The California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center project has received a $25 million donation from aerospace leader Kent Kresa and the Kresa Family Foundation, officials announced today.
The gift comes as the science center prepares for the next stage of a complex, multi-phase process of assembling the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s 20-story vertical display. A pair of large solid rocket motors arrived on Oct. 11, and will be lifted into place in early November.
In September, the center announced a $25 million gift from Korean Air, and the latest donation means that $350 million has been raised toward the center’s $400 million EndeavourLA Campaign goal.
In recognition of what center officials called a significant investment in science education, the science center will name the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, one of three galleries to be part of its 200,000 square-foot expansion, currently under construction.
“We are deeply grateful for this significant gift from a true leader and luminary in the aerospace field. Kent Kresa’s commitment, along with his family, is a testament to our shared belief in the power of science learning to transform lives, inspire new discoveries, and change the world for the better,” California Science Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rudolph said.
“This meaningful investment in the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will help the California Science Center to advance public understanding of science and technology in ways that are relevant to our lives and important to our future,” Rudolph added.
Said Kresa: “Southern California’s aerospace industry has been and continues to be at the forefront of innovation, dramatically improving our understanding of the world and the cosmos.
“From the Space Shuttle to the James Webb Space Telescope, we have learned so much from technologies that scientists and engineers have created here in the region. Not only will the Kent Kresa Space Gallery be a place to…
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