- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
If you enjoyed Gravity and want to learn more about space exploration, the California Science Center is celebrating the one-year anniversary since space shuttle Endeavour’s arrival.
Through Sunday, Endeavour Fest will feature astronauts speaking about their experiences; the SpaceX Dragon; and screenings of Three Nights, Three Days, a new 20-minute documentary that offers a behind the scenes look at the effort to move Endeavour through the streets of Los Angeles to the Center.
PHOTOS: It’s Lonely Out Here: ‘Gravity’ and 10 More Films About Isolation
The footage used to make this documentary – as well as several shorts that have already been playing at the Center’s exhibit — is the result of a Herculean effort that brought together more than 150 Hollywood professionals, who volunteered their time to film the events, as well as numerous equipment suppliers.
Starting back at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with Endeavour being mounted atop a Boeing 747, the volunteers documented Endeavour’s flights to the final landing at LAX, followed by the work that was done by NASA in the United Airlines hangar for nearly three weeks, then the multi-day crawl through the L.A. streets. One of the biggest objects ever transported down city streets, Endeavour is five stories tall, has a wingspan of 78 feet and weighs 170,000 pounds.
The story behind this filming effort previously appeared in The Hollywood Reporter‘s Behind the Screen blog.
Endeavour Fest will also feature the SpaceX Dragon, which is the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and safely return cargo to Earth.
This weekend, the Science Center additionally opens its Red Bull Stratos exhibit, featuring the 3,000 pound capsule used by Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the stratosphere and became the first human to break the sound barrier during freefall on Oct. 14, 2012.
E-mail: Carolyn.Giardina@THR.com
Twitter: @CGinLA
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day