Just 16 days after its arrival Endeavour was prepared for its public debut. The California Science Center held a special event on Tuesday, 30 October 2012. Dignitaries were invited to speak, Debbie Allen and her dance academy performed, and hundreds of young Los Angeles school children were the first invitees to see the last Space Shuttle in its temporary home.

California Governor Jerry Brown spoke eloquently about the need for space exploration and science to the gathered crowd. These are his remarks:

The Space Shuttle was built by Rockwell, not too many miles from here. And even today the mars rover [Curiosity] is out there on Mars being driven by people in Pasadena. Californians, thousands of hours went into that mars rover. Tens of thousands of hours went into the Shuttle program. It’s amazing what it does for the human imagination. Yet today there are still some — I call them declinists, naysayers — [who say] “Why do we have a space program? Why in the world do we spend two-and-a-half billion dollars for the mars rover? Why do we spend tens of billions of dollars on the Shuttle and other space programs?” Because human beings are about exploration, experimentation, the human imagination. And even today some people are saying we’ve got to climb in our hole, we gotta pull the hatch down, don’t spend money on things that are new, cut the taxes, don’t invest in the university, don’t invest in high-speed rail. Well, I’m not one of those. I think space is the ultimate of our human imagination! [huge applause]

Last week, I talked with Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter from Berkeley, [who] just got the Nobel Prize in Physics. I said, “So, what are you studying?” [Perlmutter said,] “I’m studying how the universe is expanding.” I said, “if it’s expanding, what’s it expanding into?” [laughter] He said, “We don’t know, but we know it’s expanding; we can measure it.” There are incredible mysteries that are yet to be unlocked. Space is not just about sending vehicles millions of miles out into space, it’s also about the technology and the sciences that flow out of that challenge. It affects the internet, it affects solar energy, it affects biomedical sciences, all sorts of things.

America is only four percent of the world population. We’re older as a group than most of the world. Most of the world is young, vibrant, and of a different kind of perspective. For America to continue leading, for California to continue leading — as such a small part of this country and this world — we have to invest in our minds. California got its big start in the Gold Rush. People from all over the world, every country, China, Russia, South America, Germany, Italy, they all came to California and they just went at it. They started extracting gold from rivers, from mountains. Well, today we have to extract the equivalent of gold from our minds, from our human imagination. [Talking directly to the school children in front of him:] You kids, you have gold. It’s inside your mind and we need to invest in it. That’s what California is all about. Invest in the future — and space is part of that! [huge applause]

Endeavour greets visitors as they arrive at the California Science Center.

A photo of the rollout of Endeavour, 25 April, 1991. (I am standing near the yellow tow vehicle at the nose of the newest Space Shuttle.)

The set of nose and main gear tires used on Endeavour's last mission. Touchable!

Simulators provide visitors the feel of going into space.

Personal items carried in space. Primarily donated by astronaut Garrett Reisman.

The Rocketdyne Mission Control monitored SSME performance on each mission.

Everyone always asks astronauts: "How do you go to the bathroom in space?"

Transfer order for OV-105 from NASA to CSC. Endeavour's value: $1,980,674,785.

Right side mid-to-aft fuselage of the orbiter.

The right side forward nose section.

A pressurized SpaceHab module once carried into space in the shuttle's cargo bay.

An American flag adorns the wall behind Endeavour.

The VIP stage and a group of students under Endeavour's right wing.

The nose section of the orbiter with the crew hatch visible.

California Science Center Director, Jeffrey Rudolph.

Governor Jerry Brown gave a rousing speech (see above).

Debbie Allen's students perform a rousing dance number set to "Men In Black."

Endeavour's vertical tail fits neatly beneath the ceiling.

First batch of young students enter the Endeavour display and pass before the media cameras.

Elementary school students ask questions about space exploration.

Underside sweep of the orbiter's left wing.

A Space Shuttle Main Engine (RS-25) on display for close inspection.

Removing the VIP seats as the crowd moves in on Endeavour.

Left side mid-to-aft fuselage.

Left wing.

Nose cap, forward reaction control pod, and crew cabin.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour Gift Shop.

Garrett Reisman

STS-123, Expedition 16/17, STS-124, STS-132.

John "Danny" Olivas

STS-117, STS-128.

Barbara Morgan

Teacher In Space, STS-118.

Leland Melvin

STS-122, STS-129.

Barbara Morgan signs a plush shuttle for a fan.

Nichelle Nichols of "Star Trek."

June Lockhart of "Lost in Space."

California Science Center volunteers during the move between LAX and CSC all signed their names to this banner, which is now on display.

Proposed pavilion to eventually house Endeavour in the verticle launch configuration.

A last look before heading out.

Orbital Vehicle-105

Below are detail photos of various portions of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Forward right side payload bay hinges.

Rear right side payload bay hinges.

Forward heat tiles of right side Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod.

Junction of right wing RCC, black tiles, and white thermal blankets.

Mounting point for the orbiter to the ground pedastals.

Detail of underbelly heat tiles near the right main gear door.

Underside of joint between right rear wing flap and main body.

Underside of right wing tip.

Downward firing thrusters on OMS pod.

Joint between inner and outer wing flap.

Straight up view of the three SSMEs. The underside of the vertical tail is at center top.

Fuel port connection on the left underside of the orbiter is where fuel from the External Tank passed on its way to the SSMEs.

The hinge joint of the inner wing flap to the main body. Note heat tile damage to the flap which looks like a white scuff mark.

Heat tile gouging. No damage was repaired following the final mission of Endeavour, so visitors see her just the way she landed at 2:34 am EDT on 1 June 2011.

Inside the expansion nozzle of a Space Shuttle Main Engine.

Outer left wing flap hinge.

Forward External Tank attach point.

Nose gear door meets underbody heat tiles.

Nose gear doors meet the RCC nose cap, looking forward.

RCC meets the nose gear door and underbelly heat tiles, looking aft.

Seam where the forward RCS pod joins with the nose section of Endeavour.

Three of the five forward Reaction Control System thruster nozzles.

The evolution of humankind.