- Challenger Point
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Challenger Point 
Challenger Point seen from nearby Kit Carson Mountain.Elevation 14,081 ft (4,292 m) NGVD 29[1] Prominence 301 ft (92 m) [1][2] Parent peak Kit Carson Mountain Listing Colorado Fourteener Location Colorado
Challenger PointLocation Saguache County, Colorado, USA Range Rocky Mountains, Sangre de Cristo Range Coordinates 37°58′49″N 105°36′24″W / 37.98028°N 105.60667°WCoordinates: 37°58′49″N 105°36′24″W / 37.98028°N 105.60667°W[3] Topo map USGS Crestone Peak Climbing Easiest route Difficult class 2 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 astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986.[3]
Contents
The Memorial
The proposal to name the summit Challenger Point was made by Colorado Springs 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 12 inches (15 by 30 cm) 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 AsperaThe Latin phrase "Ad Astra Per Aspera" translates as "To the stars through adversity."
Climbing
- Trailhead: Willow Creek Trailhead, 8,900 feet (2,713 m)
References and notes
- ^ a b "Challenger Point, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=5902. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ Arithmetic mean of range of prominence values in source.
- ^ a b "Challenger Point". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:196427. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
See also
External links
Categories:- Mountains of Colorado
- Geography of Saguache County, Colorado
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