How far could a Verona High School education take someone? For Marina Koren, the answer is: To the next big thing in space exploration.
Koren, who graduated VHS with the Class of 2008, was in Cape Canaveral, Fla. today to cover the launch of SpaceX’s massive Falcon Heavy rocket. The 27-engine rocket lifted off successfully this afternoon, taking itself and one other part of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s business empire with it–a cherry red Tesla.
And there to cover it all for The Atlantic was its senior associate editor, Koren, who began a career in journalism after graduating from the University of Delaware. She’s written widely on science and current events, including a piece on how Verona got a piece of steel from the World Trade Center towers for its 9/11 monument in the center town.
Though it is the product of private industry and not NASA, the Falcon Heavy puts the U.S. back in the heavy lifting business for space launches. As Koren notes, we haven’t had a heavy lift launch vehicle since 2011. Take a minute to read her story, “The Symbolism of Elon Musk Sending a Car Into Space “.
