in a very moving speech, that brought tears to audience members.

A commemorative plaque for the center was unveiled at the end of the festivities, as well as a space-suited figure wandered about for photos with city council members and everyone.

posted 11-24-2008 09:10 AM               

Some of the old factory spaces are currently the location of the Aerospace Legacy Foundation, or ALF, dedicated to preserving the story of Downey’s aerospace heritage. The ALF is currently involved in trying to preserve two Apollo boilerplate capsules, one of which is owned by the City of Downey and the other owned by the Smithsonian. But sometimes preservation can be dramatic, and a couple of weeks ago Downey’s aerospace past and film studio present intersected with a little bit of unexpected drama.

posted 02-26-2009 01:01 AM            

It was also my first visit there since the fire, which buckled the metal on the end wall.

posted 03-13-2009 07:03 PM               

The Aerospace Legacy Foundation Congratulates the Columbia Memorial Space Center on Obtaining Additional Funding!

The Aerospace Legacy Foundation of Downey, California congratulates the Columbia Memorial Space Center on obtaining $700,000 in new funding, according to the press release from Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard dated March 11,2009.

The federal funding is part of President Obama's stimulus package, called Omnibus Appropriations measure (HR-1105).

This new funding allows the Space Science Learning Center to obtain new technologies and personnel for educating both young and old in the sciences surrounding us and in space.

"This is a wonderful development," ALF President Gerald Blackburn stated continuing, "This allows the center to look ahead before it's doors open, and invest in the construction of a new building to house the shuttle orbiter the city possesses".

When the Boeing plant closed in 1999, NASA left behind the first space shuttle orbiter mockup built by Rockwell, Int. in 1974. Over the years it had been updated and was toured by many thousands of people that included presidents and queens who visited Downey over the years.

"The shuttle orbiter needs to be housed and restored soon as the shuttle era is ending," stated historian James Busby, saying "to thousands in California it was their first real introduction to a spacecraft. I can think of over a dozen governors and senators who met the shuttle in Downey - including current California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator (later shuttle astronaut) John Glenn.

The new center - located at the historic site where the Apollo moon ships and space shuttle orbiters were built - is scheduled to open later this year.

About the Aerospace Legacy Foundation

For the last 75 years in Southern California, the aviation and aerospace companies were the life blood of the California economy and our nations driving force of breakthroughs in technology and science.

The legacy of their vision, hard work, and accomplishment is one worth honoring and preserving. The Aerospace Legacy Foundation exists to honor this incredible history.

posted 03-15-2009 08:25 PM               

The Aerospace Legacy Foundation is pleased to hear of the funding for the Columbia Memorial Space Center we look foward to the technology exhibits this will provide to enhance public education on the contributions of the aerospace industry. The quote attributed to me in Mr. Busby's release is incorrect. This funding is not intended to be utilized in any way for new building construction. These funds are very specific in their use which is, "$700,000 for the Columbia Memorial Space Science Learning Center in Downey to create interactive educational exhibits to enhance the understanding of space-related sciences and to highlight the value of technologies developed through the space program, while inspiring and educating the next generation of scientists and engineers."

While we support a future facility to house the Cities Space Shuttle Orbiter mock-up this is not the funding source for that effort.

posted 10-10-2009 08:22 AM               

Downey has been diligently finishing the Challenger Learning Center, where students can fly simulated space missions, and working on exhibits that will tell the 80 year history of the site that was the home of many small aviation companies like Kinner and EMSCO before Vultee, Convair, North American Aviation, Rockwell Int., and Boeing worked there on aircraft like the BT-9s, BT-13s and T-28 trainers, AJ-1 Savage, Navion, XF-92, XP-54 and XP-81. Missiles like the MX-774, X-10, Navajo, NATIV, Mercury-Little Joe, Hound Dog, and Gemini-paraglider.

It is where the Apollo Command and Service Modules and Space Shuttle cockpits and tail were designed and built, and the Saturn V (S-II) stages were designed.

posted 10-16-2009 12:01 PM               

Among the planned activities are lectures about Downey's aerospace past, the X-15 and early satellites in Lab 2 by members of the Aerospace Legacy Foundation.

Copies of Jerry Blackburn's book can be purchased and he will inscribe and autograph at the event.

posted 10-26-2009 02:52 PM               

The Apollo boilerplates are not available yet, and many exhibits are being tested for the first time. It is a work in progress.

At the opening former North American and NASA deputy administrator Dale D. Myers and his lovely wife attended the opening activities, and the Mayor was quite thankful for what those of us at Aerospace Legacy Foundation had contributed, and most of his speech came from our contributions.

I believe that center director Jon Betthauser did the best job he could do under the circumstances, and with what he had available to him.

But there is so much more that can and will be done in the future - the Apollo spacecraft, the shuttle mockup building, etc.

There is so much more space to grow- and it will. Don't come here expecting everything done- help contribute to it's future, and ours. As I said... it is a work-in-progress.

posted 12-14-2009 10:39 PM               

The following day we had the honors class from Downey High School take the first mission in the Challenger Center. I was the lead Flight Director on that first "Flight."

Then center director Jon Bethauser informed me the Columbia Memorial Space Center has chosen it's first honoree for the "Story Tellers showcase."

They have decided to honor the life and accomplishments of... James M. Busby, me! I feel that there are many others who deserve this before me as I only wished I had worked on Apollo and Shuttle, and volunteered to assist in public education at the site.

posted 07-14-2010 07:55 PM               

For one thing, said Pomrehn, the center is only "95 percent complete." For another, with an immediate operational budget of about $50,000 to worry about, funding goals were not being met. "We cannot hope to break even if we just depend on people walking through the door," he said.

The space center cost $10 million to build, plus many millions more spent on the exhibits.

To energize the center, Pomrehn wants to a) revitalize the Foundation, whose major functions will include fundraising, strategic (and even tactical) advice on target audiences and programming, and develop a multi-tier membership structure that will see lifetime members, various degrees of sponsorships, etc., together with the appropriate by-laws; and 2) make sure that all the fifth graders in the area get to visit the center and experience its eye-popping science-and-space-oriented exhibits and programs.

A $700,000 federal grant to "expand and enhance the use of state-of-the-art multimedia technology" at the Columbia Memorial Space Center will be spent over several phases, according to documents provided to the City Council.

The first phase calls for the construction of a nine-screen media wall on the space center's first floor, next to the elevator. The theater on the second floor, known as "Lab 2," will also be reconfigured and upgraded, assistant deputy city manager Scott Pomrehn wrote in a staff report.

posted 08-31-2010 06:36 PM            

June Scobee Rodgers, widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee, gave a very moving speech dedicating the center.

It seemed that every government dignitary from a wide geographical area was in attendance as June cut the ribbon officially opening the center.

posted 08-31-2010 06:38 PM            

It was a moving event and good opportunity to see friends such as Jim Busby and Pam Leestma, plus many others from the space community. It is great to see Downey continuing their long aerospace tradition through impressive education programs at this wonderful center.

posted 09-01-2010 05:56 PM               

We were asked to be the on-site reps for Columbia's Challenger Center at the AIAA conference. I was honored to meet Scott P. and Bill Readdy, who told us about staying nearby at the old "Vampire Inn" (Empire Inn), across the street from the plant.

I was surprised at the many cS'rs that came and said "Hello"; Cherie Bucheim and Mary Thompson, Leonard David and Barbara and David Livingston. It was quite a day.

The Columbia Center also has new Chris Butler artwork and timeline. (Chris worked in Downey before the art world called). Nearby Kaiser Hospital has an Apollo exhibit in Nuclear Medicene, on loan with autographed photos of all the Apollo crews, Mercury astronauts, and Flight Directors and Luminaries (like von Braun, etc.).

posted 02-17-2012 04:51 PM               

First, our hours have changed — we are now open on Sundays also.

Second, Apollo BP-12, the first Apollo craft to fly is on display in front of the center. It is resplendent having been repainted. We are adding correct markings and an escape tower shortly.

BP-19, on loan to us from the Smithsonian, is being touched up by the Kansas Cosmosphere, and will return soon.

posted 02-17-2014 01:12 PM               

... as memories of the Apollo and shuttle programs fade, the space center is struggling to attract visitors and donors. Now, city officials are looking for new ways to fund the struggling institution. Its deficit of more than $500,000 — an improvement over past years — is coming out of city funds.

"Our city government is not in the business of running museums," said Fernando Vasquez, mayor of the city in southeast Los Angeles County. The City Council has "been committed to supporting this museum, but at some point, we need to see a plan that's sustainable."

...city officials have started the search for a full-time executive director. The center has had an executive director for only eight months of its five-year history, and that was in the beginning. The rest of the time it's been run by a series of city employees who were only devoted to the museum part time.

Officials say an experienced executive director would know how to raise money, bring in popular exhibits and find creative ways to generate revenue, which the museum desperately needs.