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First-Ever Private Spaceport Nears Final Approval
bobhagopian writes "According to the article on Space.com, the Federal Aviation Administration is nearing the final stages of certifying the Mojave Airport as the first-ever private spaceport. Both Scaled Composites and XCOR Aerospace (the two leading competitors in the X-Prize competition) currently fly out of Mojave Airport. The approval of a commercial spaceport will certainly facilitate the creation of even more private-sector space technologies."
...are the actual space ships. I'm definitely looking forward to many of the X-Prize contenders, but so far they're only building simple rockets to go up and down. It's a great in-between stage, but I'm looking forward to the day when orbital rockets will be built.
The one caveat to that is that a manned orbital rocket would probably be launched from the ocean rather than land. The reason for that is that water makes a plentiful rocket fuel. Tote along a reactor (nuclear is preferable, but diesel will do), convert sea water to LHOx, and launch your rocket. (This was the premise behind the Sea Dragon craft.) While a nuclear generator would probably be out of the range of a private company, using a diesel and/or solar reactor to make the fuel could cut the costs of the launch considerably.
Oh, and it's environmentally friendly.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
That is a neat thing, to have an actual "official" spaceport, but it will be even more exciting when the FAA designates a "public" spaceport! But I am looking forward to spacecraft with "RyanAir" markings setting down at our local municipal air... ahem SPACEport!
"The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance."
Was there any real reason for non-explorers to visit North America back in the 1400-1500s?
I mean, aside from the wow-factor of, "I've been to the New World!", there wasn't really a reason for the average civilian to go. It's not like they're going to visit relatives or anything.
So does this mean that they'll change all the signs to the Mojave Airport to the Mojave Spaceport? That would be really cool and I bet those signs 'll disappear every week or so:)
Modes proposal for keeping the signs up:
Make up extras. Sell them at the spaceport office (profits to help fund the spaceport or space exploration in general).
Print notice on the back of the ones on the road that reasonably-priced souvenirs are available at the office or by mail-order at (x) for ($y) and how big the fine is for stealing THIS one. B-)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Dude..... Zero-g sex...... nuff said....
But seriously, there's plenty to do, assuming that you've got a cheap way to get stuff up there. Part of the reason why com sats, mapping sats, etc. are so expensive is because they need to be incredibly lightweight to economize on launch costs. Remember, a cellular phone satelite doesn't have people complaining about it being in their back yard.
Gentoo Sucks
Think of it as a sign of confidence and commitment. It means even the government is beginning to realize that the private sector has a better chance of making space exploration a going concern. Sort of an approving nod. Official recognition is usually a good thing. With all the red tape involved, making the efort main stream is absolutely necessary. This is a start.
Tourists will do all kinds of things. Favorite activities will be looking out of the window, all kinds of strange zero gravity sports, and of course zero-gravity sex.
And who says that civilians can not do science in space? There is a lot of science that has not yet been done by NASA, so you can expect many of the initial customers to be from universities and private research labs.
Private property is the central institution of a free society (David Friedman)
I don't think civilians will go to space merely for the wow factor. I mean, space tourism will have a small niche, but I don't see it getting big just yet. However, getting civilian companies into the business of launching satellites, hiring private astronauts, and other such things seems (to me, anyway) the future of the business. We need to stop relying on NASA and the Europeans to launch our satellites. We all know that governments are ridiculously bad at spending more than need be. Civilians companies are much, much better at it (though not perfect). And that's the whole idea, right? To lower the cost of getting into space? NASA and government-backed space agencies don't have the same impetus to lower costs and raise productivity.
What is your penile percentile?
Maybe YOU don't have relatives on Mars...
Why do people go to Florida in the summer? It's hot, humid and full of bugs. Yet, people from around the world go to Disney just because they've never been there. I think the X-prize winners will find enough people to make a buck.
Sure.. even if they weren't "explorers", i'm sure many of the people who came over here were after other things, like potantially acquiring vast ammounts of wealth, or possibly just to escape from their otherwise oppressive homeland.
Just two reasons off the top of my head.. im sure you can think of others if you really try.
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A fair majority of scientists and researchers are civilians. I'm sure they'd be lining up to get out of the atmosphere and run their experiments. Plus, privatizing space travel keeps it from becoming a government "monopoly". In other words, if we don't think the government is making effective use of its space travel ability, then (with enough funding) we can do it ourselves.
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"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
-- George Orwell
The reason there was a mass influx unto the New World is because there was money in it. And that is the same way you'll see an influx into space from the private sector : once there is money in it. And yes, I know 15 quadrrillion dollars worth of minerals on each asteroid, the moon is a giant lump of He-3, and we can beam down solar energy from microwave stations.
Make the harvesting of asteroids feasible and profitable. Find a present-day use for He-3, and then find a way to collect it that is feasible and profitable. Make the microwave-beaming-thing feasible and profitable, too. Then you will see people enter space.
There is a reason for everything. Sometimes that reason just sucks.
So...what are the civilians going to DO in space?
Good question. I'll let you know in 20 years.
50 years ago, you might well have asked why someone would want a computer in their home. I doubt anyone could have given you a particularly good answer to that one at the time. So, I think the answer is that we don't know. Hopefully something fantastic. Of course, it also quite possible that the whole thing becomes a huge waste white elephant.
Err, there's already one out there in Oklahoma, called, funnily enough;
SpacePort, Oklahoma.
Google it up, there's alot of good info about it, and makes a pretty good site too. Just enough out the way.
Waiting for an amusing sig.
Or the ever popular "If I was still in the old-land I would have been put in jail/put to death" argument. A number of people came here to avoid prosecution.
I kinda wanted to mod you down, but since you asked nicely, I'll just reply. Scaled Composites (Burt Rutan's company) seems to believe in it enough to invest a lot into creating a sub-orbial spacecraft. In case you don't know: Scaled Composites is the company most likely to win the X Prize, and I think they've invested a lot more than the $10m prize money. Some of the other X Prize contenders seem to have the same faith in a profitable market.
karma capped
I would hope that it would take on more the flavor of the old time passenger cruise lines of the late 19th & early 20th Centuries. Still, once space travel starts to really emerge, it is going to be a very capital intensive business. Almost all of the capital that Wall Street & other exchanges can dig up is going to help fuel this next economic expansion.
I predict that over the next 15-25 years you will see Wall Street (especially once the X-Prize has been won) get into space in a major way. You will see the whole dot Bomb thing happen all over again, unfortunately, with fly-by-night companies that do little but promise the Moon (this time in a more litteral fashion). Some companies are going to emerge and become very successful, but many others are going to take a whole lot of money from people and throw it down the drain.
If the X-Prize team list is an indication with over 26 different teams listed, once it has been proven to be a practical business you will see many others jump into the business. Companies like Boeing, Airbus, and Thiokol (all companies you seemed to miss) are more than likely going to come in and join the party as well. They all have some sort of rocketry/avaition experience, deep pockets, and an aire of respectability when they start producing spacecraft.
In this regard it would be more like the P.C. industry, where it started in a bunch of garages and small industrial parks, where several millionaires arose from relatively modest beginnings. In this case we have a few "modest" millionaires who are perhaps going to turn this into billions.
being in a backwards hicktown that is probably 40 or 50 years behind the rest of the world, I still get asked why on earth I need a computer for, and what possible use anyone could have for a computer in their home. The internet, and by extention computers, to most of the world, is just a place with a bunch of bad people, pornography(what is pornography? information that they don't agree with?), pedophiles(ie anyone in any chat rooms) and really nothing more interesting than television on it(if porn isn't your thing).
On a related note, there are still people here that honestly beleive the earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way around...and not whacko's either, just average, run-of-the mill people who are trying to make it through this life. Before space exploration becomes something the common person can get involved in, we need to get the common person able to read, write, and understand that they live on a planet that can be left in persuit of other planets. Before that happens I don't see very impressive progress.
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