The Mercury-Redstone 2 Capsule, left, Gemini 11 Capsule and Apollo Soyuz Command Module are on display in the Work In Progress Gallery at the California Science Center. (photo courtesy of the California Science Center)

The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center’s Work In Progress Gallery offers a sneak peek at new exhibits and artifacts at the California Science Center.

Launched in June 2024, the Work in Progress Gallery displays space artifacts planned for the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center. Large colorful renderings show how space artifacts in the Work in Progress Gallery will look when placed in new locations alongside hands-on exhibits.

December updates to the Work in Progress Gallery include the relocation of the Mercury-Redstone 2 Capsule (1961), the Gemini 11 Capsule (1966) and the Apollo Soyuz Command Module (1975). All three capsules have previously flown to space and are on loan from the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. A full-scale engineering model of the Viking Lander, the first U.S. spacecraft to successfully land on Mars (1976) joined the newly located collection in November. The Viking Lander is on loan from Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The artifacts were previously exhibited on the second floor of the Science Center, but their new temporary location provides a rare opportunity to display the capsules to the public outside of their traditional working cases due to the optimal levels of light, temperature and humidity inside the Work in Progress Gallery.

The Work in Progress Gallery also features video and time-lapse media celebrating important milestones including Space Shuttle Endeavour’s historic arrival, the journey of External Tank ET-94, the transport of two solid rocket motors and the stacking process to assemble the complete Space Shuttle System in launch position (Go for Stack). Also included are time-lapse construction progress and a detailed scale model of the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

The California Science Center Foundation is fundraising to complete the ambitious project with $370 million raised toward the $425 million total project budget. To contribute and for information, visit endeavourla.org.

The California Science Center is located at 700 Exposition Park Drive. For information, visit californiasciencecenter.org.