Challenger Point
Encyclopedia
Challenger Point is a fourteener
in the Sangre de Cristo
range, located in the southern part of the U.S. state
of Colorado
. The summit is on the northwest shoulder of Kit Carson Mountain, and is a subpeak of the latter. It was named in memory of the seven astronaut
s who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger
disintegrated
shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986.
resident Dennis Williams in 1986. The USGS
Board of Geographic Names
approved the application on April 9, 1987.
Local climber Alan Silverstein organized and led an expedition on the weekend of July 18, 1987 to place a 6 by memorial plaque on the summit. The plaque reads:
CHALLENGER POINT, 14080+'
In Memory of the Crew of Shuttle Challenger
Seven who died accepting the risk,
expanding Mankind's horizons
January 28, 1986 Ad Astra Per Aspera
The Latin
phrase "Ad Astra Per Aspera
" translates as "To the stars through adversity."
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
in the Sangre de Cristo
Sangre de Cristo
Sangre de Cristo can refer to either:*Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in Northern New Mexico and South-Central Colorado in the United States...
range, located in the southern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The summit is on the northwest shoulder of Kit Carson Mountain, and is a subpeak of the latter. It was named in memory of the seven astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
disintegrated
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986.
The Memorial
The proposal to name the summit Challenger Point was made by Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
resident Dennis Williams in 1986. The USGS
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
Board of Geographic Names
Geographic Names Board
A geographic names board is an official body established by a government to decide on official names for geographical areas and features.Most countries have such a body, which is commonly known under this name...
approved the application on April 9, 1987.
Local climber Alan Silverstein organized and led an expedition on the weekend of July 18, 1987 to place a 6 by memorial plaque on the summit. The plaque reads:
CHALLENGER POINT, 14080+'
In Memory of the Crew of Shuttle Challenger
Seven who died accepting the risk,
expanding Mankind's horizons
January 28, 1986 Ad Astra Per Aspera
The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase "Ad Astra Per Aspera
Ad astra (phrase)
Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra and opta ardua pennis astra sequi, Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra ("thus you shall go to the...
" translates as "To the stars through adversity."
See also
- Columbia PointColumbia PointColumbia Point is a 13,980 foot subpeak of Kit Carson Peak, in Colorado, USA. It was known informally as Kat Carson, but was officially named Columbia Point in 2003 to honor the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003...
- List of Colorado fourteeners
- Mountain peaks of ColoradoMountain peaks of ColoradoThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Colorado.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...
- Mountain ranges of ColoradoMountain ranges of ColoradoThe following table lists the major mountain ranges of the U.S. State of Colorado.-Mountain Ranges:-See also:*4000 meter peaks of Colorado*Colorado mountain passes*Geography of Colorado*Lists of mountains*Mountain peaks of Colorado...