Rising up from the Challenger disaster in Florida 30 years ago is a monument in the heart of California aerospace country. The 20 ft. rocket will never leave earth. It has a permanent home in the desert. Its job is to commemorate its namesake, the Space Shuttle Challenger. “We wanted something that told the story for this neighborhood and tells what is important about what we do in this community and specifically, with the Shuttle being built here [in the Antelope Valley]," sais Andi Campognone, Curator of the Lancaster Museum of Art & History. Though Challenger successfully completed previous missions, its service to America’s space program ended on January 28, 1986. Just 73 seconds into the mission, a booster failure caused an explosion resulting in the loss of seven astronauts. Now, the monument, “Astral Challenger” will permanently honor that flight. Shana Mabari is the artist. Read the Rest
By Barbara Sharp
Photo Credit: Eric Staudenmeir