Challenger Point is a mountain in the Sangre de Cristo range in southern Colorado. The summit is located on the northwest shoulder of Kit Carson Mountain. It was named in memory of the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986.

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 9th, 1987.

Local climber Alan Silverstein organized and led an expedition on the weekend of July 18th, 1987 to place a 6 by 12 inch memorial plaque on the summit. The plaque reads:

The latin text "Ad Astra Per Aspera" translates to "To the stars through aspiration."

Fourteeners of ColoradoSaguache County, ColoradoCuster County, Colorado