ANAHEIM, CA — Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim) is pleased to announce that he helped secure $1.16 million in funding from the California Cultural Historical Endowment (CCHE) for the Delta Interstage Rocket project at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.    

“The Discovery Science Center is one of Santa Ana’s greatest educational assets.  I believe it is important for the state to preserve the legacy of the Delta rocket which sent the first privately built satellite, AT&T’s Telestar, into space in 1962 to make the first satellite television transmission,” said Assemblyman Solorio.

In total, the project will provide for the installation of the Interstage and RS-68 Booster into their permanent exhibit space and viewing pavilion and provide for the development and installation of accurate media showing the actual launch footage as well as interactive kiosks.

Assemblyman Solorio lobbied members of the CCHE board to support the Discovery Science Center funding request and testified before the board in support of the project at a meeting held yesterday. 

In addition to the $1.16 million in CCHE funding, the Discovery Science Center received a $1 million donation from the Boeing Company to fund the project. 

“Discovery Science Center is proud to showcase the Delta Program, a significant element of Southern California’s aerospace industry and our national defense. With CCHE funding, we will be able to construct the foundation of a new permanent exhibition that will interpret the history of this unique industry in our culture and economy. This next phase of expansion will implement our goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers with a new space-themed exhibition,” said Discovery Science Center President Joe Adams. 

The first successful launch of the Delta rocket occurred in 1960 and, as mentioned above, was followed by the successful launch of the first privately built satellite two years later.  In 1965, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) used the Delta rocket to launch the first satellite for commercial communications (Comsat I).  In 1974, the Delta rocket sent the first United States domestic communications satellite into orbit (Westar-A).  
    
The Discovery Science Center receives more than 420,000 visitors annually.  It is located at 2500 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, and can be contacted at (714) 542-2823 or www.discoverycube.org/.

Assemblyman Jose Solorio represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana.  He is also the Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.  For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, you can visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.