EDITORIAL END OF AN ERA.

WITH Boeing's announcement that it will shut down and sell off its storied Rocketdyne facility in Canoga Park, an era comes to an end in the San Fernando Valley.

It was at that site that rockets were built that first took satellites into space, man to the moon and the space shuttle into orbit. And as the Valley became the epicenter of America's aerospace industry, engineers, designers and other workers from across the country streamed into the region, with neighborhoods, schools and strip malls springing up to accommodate them.

It was the Rocketdyne rockets that helped to launch the Valley middle class. That era is now coming to an end, but its legacy will long endure. And we applaud Boeing's decision to move much of its Canoga Park staff to its Chatsworth campus, and hope the company remains part of the Valley community for years to come.