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| Established | 2009 (2009) |
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| Location | 12400 Columbia Way Downey, California, US |
| Coordinates | 33°55′11″N118°08′01″W / 33.91984°N 118.13362°W /33.91984; -118.13362 |
| Type | Science Museum |
| Key holdings | Space Shuttle Inspiration |
| Visitors | 30,000 (in 2013)[1] |
| Website | Official website |
TheColumbia Memorial Space Center (CMSC) is ascience museum in theLos Angeles area, inCity of Downey, California, US. It is owned and operated by Downey, and open to the general public as a hands-on space museum and activity center.[2]
The center'sstated mission is to "ignite people's passion in science, technology, engineering, and space while honoring Downey's aerospace history."[2]
The site of the museum is the formerBoeing/Rockwell/North American plant where all of theApollo Command/Service Modules were built and theSpace Shuttle was conceived. In 1999, when the Downey Plant closed, the City of Downey began a redevelopment effort, including an educational component. In early 2007, a builder — Tower General Contractors — was selected, and ground was broken on April 12, 2007, on the 18,000 square foot project.[3]
First opened in 2008, CMSC is recognized as the National Memorial to theSpace ShuttleColumbia and its crew that was lost onSTS-107.[4][5]
On November 7, 2008, a propane tank exploded during the filming of an episode of the television seriesBones, causing an electrical fire, without damage to the museum.[6]
Designated aChallenger Learning Center,[7] the museum has a variety of camps, workshops, and other monthly events to generate interest inSTEM, and hands-on exhibits. Now 20,000 square feet, the two-story building has arobotics lab,HD computer lab, and a wide range of interactive exhibits onSpace Shuttle operations, living and working on theInternational Space Station, exploration of theSolar System,aerospace engineering, and the range of fields of study and jobs related to human and roboticspace exploration.[2]
In 2012, the first "Space Shuttle" – a wood and plastic full-scale mockup built byNorth American Rockwell in 1972 – was placed on temporary display at the center.[8] Dubbed the "Space ShuttleInspiration", it was disassembled and stored in early 2014.[9]
In front of the center, a dummy "boilerplate" Apollo command capsule, BP-12, is on display. This was thefirst Apollo capsule to fly,[10] and is now owned by the City of Downey.[11] The center also owns Apollo Boilerplate BP-19A,[12] which is in storage as of 2018.
Space ShuttleColumbia (OV-102) | ||
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| Flights | .jpg) | |
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