Topeka ? The “Ad Astra” statue on Thursday made its second and hopefully last ascent to the top of the Capitol.

On Monday, the 22-foot, two-ton sculpture of a Kansa Indian with his arrow pointed to the North Star was set atop the Statehouse amid cheers from about 1,500 people.

But several of the placement bolts did not line up properly and the statue had to be brought back down within hours.

Since that time, workers have been busy drilling out the bolts and re-aligning the holes for a second try.

As on Monday, the statue was hoisted 300 feet by a crane on a sunny, cloudless day. About 100 people showed up for the second lift-off that occurred shortly before 9 a.m.

Richard Bergen, the Salina artist who did the sculpture, said he wasn’t dismayed when “Ad Astra” had to come down on Monday.

“This is just as exciting as the other day,” he said watching the statue soar in the air as a falcon flew by.

Gregg Lynch, project director for J.E. Dunn Construction, said he believed the second attempt was successful. “It’s up for good,” he said.