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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."
Make sure you deactivate the Excelsior's Trans-Warp Drive.
taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
There will finally be a place for *visitors* to land
and visit!
Does this mean that ET will not need government approval to set down at this space port?
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
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:)
is mojave a proper locale for a wretched hive of scum and villainy?
Great... now rappers won't be content with having their own armada of Escalades... the only question is: How does one attach 24s to a shuttle?
-- n
But when the aliens land there, how will Homeland Security be able to verify the required government issued ID?
Probably not a real issue; once aliens sample what passes for food in an Earth airport, err, I mean SPACEport the word will travel quickly and they will all stop coming.
"The bigger the lie, the more they believe." - Det. Bunk
Ahh, but once they do make it into space, they won't have to change all the signs/business cards/etc. Saves time and money!
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
So...what are the civilians going to DO in space?
;)
Unlike astronauts, they don't have to take scientific readings of everything.
Other than the wow-factor of, "I've been in outer space!", there really isn't a reason for the average civilian to go...It's not like they're going to visit relatives on Mars
...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."
The Mojave Airport is a really cool place... you drive by it and there's nothing but random planes, everything from jetliners to fighter jets. They're mostly an aircraft storage yard. Picture of their storage yard Link to their main site
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
Space is big. Space is dark. Now we have a place to park
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.
What about the Green River Intergalactic Spaceport in Wyoming?
That's a good location:
- Just over 1/2 mile up.
- Latitude 38 (not ideal but still good)
- Handy highways.
- Town and roads to the West, lots of nice empty desert to ditch in to the east (which is the direction you're headed if you want the earth's help getting to orbit).
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
And a close Sarlac pit.
No one ever saw this last scaled article;
Check it out!
White Knight, the carrier is N318SL.
SS1, the spacecraft is N328KF.
Note below that SS1 is a model 316 and WK is model 318.
(previously discussed, there is no model 317)
[begin FAA registry querry results]
N318SL is Assigned
Aircraft Description
Serial Number 001 Type Registration Corporation
Manufacturer Name SCALED COMPOSITES LLC Certificate Issue Date 07/05/2002
Model 318 Status Valid
Type Aircraft Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Type Engine Turbo-Jet
Pending Number Change None Dealer No
Date Change Authorized None Mode S Code 50663044
MFR Year 2002 Fractional Owner NO
Registered Owner
Name SCALED COMPOSITES LLC
Street 1624 FLIGHT LINE
City MOJAVE State CALIFORNIA Zip Code 93501-1663
County KERN
Country UNITED STATES
Airworthiness
Engine Manufacturer AMA/EXPR Classification Experimental
Engine Model UNKNOWN ENG Category Research and Development
A/W Date 07/01/2003
Other Owner Names
None
Temporary Certificate
Certificate Number T024366 Issue Date 07/05/2002 Expiration Date 08/04/2002
Fuel Modifications
None
N328KF is Assigned
Assigned/Registered Aircraft
Aircraft Description
Serial Number 001 Type Registration Corporation
Manufacturer Name SCALED COMPOSITES LLC Certificate Issue Date 03/20/2003
Model 316 Status Valid
Type Aircraft Glider Type Engine None
Pending Number Change None Dealer No
Date Change Authorized None Mode S Code 50706357
MFR Year 2003 Fractional Owner NO
Registered Owner
Name SCALED COMPOSITES LLC
Street 1624 FLIGHTLINE HANGAR 78
City MOJAVE State CALIFORNIA Zip Code 93501
County KERN
Country UNITED STATES
Airworthiness
Engine Manufacturer NONE Classification Experimental
Engine Model NONE Category Research and Development
A/W Date 12/09/2003
Other Owner Names
None
Temporary Certificate
None
Fuel Modifications
None
It remains to be seen whether Mojave will in fact get approved. Either way, Southwest Regional Spaceport near Las Cruces NM had already been announced by Ansari/X-Prize, as the spaceport site chosen for at least an annual X-Prize event, and expecting the X-Prize contenders who (win or lose) continue on and offer services to the public. Plus, according to the articles which may or may not be accurate, Mojave is being considered for horizontal launched craft. SRS is not being restricted to horizontal launch. My money says SRS will become a regular gathering place for the next step in rocketry, those growing out of amateur/hobbyist rocketry ($100 gets you a model that goes Mach 1 and a mile up) and those following hot on the jets of Ky "Rocketman" Michaelson and CSXT's recent first private rocket into space.
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
...from companies who want to manage the cantina?
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.
"A monkey dressed in silk is still a monkey."
:-P
Not to discourage people's efforts for commercial space ventures, but I think that quote is suitable in this case
... a mission to Mars could be bit pricy for a car owner.
Surface: dirt, in poor condition
ROUGH; DEBRIS FULL LENGTH OF RY; BROKEN BOTTLES & FIREWORKS DEBRIS.
Runway edge markings:
My amazing wife - Artist, Author, Philosopher - Laurie M
I think we can all agree that privatization is key for /affordable/ civilian spaceflight. However, I sincerely hope that those pursuing privately pursuing spaceflight settle for heavily regulated and subsidized government regulation (control) of "private spaceflight". /We/ will never reach maturity in spaceflight as long as government is involved. Government just waists too much money and is too sluggish and inefficient. Any sort of [government] planning of capital and resources going into private/civilian spaceflight will have a negative effect.
If government and NASA would stop with the Mars nonsense and the Impending Asteroid Impact bullcrap and completely privatize space, we'd be much further along --- technologically and financially.
Speckpot?
Both Scaled Composites and XCOR Aerospace (the two leading competitors in the X-Prize competition) currently fly out of Mojave Airport.
Scaled Composites is taking part in the X-Prize competition, but XCOR is not. They are developing their products to break into a market of suborbital payloads and microsatellites, as well as the passenger market (they are currently under contract with Space Adventures to provide the space travel experience to "adventure travelers" for $98,000 when the technology is ready). You can read more about their goals on their website.
The X-Prize website hosts a list of the teams competing for the X-Prize.
Nobody said it had to have departures before it could accept arrivals.
I better get moving on my patent for "A method for transferring alien tourists to Vegas".
paintball
Boom me up Scottie
No sign of intelligent life here
Can I go now?
There *isn't* a Starbucks near the Mojave Airport. At least there wasn't last time I was there. I think I will go open franchise now while land values are cheap!
Seriously though: Mojave and California City have some of the cheapest raw land per acre in SoCal. I wonder if this would create a land boom there long term. Or if, when it became a more mature industry, would spaceports move to the traditional (at least in SF) equatorial areas.
-- your Web browser is Ronald Reagan
The reason for that is that water makes a plentiful rocket fuel.
I already have a water powered rocket.
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
This is SOOOO obvious. You will be subjected to a 'wallet search'. The purpose of the wallet search is to 'lighten the load' to the point where it's light enough to actually lift into space. If the wallet search proves successful, then, the rest will be minor formalities. If the wallet search is unsuccessful, boarding will be denied on 'financial security' grounds.
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.
I agree. The problem with government spending on space exploration/commercial usage is its funding is fickle and politically charged. Unfortunately many governments for quite a while could not accept that they simply were not as well equipt as the private sector for this type of work, they were looking at sheer amounts of money available and not at the innovation that comes with having to do more with less. now dont get me wrong, NASA has done a fine job, often doing their best work under fiscal stress (see comment above about innovation). But extraterrestrial exploration on a large scale has to come from the private sector. With this private spaceport designated as such, more companies in the private sector will be able to more easily enter the arena. As the parent said, this is a start. Lets hope it ends as well. --Aaron
"goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
- Water has a higher drag than rubber-on-concrete, so you need more power to get up to speed to lift off, which lowers your max gross takeoff weight.
- Floats are generally bulky and cannot be retraced, so they cut into your fuel efficency in the air. The floats themselves are also heavier than the wheels they replace (and sometimes incorperate wheels), which lowers the amount of cargo you can carry
- Water can turn choppy at a moments notice, and choppy water is treacherous to land in.
- Land next to water is expensive, and your airport consists of more than runways. Your terminal, fuel shed, and hangers will be on expensive waterfront property
This only touched on a few points, but it should be obvious why most airports are not on the water. For small "puddle jumpers" seaplanes are the perfect solution, but for generalized travel they just aren't economical.I read the internet for the articles.
I don't consider duplicating something NASA achieved decades ago to be space exploration. I'm sure there is quite a market for launching Earth satellites and possibly space tourism, but as far as traveling to different planets and actually exploring space -- that's a money pit, and no commercial company likes to get into money pits.
I believe the parking is free at Mojave. I've been there a couple of times (by light plane, not by car). Mojave itself is a bit of a dump, but the airport's pretty good.
I went there to see the XCor unveiling (despite the article, XCor is not in the X-Prize competition). My writeup of the Xcor trip is here if you are interested.
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows