Project Director: DENNIS R. JENKINS
Dennis R. Jenkins worked as a contractor to NASA for 33 years, mostly on the Space Shuttle Program in a variety of engineering and management roles. After supporting the first few space shuttle launches at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), he spent five years activating the Vandenberg Launch Site in California before the facility was closed following the Challenger accident. Returning to KSC, he supported recovering from the accident and a variety of special projects. During the late 1990s Jenkins was the ground systems manager for the X-33 program. Afterward, he managed a variety of space shuttle upgrade projects at KSC. Jenkins spent 2003 on the staff of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB); 2004 as staff to the President’s Commission on the Future of Human Spaceflight and as technical staff to the Return-to-Flight Task Group evaluating the readiness of space shuttle to support STS-114; 2005 as the Verville Fellow at the National Air and Space Museum; then returned to KSC as a consultant to United Space Alliance (USA). In 2010 he became the USA project manager for the Orbiters on Display Working Group that delivered the space shuttle orbiters to the California Science Center, National Air and Space Museum, Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, and the KSC Visitor Complex. Afterward Jenkins became the project director for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center that will ultimately display Endeavour as a full launch stack.
Jenkins received a NASA Public Service Medal in 2003, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) History Manuscript Award in 2011, the AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Award in 2015, the National Aviation Hall of Fame Combs-Gates Award in 2017, the American Astronautical Society Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2018, and the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for History in 2020. He has written more than fifty books on aviation and space history and is a Fellow in the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS).
Architectural Design: ZGF
ZGF is an architecture, interior design, and urban planning firm that is dedicated to developing humane and responsive environments for all. A practice with more than 750 professionals and offices in Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Vancouver BC, and Washington DC, ZGF has an ethos of collaboration, design excellence, stewardship of our natural and built environment, and exceptional client service. ZGF’s portfolio spans healthcare, hospitality, corporate, cultural, higher education, research, mixed-use, and urban design projects at all scales. Underpinning ZGF’s work is the philosophy that design excellence should be reflected in every aspect of a space—its form, function, systems, place, and environmental impact.
Construction: MATT Construction
MATT Construction is a family- and employee-owned general contractor known for its commitment to quality, integrity, and unfailing collaboration with clients and architects. MATT has built many of Los Angeles’ iconic museums and cultural centers, including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, The Broad, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and numerous projects at the Natural History Museum, LACMA, and the Skirball Cultural Center. The company portfolio is rich and diverse, including many private schools, television studios, corporate and non-profit headquarters, hotels and restaurants, retail stores, multi-family/mixed use, creative offices, estate homes and cultural institutions.
Engineering: Arup
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of designers, consultants and experts working globally. Founded to be humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology, and rigor to shape a better world.
Exhibit Design: Evidence Design
Evidence Design is an award-winning studio with a 25-year legacy of pioneering new approaches to spatial communication and learning. Based in the vibrant community of Brooklyn, New York, our multidisciplinary team specializes in the planning and design of museum exhibits and other information-rich environments. Recognized for innovation and meticulous design, our work spans diverse fields, including science, natural history, and culture, with a focus on revealing connections among people, places, objects, and ideas. We collaborate closely with institutions during major renovations to create immersive experiences that engage diverse communities and cultures. From emerging start-ups to established leaders in the museum community, Evidence Design has partnered with a wide range of institutions to deliver transformative public experiences.
Steel Subcontractor: Plas-Tal Manufacturing
Plas-Tal Manufacturing was formed in 1947 and serves both the industrial and commercial construction industries throughout California. We have long supported the aerospace industry, including projects at the Santa Susanna Field Laboratory and Vandenberg AFB. During the 1980s the company began to perform seismic repair and upgrade work after several Southern California earthquakes. Complex structural steel and miscellaneous metals became a focal point for the organization in the 2000s. Focusing on complicated art pieces and museums, like the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, has allowed the company to grow and evolve into what it has become today, with over two hundred employees and hundreds of subcontractors.
