Not so magnificent desolation

As desolate as the surface of the moon that we eventually landed on, the buildings that were the home of Downey's space history are coming down piece by piece.

Originally this was the site of Vultee Aircraft, then North American Aviation, later North American Rockwell, and still later Rockwell International. During the 1970s and 1980s, four of the space shuttle orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis, were constructed here.

More recently, the site has been the home of Downey Studios. And next, this site will be the home of the Tierra Luna Marketplace.

Things change, the world moves on. We can't keep everything. But still, it's sad to see this bit of Downey's history disappear.