Astronauts Including Sen. Mark Kelly Open LA’s Endeavour Museum

His first Endeavour flight came just months after the September 11 attacks. "We launched in December, right after this horrible tragedy," Kelly said in an interview. "The spaceship was actually born out of a tragedy: Challenger. This is the replacement for Challenger."

During his second flight, his wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was recovering in a hospital after surviving an assassination attempt. "She was still in the hospital when I was in space," Kelly recalled.

What he hopes children take away

Kelly called Endeavour "the most complicated thing humans have ever built." He hopes it sparks interest in math and engineering among young visitors.

"A little kid is gonna say, 'Wow! People built that, and it went into space. Boy, if people could do that, maybe I can do anything,'" Kelly said. He added that "you can't really put a price tag on this."

The Oschin family tribute

The center is named for the late Samuel Oschin. His wife, Lynda Oschin, said she was moved to tears when she first saw the 200-foot-tall spacecraft standing in launch position. "I just couldn't believe it," she said.

When Endeavour was moved from Houston to California, Lynda Oschin asked that a photograph of her husband be placed in the commander's seat. Former NASA head Charles Bolden honored the request. "It's there, and it's framed now, and it's in there forever," she said.

She described her husband as a devoted patron of math, science and exploration.

Opening ceremony

The ceremony began with speeches by Sen. Alex Padilla of California and Kelly, along with other champions of the exhibit. Jeffrey N. Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, told the crowd: "Today is about dreams. Now, Endeavour is in its permanent home."