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Space Tourism from UAE

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the keep-em-comin dept.

RAK writes "The only company to have sent tourists into space, Space Adventures, has announced plans to develop a commercial spaceport in the UAE, from where it will operate suborbital flights. The project will cost $265 million. The Russian-built suborbital vehicle called Explorer will have the capacity to transport up to five people to an altitude of nearly 100km in space, but the project's schedule is yet to be announced."

154 comments

  1. Yes, but... by isecore · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    ... will it run Linux?

    --
    I enjoy large posteriors and I cannot prevaricate.
  2. FYI by wilburdg · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those of you slightly lacking in geography, UAE stands for the United Arab Emirates, a country located on the Arabian Peninsula just east of Saudi Arabia.

    1. Re:FYI by DeadPrez · · Score: 3, Informative

      And just so happens to be the only country to use more energy and cause more environmental damage per capita than the good ole US of A.

    2. Re:FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FYI: Those lacking in geography who want to know what UAE stands for will most probably look it up. The rest don't care.

    3. Re:FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      stats
      ecological footprint

    4. Re:FYI by Professor_UNIX · · Score: 1
      For those of you slightly lacking in geography, UAE stands for the United Arab Emirates, a country located on the Arabian Peninsula just east of Saudi Arabia.

      I didn't know Ric Romero was a Slashdot reader.

    5. Re:FYI by Firehed · · Score: 1

      Good. I was worried at first that it actually read UAC - dealing with Doom3 the first time around was bad enough!

      --
      How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
    6. Re:FYI by riderofrohan20 · · Score: 1

      And the only country in the world to have a six star hotel. ....

    7. Re:FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      This idiotic shit is "5 Informative?"

      Slashdot is full of socialist imbeciles. Fuck off and die already. Left is so 20th Century.

    8. Re:FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and don't forget the robot camel jockeys!

      http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7705

    9. Re:FYI by slashdotnickname · · Score: 1

      For those of you slightly lacking in geography, UAE stands for the United Arab Emirates

      Educating others by way of Wikipedia link is the definition of laziness.

      A far more informative (and better researched) link is this.

    10. Re:FYI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Simple reason:
      The official census and thus captia does not include non-nationals (temporary workers), while the US includes not only temporary workers but also illegal immigrants (not that the census checks a persons visa). The nationals make us a mere 12% of the population and temporary workers make up the rest, illegal immigration, while it exists, is delt with via mass deportations. Nationally cannot be conferred by any process other than birth to a national father. E.G. I was born there but will never be a national.

      This keeps their percapita income and other such stats artifically high. They have a penchant for being number 1. Note the 6 star hotel, the world future tallest building, the biggest construction on artifical islands, I think the worlds biggest wedding cake (I had some, it was nice), and a ton of other record attempts.

      With 8 1/3 times the reported population contributing to national production and energy use it's not hard to be the highest percapita user (desalination and aluminum refining are a combined effort and it's very very energy intensive, hence everone using water is using energy (the cold water flows quite hot due to the ambient temprature, midday, you might burn yourself showering)) considering these differences in calculating the stats I heartily conferr back status of most wasteful nation to the U.S. As a side note, #3 Kuwait, might do just about the same thing as the UAE, They're analagous nations right down to the flag.

      -Daniel

    11. Re:FYI by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      Actually, many of the smaller oil producing countries are exactly as you describe.

    12. Re:FYI by Stephen+Maturin · · Score: 1

      The Burj-al-Arab is a 7 Star, methinks...

      --
      Non tam praeclarum est scire Latine, quam turpe nescire
      -- Cicero
    13. Re:FYI by riderofrohan20 · · Score: 1

      They also have a fleet of Rolls-Royces... I mean damn.

    14. Re:FYI by Bombula · · Score: 1, Insightful
      And just so happens to be the only country to use more energy and cause more environmental damage per capita than the good ole US of A.

      I suppose it's no coincidence that the UAE also just so happens to have one of the few economies in the world that is soundly spanking the US's ass, again on a per-capita basis. And it's not all oil, though their labor practices are nothing to be proud of.

      --
      A-Bomb
    15. Re:FYI by bonglord · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I remember when I lived there a while ago we used to use the cold water tank for hot water, and the hot water tank for cold water. The cold tank was in the back garden and would get super hot during the summer, the hot tank was inside with the air conditioning. Happy Days.

      --
      2 + 2 = 5
    16. Re:FYI by Bombula · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      Mod my comment as troll if you like, it doesn't make it any less true.

      Wipe your nose junior, these are the big leagues.

      --
      A-Bomb
    17. Re:FYI by Destoo · · Score: 1

      Pretty funny in french.. Emirats Arabes Unis.. EAU.. or the french word for "Water".

      --
      Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
  3. Let's have some fun ... by neonprimetime · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Hey ... once we get up there and land, does anybody want to go WAR driving with me?

  4. Potential Weapon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The UAE spaceport, planned to be located less than an hour drive from Dubai, already has commitments for $30 million (USD)."

    I don't know how the American Military is going to feel about a potential space borne weapon being located in the Middle East, even without explosives the kinetic energy from 100km is more than enough to cause a lot of damage in a populated area.

    1. Re:Potential Weapon? by csirac · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't know how the American Military is going to feel about a potential space borne weapon being located in the Middle East, even without explosives the kinetic energy from 100km is more than enough to cause a lot of damage in a populated area.

      It may interest you to know that the UAE is quite friendly towards western nations, and still has the respect of more hostile middle eastern countries.

      I know that Australia has significant diplomatic and strategic interests there (as long as the UAE wants them around), I'm pretty sure the USA already does as well.

    2. Re:Potential Weapon? by tempestdata · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The largest number of 'westerners' in the UAE are from Britain. Americans come second.

      I was brought up in the UAE actually, and people who havne't been there think 'middle east' and go 'OMG! TERr0r1s+!"

      Actually, Dubai is often referred to as the Hong Kong of the middle east. Very liberal, very modern, very rich, and quite tolerant.

      --
      - Tempestdata
    3. Re:Potential Weapon? by TACNailed · · Score: 1

      Nevertheless, having competition in a foreign country may lead to financing for domestic initiatives from the US government. Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate.

    4. Re:Potential Weapon? by aristotle-dude · · Score: 0
      Actually, Dubai is often referred to as the Hong Kong of the middle east. Very liberal, very modern, very rich, and quite tolerant.

      Ironically, it is more tolerant towards Christians and the celebration of traditional Christmas than some western nations which were founded by Christians. The political correctness in the west has gone too far in my opinion.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    5. Re:Potential Weapon? by tempestdata · · Score: 2, Interesting

      True.

      Sheikh Rashid .. (The current Kings grand father) was known to have once stood up for the Hindus, who have a temple in a region of the city called Bur Dubai. The residents living near the temple started complaining about the sound of the bells from the temple and asked the king to have it moved or demolished.

      The King, shook his head and said "If the bells bother you so much, you are free to move elsewhere".

      This is especially significant because, Hinduism, unlike christianity is Idol worship. And Islam is strongly against Idol worship...

      I dont think there is another hindu temple anywhere else in the Middle east. There is a strong fundamentalist movement in dubai as well, but there is a deep multicultural base to the city, and moderation is strongly enforced. While going to school there, I had friends who were Muslims, christians, hindus, and sikhs as class mates and friends. No one was targetted for their religion in anyway and it wasn't even considered an issue. There were students of many nationalities.. Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Arabs, Iranians, Britons, Lebanese, Egyptians, Chinese, Filipino, Sudanese, Tanzanian, Sri Lankan .

      In fact, I think Dubai has a greater cultural and religious mix than the US. The native Arabs make up only a fraction of the population.

      --
      - Tempestdata
    6. Re:Potential Weapon? by digitalinfinity · · Score: 1

      Incorrect- Muscat alone has two Hindu temples [http://www.indemb-oman.org/indo_oman_community.sh tml%5D. And there are numerous "unofficial" temples in the various labour camps of construction companies. From what I've heard though, the cosmopolitan nature of dubai is not unique to it in the region- Muscat has it, albeit on a much smaller scale, and from what my friends in the region say, Kuwait, Doha and Manama aren't too different.

    7. Re:Potential Weapon? by GamerCowboy · · Score: 1

      The UAE spaceport, planned to be located less than an hour drive from Dubai, already has commitments for $30 million (USD).

      I am proud to announce Ras Al-Khaimah as the site...

      The only way you could make it to RAK from Dubai in under an hour is if you strapped a rocket to your car. Then again, the way people drive over here...
      --
      void
    8. Re:Potential Weapon? by Dr.+Cody · · Score: 1

      The Italians were the first to sell automobiles to the Gulf, in an effort to make themselves look better.

    9. Re:Potential Weapon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The only way you could make it to RAK from Dubai in under an hour is if you strapped a rocket to your car.

      They completed the Emirates Road extension to RAK about a year ago, so you no longer have to go up the coast through the Sharjah - Umm al Qaiwain mess. It's only 100km or so; easily doable in an hour or less.

  5. Just one question... by mikael · · Score: 1, Funny

    ... do I get a window seat?

    --
    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  6. Mos Dubai Spaceport... by thewise1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany.

  7. Ah yes... by NightWulf · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Let's give Arab nations the capabilities to use a type of "plane" with the capability of "hitting" anywhere on the globe at high end speeds. Yeah this is gonna work out well.

    1. Re:Ah yes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're a dickhead.

      which country, more than any other in modern times, has used their war machine to remotely attack other countries? The USA.

    2. Re:Ah yes... by MrDoh1 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Couldn't resist the troll for those who may not know. The UAE is not your typical "Arab nation". In fact, they are quite a bit more friendly with us than many other nations, Islamic, Arabic or not. Here is the State Department's take on the UAE. Actually some pretty interesting information to be had.

      --
      I am Homer of Borg. Resistance is Fut.. Mmmmmmmm, Donuts!
    3. Re:Ah yes... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but you're wrong. The US has never "remotely attacked other countries", all opperations involved personnel on the ground. If you're talking about total number of wars, I'm not sure what the answer is, but it's deffinitely not the US. Russia/USSR makes a good showing. Here's a (incomplete) list:

      Latvian Partisan War 1944-49
      Lithuanian Partisan War 1944-52
      Kurdish Mahabad Republic 1945-46
      Berlin Blockade 1948-9
      East German Uprising 1953
      Hungarian Revolt 1956
      Stanleyville Secession: Congo 1960-1
      Berlin Wall Crisis 1961
      Prague Spring 1968
      Sino-Soviet Border Clash 1969
      Lithuanian Students Revolt 1972
      Soviet Occupation: Afghanistan 1979-88
      Shooting Down of KAL007: 1983
      Osh Riots: Kyrgyzstan 1990
      South Ossetian Rebellion 1990-92
      Soviet Intervention: Latvia 1991
      Moldovan Civil War 1991-92
      Georgian Civil War 1991
      Abkhazian Rebellion 1992-93
      Tajikistani Civil War 1992-4
      Georgian Civil War 1993-94
      Russian Communist Revolt 1993
      Chechen Revolt: Russia 1994-6

      But the initial poster WAS a doofus. The UAE is an ally, and space-shuttles are rather expensive things to be lobbing at appartment buildings.

    4. Re:Ah yes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't Germany start the last 2 really big 'world-wide' wars?

      The US' biggest war, in terms of it's own casualties and length of hostilities, was it's own Civil War.
      Over 600,000 dead in 6 years of fighting.

    5. Re:Ah yes... by ghoul · · Score: 0, Troll

      Hey Doofus

      Except for Congo all of the above mentioned are within USSR's borders , on its borders or in Warsaw pact countries where USSR had a legal obligation to maintain the law. Never mind what your CIA brainwashed mind thinks but the Russians dont go play in other people's backyard. I am tired of the stupid people comparing Vietnam and Afghanistan. Vietnam is 5000 miles from the US. Afghanistan was on USSR's border. The Russian's going into Afghanistan was no different than the Israeli's going into Lebanon. Th American's going into Afghanistan is more on par with Osama's Hello to New York

      --
      **Life is too short to be serious**
    6. Re:Ah yes... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Well that's easy then. By your logic, the US can start slaughtering people in, say, Ohio and Kentucky, just for kicks. Followed by invading Canada and Mexico because they're neighboring countries, AND Canada is a NATO member, therefore the US has the "legal obligation to maintain the law" within it's borders, right? The USSR had no right even to prevent members states of its own union from seceding (and was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so), let alone to interfere within the borders of neighboring states. Only a true lunatic could declare that it's ok to invade bordering nations, but not ones half the world away. By your logic, Germany did nothing wrong when it attacked its neighbors in the 1930's, and the US and Canada were the aggressors in WW2 because they had to cross an ocean to join in the fight. In short, you're a whack job. Sit down before you fall down.

    7. Re:Ah yes... by ghoul · · Score: 1

      Oh and the US did not massacre the Apaches and the Comanches inside its own border and btw the US has invaded both Canada and Mexico . Go read your history. None of the so called Eastern European revolutions were natural ones . They were all instigated with external CIA funds. In any society you can find enough deadbeats and disaffected people . If you have a competitor nation willing to throw enough money at them all kinds of seccesionist and DAWN movements will break out. And BTW why does the US maintain an embargo on Cuba which is strangling the poor nation? It is all very well to say communism doesnt work when you economically strangle the communist countries. Th fact of the matter is at the end of WW2 the US had a strong economy as the US had not really fought in WW2 just supplied materials while the USSR was pretty much devastated with most of their young men dead. From that position the fact that the USSR was able to go toe to toe with the US a country with a much larger population and hence an economy just shows that communism is much more efficient than capitalism. The only thing you get in capitalism than in communism is the obscene rich. People mentally are still serfs and they need to see a supra rich class of society if only to dream that they may become like that some day (even if they have no chance of actually breaking into the old boy's club) This is something they dont get in communism hence eventually all communist systems fail. What it comes down to is Communism assumes peole are basically good and want the best for their comrades. Capitalism assumes people are selfish greedy and will screw over whoever they can for a quick buck. Unfortunately for human society capitalism is a better representation of human nature. One day when humanity has matured from its animal instincts we might actually get a proper communist system running. Till then people will continue to ruin their lives running the rat race of capitalism. Tell me do you actually believe a CEO does 500000 times more work than a janitor in a day? If not how do you justify a CEO getting paid 10 million a year and a Janitor 20000 a year. Capitalism is not a fair system. It gives a disproportionate amount of society's goods to those at the top. As a result a capitalist society has to keep those at the bottom constantly distracted. So sometimes its the Nazis, then its the Reds, then its Red China, then its Islamic fundamentalist with sideshows on abortion,gay marriage and a whole lot of irrelevant issues while noone pays attention to the fact that why does the top 1% of the American population own 90% of America's wealth? Even the Roman empire at the height of its decadence had not managed such a concentration of wealth in the hands of such a few. America today is a society of the deal maker and the contacts. It doesnt matter how good you are or how hard working you are- its all about who you know or who you can convince to back you. The only way open for someone to rise up is to become a part of the system which keeps propagating the riches of a few. Brilliant but poor young people do this by becoming lawyers and managers for the entrenched rich. Meanwhile an illusion of Democracy is maitained while everybody knows noone who is not already a millionaire can be elected US President anymore. At the same time wars are started to protect this wealth. The cost of the war is paid in blood by the poor and in taxes by the fast dissapearing middle class but the benefits are reaped by the rich. Further the life of the middle class is limited. The Middle Class was created as an example to those in the Communist countries as to how the working man could lead a high standard of living. It was very successfull as the communist societies brokedown as everyone talented wanted to emigrate to the US and become a part of the middle class but now that there are no more true communist countires left (China is the ultimate example of crony capitalism) the middle class is no longer needed and is being squeezed out of existence. You can push the revolution only so many

      --
      **Life is too short to be serious**
    8. Re:Ah yes... by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      :D

      I only wish I could mod your post "funny".

      Good day sir.

  8. Whew by PIPBoy3000 · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's a good thing they picked such a quiet part of the world. I suppose it's so they can ditch over Iran, which is right across the Gulf, well within missle range.

    1. Re:Whew by tempestdata · · Score: 1

      Dubai isn't a quiet part of the world by ANY standard.

      --
      - Tempestdata
  9. Am I the only person... by niteice · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that read it as "UAC"?

    --
    ROMANES EUNT DOMUS
    1. Re:Am I the only person... by freeweed · · Score: 1

      On Slashdot?

      I feel confidant in answering "yes".

      --
      Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
    2. Re:Am I the only person... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha, I read it as UAC too and all sorts of wierd thoughts ran through my mind! (UAC is real? Why didn't they sue ID? Is it because they truly did release the hordes of hell? Are there really blue key cards? What about Red? And Green?! Who brought the chainsaws to Phobos in the first place? When will the BFG series be made commercially available? It would be excellent for mining!

    3. Re:Am I the only person... by repvik · · Score: 1

      No, I was about to google and check when you cleared it up :-)

      For all of you in the dark, Phobos is a hint ;-)

    4. Re:Am I the only person... by Shadowlore · · Score: 1

      ...that read it as "UAC"?
      yes.

      --
      My Suburban burns less gasoline than your Prius.
  10. Article from earlier today by FleaPlus · · Score: 4, Informative

    It should be noted that this is basicaly the same story as the article earlier today on "Space Race 2.0 has Begun". It's an interesting story, though, and I don't mind seeing another link on it.

    Also, for anybody ogling at the $265 million price for the spaceport, this is also about how much an airport might cost. It should also be noted that the UAE is a country where people are spending $1.8 billion on a chain of artificial islands arranged to look like a map of the world.

    1. Re:Article from earlier today by killjoe · · Score: 1

      All those islands will be sold to rich americans who need their own country to what ever the fuck they want. Michael Jackson is an early buyer. Nobody over there will hassle him about having kids sleep in his bed. You can bet your ass no movie/rock star will be hassled about having drugs or underage lovers or anything else either.

      Give the elite what they want!.

      --
      evil is as evil does
  11. attraction. by wall0159 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I wonder what the particular attraction of building it there is?

    Probably 3 main things,
    - Cheap fuel
    - Wealthy elite prepared to pay
    - Cheap labour, with little workers' protection (safe working conditions, etc - this is an assumption on my part)

    1. Re:attraction. by thewise1 · · Score: 5, Informative

      As a matter of fact, they are a very worker-hostile country. Labor abuse is a serious problem there, as apparently in order to obtain an exit visa from many of these middle-eastern countries, you need sponsorship from your employer, amounting to an almost forced labor situation in many cases. (reference: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2003/09/19/uae6388.htm ) Many times passports are confiscated, resulting in the inability to leave or in some cases even report this abuse. I've also read another article not too long ago that I can't find now, explaining that many companies import cheap labor from outside the country promising excellent wages and opportunities, but then either cutting the workers pay immediately after they were there, amounting to a situation that many if not most of them can't afford to get out of. They have to work to survive, and never are given enough to get out of the hole and leave. Spaceports are cool and all, but I don't think I'd want to go there to help build one!

    2. Re:attraction. by mboverload · · Score: 1
      > Probably 3 main things,
      > - Cheap fuel
      > - Wealthy elite prepared to pay
      > - Cheap labour, with little workers' protection

      I didn't know space ships ran on gasoline. Silly me.

    3. Re:attraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And rich rifs who think a spaceship makes a dandy cover for an ICMB program.

    4. Re:attraction. by wall0159 · · Score: 2, Informative

      good point. Spaceships mostly run on hydrogen. Where's that mined again?

      oops. We _can't_ mine it. Hmmm... maybe we have to _make_ it. I wonder how we'd do that? Maybe.. just maybe.. we'd need some other fuel source...

      Cheap fuel == Cheap energy. I don't think you'd be arguing that spaceships don't need energy, right kiddo?

      Piss-taking aside, some spacecraft actually _do_ use types of hydrocarbon-based fuel. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipropellant_rocket for more info.

    5. Re:attraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      As a matter of fact, they are a very worker-hostile country. Labor abuse is a serious problem there, as apparently in order to obtain an exit visa from many of these middle-eastern countries, you need sponsorship from your employer, amounting to an almost forced labor situation in many cases.

      I have worked in UAE as well as in USA. The conditions that you describe above regarding UAE are very similar/almost identical to the fate of H1B type workers and other migrant workers (eg. workers from Mexico) in USA. This is nothing specific to UAE - similar abuse of workers exists all over the world where there is large scale dependency on migrant workers.

    6. Re:attraction. by thewise1 · · Score: 1

      This may be true, I'm honestly not sure, but I certainly have never seen a human rights watch organization discussing how bad Indian workers have it at Microsoft... and they seemed pretty happy to me when I worked there. (Don't crucify me :p) I also realize that's a specific, not a general observation, so I may be wrong :)

    7. Re:attraction. by Andrew+Tanenbaum · · Score: 1

      Not even close - the worst that could happen to H1Bs is that they get deported back to their shithole countries - the US wouldn't deny them exit.

    8. Re:attraction. by AaronLawrence · · Score: 1

      Spaceships mostly run on hydrogen

      I thought most spaceships run on kerosene and (liquid) oxygen. Unless "space shuttle main engines" are most spaceships.

      --
      For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
    9. Re:attraction. by Dolphinzilla · · Score: 1

      The workers are usually housed in company towns, and end up paying a lot of the money they earn back to the company for food, lodging, etc. We accidently got off of the highway near one and it was a very depressing looking place (they are built far from the areas where the Emirates live) But UAE has no problem getting people to come to their country despite that, may are coming from FAR worse situations. UAE is actually a very beautiful country with very nice people and while I don't think I would go for a very long term assignment there it is very much worth seeing and experiencing.

    10. Re:attraction. by tempestdata · · Score: 1

      The reason they are so worker hostile is because the country is saturated with hordes of cheap workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Phillipines and Sri Lanka. Dubai's citizen work force does not have to compete with these hordes since they get white collar jobs. As a result, these cheap low-skill workers are given temporary entry into the country to work. Infact, many of these low-skill workers are known to have paid as much as $1500 for the opportunity to come to dubai and work in those labor camps that you describe.

      The white collar workers in dubai do not live in such a way. Having said that, the UAE offers no citizenship to its expatriate workers. As a result, the highly skilled expatriates in that country are leaving it for the west in droves

      --
      - Tempestdata
    11. Re:attraction. by saifatlast · · Score: 1

      I have a couple more: UAE is used to audacious projects (the palm islands) and probably wants to have\maintain the image of the world's playground. It's near the equator, that'll help launch costs a bit. It seems like land would be fairly cheap (guessing here)

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't regist
    12. Re:attraction. by rrohbeck · · Score: 1

      Go watch "Syriana". The country it plays in is either Saudi Arabia or the UAE.

      --
      thegodmovie.com - watch it
    13. Re:attraction. by Bombula · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I live in the region (Oman, actually, which is much nicer than UAE), and while much of what you say about Dubai is correct, there are some finer points to be aware of that - at least in my opinion - make things even worse.

      First, the labor problems apply only to unskilled expatriates from other countries who fail to uphold human rights as they apply to laborers: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand are the primary culprits. Western expats, by contrast, can usually get assistance from their embassy or consolate if something goes seriously sour.

      Second, the reason why things go sour is that many employers keep their employee's passports. Westerners can and usually do refuse to cooperate with this, especially Americans (for whom it is illegal to relinquish property of the US government to any foreign interest, as I understand it). Once your passport is in someone else's hands, you're pretty much stuck. I have a Swedish friend who got caught in a nasty bait-and-switch deal after giving over his passport, and who got next to no help from his consolate in the Emirates - he eventually had to be 'smuggled' out of UAE to Oman in order to take legal action to resolve things.

      Third, it is very important to understand that 80% of the population of the UAE is expatriate. UAE citizens generally do not work. They are essentially absentee capitalists - owners of property and co-owners (known as 'sponsors') of foreign-owned businesses operating locally. Their guilt lies largely in their complicity with what is almost invariably Indian or Pakistani management in their companies. And Indian and Pakistani middle and upper management is, to a greater or lesser degree, controlled by the Indian and Pakistani mafias. The same 'system' is true for Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Iranian, Filippino, and other companies, but they are very much in the minority.

      So it is important to realize that it is the mafia rackets who organize on the home country side to sucker these victimized laborers into going to UAE to work, and then trap them once they are there.

      There are two underlying problems: the UAE government tolerates this crap, and the home countries do nothing to hold their citizens and/or businesses accountable overseas (No surrise on the second point, just think 'Nike', 'child labor', and 'sweatshops'). Often this is because the same rackets control their own corrupt governments as well.

      International pressure has been quite successful in bringing the UAE in line. They have recently come under serious fire for labor conditions, and they have responded quickly in many instances with legislation and brutal penalities on companies in violation.

      My recommendation is that if you are willing, help make a fuss and keep stories in the news ad public consciousness, because UAE is one of the few countries that actually responds to activism, protests, and international pressure. For example, in response to international outrage at the the abhorent practice of using children (usually foreign, some as young as 3 years old) as camel jockeys, the UAE responded by immediately banning the practice and requiring - no joke - robotic jockeys to be used instead. Check BBC for the story.

      --
      A-Bomb
    14. Re:attraction. by DarkR34per · · Score: 1

      UAE is a definitly a great country to experience... it is amazing how many skyscrapers they have in the middle of the desert. Anyways, Syriana was in Dubai, the main attraction of the Emirates

    15. Re:attraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder what the particular attraction of building it there is?

      Probably 3 main things,
      - Cheap fuel
      - Wealthy elite prepared to pay
      - Cheap labour, with little workers' protection (safe working conditions, etc - this is an assumption on my part)

      So, essentially the same attractions as in U.S. except that fuel might be even cheaper than in Houston?

    16. Re:attraction. by IdleTime · · Score: 1

      Not true. When the H1-B expires, you do not get "deported" but you get 90 days to leave the country. If, after those 90 days, you are apprehended inside USA, you MAY be deported, depending on what country you come from.

      But rather than deport H1-B workers, who mostly have education and knowledge, I'd like to see a program for deporting people like you.

      --
      If you mod me down, I *will* introduce you to my sister!
    17. Re:attraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is true for most middle eastern countries. If you go there on a work visa, especially if you are from a 3rd world country providing cheap labour, they take your passport upon entry, and its slave labour from then on. Who makes big money are the middle man that brings people from poor countries to work in the middle east. Still, for many people from poor countries, it gives them a way to earn a wage better than thie home countries, but if you look at from a human point of view, its mans cruelty to fellow man. Its every hard to leave since you dont have your passport with you. Sometimes women from poor countries are badly abused and even raped. I have read many newspapaper articles and have met people that worked in the middle east confirmed this while I was in Asia.

    18. Re:attraction. by GamerCowboy · · Score: 1

      The Persian Gulf scenes in the movie were filmed in Dubai. The landmarks that would be easiest to recognize were the Trade Center, Shangri-La Hotel and much of Sheikh Zayed Road.

      --
      void
    19. Re:attraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have many friends that work as H1Bs and their situation is nothing like the situation of some of my friends that have worked in the middle eastern countries. In the middle east there is blatant human rights abuse, including rape of the women from countries like Bangladesh and India. I have read many reports of hardships people from poor countries have gone thru at the hands of their employers in the middle east. Yes, f an H1B worker overstays, he can be arrested, but that is for the violating of a different offense, just as any tourist who overstays and tries to stay illegally can be arrested. You cant compare H1B to a labourer in the middle east, the two situation are like heaven and hell.

    20. Re:attraction. by contrapunctus · · Score: 1

      It's almost like you're describing a feudal system.

    21. Re:attraction. by AlterTick · · Score: 1
      I didn't know space ships ran on gasoline. Silly me.

      Silly you seems to be ignorant of the fact that gasoline is but one of the many products obtained from petroleum. The first stage of the Saturn V launch system was actually fueled by kerosene. Most modern rockets use liquid hydrogen, though; and while it could be argued that hydrogen is not a direct petroleum product per se, 78% of the hydrogen produced today is cracked from natural gas or oil. So yes, availability of cheap fuel.

      All these details I learned in 5 minutes just by reading the entries for "rocket fuel" and "hydrogen economy" in wikipedia. The internet can make you sound smarter, but only if you use it.

      --
      Conclusion: the Empire squashes the Federation like a bug. Accept it.
    22. Re:attraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Second, the reason why things go sour is that many employers keep their employee's passports. Westerners can and usually do refuse to cooperate with this, especially Americans (for whom it is illegal to relinquish property of the US government to any foreign interest, as I understand it).

      Not true. While the passport is the property of the US government (as is the case in most countries), in order to get a visa for many countries you hand over the passport with the application and you get it back in a week or two. In many countries the law requires that you must hand over the passport at hotel check in. If you don't get it back the US gov't might get involved to recover their propery, but I doubt it (unless you're a congressman).

      I have a Swedish friend who got caught in a nasty bait-and-switch deal after giving over his passport, and who got next to no help from his consolate in the Emirates - he eventually had to be 'smuggled' out of UAE to Oman in order to take legal action to resolve things.

      Why didn't he just report the passport as lost/stolen and get a replacement?

  12. This will certainly give the amiga emulator by torjoerund · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    a bigger following ...

  13. Michael Jackson Sightings by Fool2 · · Score: 1

    This must have something to do with Michael Jackson spending a lot of time in the Gulf... http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=entertai nment&id=3819248 Coincidence? I think not.

    1. Re:Michael Jackson Sightings by mboverload · · Score: 1

      Actually, MJ is completely broke. He now rides in regular planes. /Not kidding //AC because Offtopic is scary.

    2. Re:Michael Jackson Sightings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doh, forgot to post in AC. Please don't hurt me.

    3. Re:Michael Jackson Sightings by MichaelSmith · · Score: 2, Funny
      Actually, MJ is completely broke

      Forget suborbital flights. I would be willing to help pay to boost him to escape velocity.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    4. Re:Michael Jackson Sightings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Michael Jackson Sightings"? That makes it sound like he's on par with Elvis and Bigfoot.

      Weirdness.

  14. What's so great aobut the location by putko · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Because of Ras Al-Khaimah's unique airport and spaceport support facilities, His Highness' commitment to space tourism, and the close proximity to Dubai, one of the world's leading luxury tourist destinations, makes it a choice location for spaceflight operations," said Mr. Anderson. "As a global leader of tourism, the United Arab Emirates is an ideal location for a spaceport. Suborbital flights will offer millions of people the opportunity to experience the greatest adventure available, space travel. We are honored to partner with His Highness Sheikh Saud."

    I know that being nearer the equator is better for launch than elsewhere, so perhaps that helps to cut costs.

    But in the future, when the Gulf has less income, due to less oil, won't their economies die? I have a hard time seeing them sustaining anything once the lifeblood of their economy is exhausted.

    --
    http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    1. Re:What's so great aobut the location by FleaPlus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But in the future, when the Gulf has less income, due to less oil, won't their economies die?

      This is precisely why the UAE is diversifying into things like tourism.

    2. Re:What's so great aobut the location by mefein · · Score: 1

      I think that you are making a bit of a generalisation, Ras Al Khaimah doesn't have much oil. The UAE (particularly Dubai) has a fairly diverse economy, so I suspect that it will not necessarily collapse in a heap when the oil boom ends.

    3. Re:What's so great aobut the location by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure what's great about the middle east. Virgin is building a spaceport in New Mexico. Part of the reason is that it's 1 mile closer to space already.

    4. Re:What's so great aobut the location by csirac · · Score: 1

      But in the future, when the Gulf has less income, due to less oil, won't their economies die? I have a hard time seeing them sustaining anything once the lifeblood of their economy is exhausted.

      Exactly.

      The royal families in the UAE know that their oil won't last forever.

      Although they have a habit of blowing their billions on outrageously trivial endeavours and decadence in general, they are also investing their wealth into as many non-oil enterprises as possible so that they have a future beyond fossil fuels.

      This is what you're seeing here.

    5. Re:What's so great aobut the location by putko · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't they do better to buy a diversified portfolio of productive assets?

      E.g. invest in China, Japan, Korea, Europe and the USA? I would think that would out-perform their spaceport.

      The only country (well, city-state) I can think of that successfully pulled off the banking->tourism switch is Venice, and even then, it is a lot worse off than it used to be, when it was a hub of commerce.

      --
      http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    6. Re:What's so great aobut the location by csirac · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think you're over-estimating the "importance" of this space-port. They are unbelievably wealthy: $300 million or whatever it is costing is bugger-all to them.

      It's not like they're hinging their future success on this space-port, the Emirates have invested in countless schemes which have failed miserably in the past - this one is not special, and it's not going to hurt them if it fails as well.

      I'm sure they already have a very diverse portfolio as it is.

      I'm not an expert on UAE culture, I just have relatives that lived over there for a few years.

      It seems they like taking risks and would prefer to do interesting things with their money rather than horde it all.

      And the Emirates already do have a lot of overseas investment in the countries you have mentioned, and then some.

      But from what I can gather, they want to develop their own country and create sustainable industries for their people within their own borders that doesn't depend on oil.

    7. Re:What's so great aobut the location by putko · · Score: 1

      OK, it is only $265 million.

      You are right, that is not much for them. In fact, it isn't much for a super-rich person: Larry Ellison burns $100 million a year on his personal expenses.

      --
      http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    8. Re:What's so great aobut the location by csirac · · Score: 1

      amusing link in your sig btw :-)

    9. Re:What's so great aobut the location by putko · · Score: 1

      I'm glad you like it. My favorite section, in general, is "The Law".

      --
      http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    10. Re:What's so great aobut the location by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      Well, oil is still a mainstay, but Dubai is also the international banking hub for the entire region.... meaning all of the Middle East and North Africa. They are also a huge port for trade of all kinds. Without oil they'd have to work a little harder but not that much harder to maintain the exact same level of economy.

      I know lots of people my age (28) who grew up in Dubai for part of their lives becasue their father or mother was positioned there in banking or trade positions... these are very white american born guys and gals, who speak several languages of course... though I know a few chinese guys who also grew up there... no black guys so far that I've met but wouldn't be surprised if there are a few of african nationality around somewhere...

      point is it's a very modern and diverse city... not what you think of when you think Arabian Peninsula or Middle East.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    11. Re:What's so great aobut the location by Hollinger · · Score: 1

      They're becoming very much forward-thinking.

      Here are some projects that come to mind, aside from the space port:

      1. The Burj Al Aarab - "Designed to resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 metres, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer." - http://www.burj-al-arab.com/

      2. Ski Dubai - The world's only in-door ski resort, they plan to open some time soon (the project's currently behind schedule), and offer several different ski runs, lessons, snow boarding and an artificial mountain climate, all in the 120 degree desert.

      3. The Palm - An artificial penninsula and island, The palm is designed to create a highly desirable piece of real estate for locals, snow birds, and anyone else willing to spend the cash.

      I'm sure there are other projects along these lines, but I don't know of any more off the top of my head. You can see that the UAE is being very forward thinking, spending cash now to ensure that they'll have tourism dollars in the future.

      --
      Michael C. Hollinger
    12. Re:What's so great aobut the location by antic · · Score: 1

      I actually read something on a UAE site earlier about their planned expenditure on a space development being $15 billion...

      --
      'Thats they exact same thing a banana wrench monkey.'
  15. The UAE is rather active lately... by SnoopJeDi · · Score: 1

    A company based in the UAE is currently trying to take over operation of 6 ports in the US, including the port of Baltimore. Needless to say, the local radio talk shows are doubling output of useless banter to "do something" about it.

    1. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by Cheapy · · Score: 1

      "useless banter"? The Senate is going to investigate the sale. That appears to be doing "something."

      --
      Would you kindly mod me +1 insightful?
    2. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by tempestdata · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Oh yes. Dubai (an emirate of the UAE is equivalent to a city state with its own king) has been trying very hard to establish itself on the map as a tourist destination, and as an economic hub for the middle east, as well as the logical connection between the east and the west.

      Apart from the space port, here are some more interesting things about the city:

      1) The World : A set of Artificial Islands being built off the coast of dubai, for the ultra rich.
      2) The Palms : 3 of them actually These are artificial peninsula built in the shape of a palm tree.. Offering luxury houses with private beaches.
      3) The worlds Tallest building : The Burj Dubai.. The end height of the building is secret, but it is rumored to be 2500ft.
      4) The worlds most luxurious hotel : The Burj al Arab. Read up on it.. its quite a place to stay. :)
      5) The World's largest mall : Dubai Mall Will be built near the Burj Dubai.
      6) The World's third largest mall : Mall of the Emirates. Smaller only to Dubai Mall, and Mall of America
      7) The Hydropolis : The world's first under water hotel

      BTW, this country has no income tax. Gas costs about $1.80 a gallon. Labor is cheap.. you can get a house boy/house maid for about $250-$300 a month LEGALLY. I know.. I had one.

      This country is quite liberal too. Alcohol is allowed, though gambling isn't. Newspapers are censored to some degree, and nudity in movies is also censored.
      At the same time, people can wear whatever they want.. beaches in dubai (Jumeirah beach in particular is quite popular with the western folk) look a lot like american beaches. Lots of bikinis, tight jeans, short shorts. the whole deal.

      --
      - Tempestdata
    3. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by MickDownUnder · · Score: 1

      Having spent much of the year in Dubai I thought I might give you some feedback on your list...

      1) The World : A set of Artificial Islands being built off the coast of dubai, for the ultra rich. 2) The Palms : 3 of them actually These are artificial peninsula built in the shape of a palm tree.. Offering luxury houses with private beaches.

      The marketing for these islands looks great however, whilst I admit they've still not finished them, they really don't look that great, from the ground it just looks like a pile of rocks they've dumped in the ocean. The cost involved in making these things has been the complete devestation of marine life in the area. They may look great from space, but from the ground....

      3) The worlds Tallest building : The Burj Dubai.. The end height of the building is secret, but it is rumored to be 2500ft.

      They're actually planning to build another building straight after this that will another order of magnitude taller than this tower.

      4) The worlds most luxurious hotel : The Burj al Arab. Read up on it.. its quite a place to stay. :)

      It's really not all that great the interior is really modern and glitzy, for some small period of time might have been considered very chic... but as happens with all fashions it's already a little dated, the taste of it's decor is somewhat questionable. I much prefer the Mina A' Salam which is right next to the Burj Al Arab it's is also extremely oppulent, but unlike the Burj Al it's style is alot more classic. It's part of a larger complex the Madinat Jumeriah. The whole complex is styled like an Arabian citadel.

      6) The World's third largest mall : Mall of the Emirates. Smaller only to Dubai Mall, and Mall of America

      It's pretty cool it includes an indoor ski field with 4 runs, the longest being 400m long. No mall in dubai is complete without some sort of amusement park of some kind.

      It'll be interesting to see how much of this stuff actually comes to fruition. There's an old saying "It takes money to make money" but really what they're trying to do there is create an artificial economy out of nothing. If you see pictures of dubai as it stands today, it looks like a modern city, but only 30 years ago you would see nothing but scrubland. It's basically a planned economy, alot of planned economies have failed in the past, however they have about 10 trillion dollars of cash to spend on 50 square kilometers of land.

      BTW, this country has no income tax. Gas costs about $1.80 a gallon. Labor is cheap.. you can get a house boy/house maid for about $250-$300 a month LEGALLY. I know.. I had one

      This $250-$300 a month would be for someone with some language skills, the workers on the construction sites for these developments work for as little as $1500 USD a year, working 6 days a week on 18 hr shifts, under work place conditions that no western worker would ever tolerate. There's quite a high cost in human life to make these buildings, however seeing as these people come from the third world, these costs are generally ignored, and for every worker killed on a construction site, there's another 1000 more than eager to take his place. If you're a right wing anti-unionist, you only need to go to Dubai, to be converted to a left wing pro-unionist stance.

    4. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by Tango42 · · Score: 1

      "3) The worlds Tallest building : The Burj Dubai.. The end height of the building is secret, but it is rumored to be 2500ft.

      They're actually planning to build another building straight after this that will another order of magnitude taller than this tower. "

      An order of magnitude higher would be in the order of 10000ft - that seems unlikely, I'd expect them to work their way up to those kinds of heights a little less at a time.

    5. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by MickDownUnder · · Score: 1

      Seems like being a pedist get's you modded up on slashdot... I simply meant it's going to be alot taller than the burj tower ... ie by about %50

    6. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by pezzonovante1 · · Score: 0

      Don't forget the in-door ski resort. Ski Dubai which is opening in September and will allow people to ski even though it's 120 degrees F outside.

    7. Re:The UAE is rather active lately... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The keyword in your post is 'appears'.

  16. South-ish by jfengel · · Score: 1

    Less oil doesn't necessarily mean less money for Dubai, at least not immediately. The less oil there is, the more they can charge for the oil that they do have.

    That makes about a gazillion assumptions, like "Dubai won't be the first to run out of oil". But basically, even if we're at peak oil, Dubai will probably be very rich for at least another half-century or so. And when you're talking about ultra-luxe tourist destinations, that's well past your horizon of thinking.

    From a technical level, the primary reason may be that it's pretty far south, as friends of Russia go. It's roughly on a latitude with Florida. Ideally you'd like something equatoria, but Russia doesn't have many friends in Africa or South America, and none of the countries on the African Equator are particularly safe.

    1. Re:South-ish by tempestdata · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually Dubai itself has very little oil. Abu Dhabi is the one with all the oil.. Dubai is actually rich because of all the oil money that flows through its markets. Its like the hong kong of the middle east.. nearly all of Dubai's wealth comes from commercial activity.

      --
      - Tempestdata
  17. Middle east is a good place to start such projects by ravee · · Score: 1

    As over 90% of the worlds Oil is found in and around middle east, it is a place floating in surplus money. Though some of these nations have made a mess of their resources by going to war and destroying their economy.

    By using UAE as the base, the project team has ensured steady supply of cheap gas for their rockets (or planes?). I hear gas is cheaper than drinking water in the middle east.

    --
    Linux Help
    for all things on Linux
  18. Ah yes.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Uganda Aids Commission. How could I forget?!

  19. Wrong idea of UAE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And here I was all this time thinking that somehow an Amiga emulator would have some wonderful impact on space tourism. Or perhaps that would be emulating tourism in space?

  20. I would love to go by neatflux · · Score: 0

    It figures that a spaceport would open there, they do some eccentric, interesting stuff. You should check out their architecture!

    I hear quite a bit about the UAE because I have family there. Dubai sounds like a pretty cool place to visit. I hear that it is the "New York" of the Middle East. There are even a handful of celebrties that have homes there, including Johnny Depp. They seem to really like Americans over there. Any UAE residents on Slashdot? Enlighten us with your comments...

    1. Re:I would love to go by tempestdata · · Score: 1

      I was brought up there in fact. I'm currently in california, but you're right. Dubai is a pretty interesting place right now. .a lot of people are making a lot of money. Its a lot more like Hong kong in my opinion than New York though. Atleast its more descriptive of how Dubai makes its money.

      --
      - Tempestdata
  21. Dear Your Highness Supreme Ruler of UAE, by headlessplatter · · Score: -1

    Thankyou for supporting the advancement of science by allowing this space port to be built. I really respect those that seek to improve the world through science. But I have to admit I'm having a little trouble respecting someone that insists people refer to him as "His Highness". Pompous titles may have been cool in medieval times, but if you're gunna have a space port you really should act a little more modern, your Higness, my Leige, ultimate ruler of Bwa ha ha, your greatness *snicker *snicker, supreme mighty--my side is gunna hurt tonite.

    1. Re:Dear Your Highness Supreme Ruler of UAE, by Bombula · · Score: 1

      Be sure to run that schpiel by the judge, next time you're in court and don't feel like calling him 'Your Honor'.

      --
      A-Bomb
  22. Space tourism, human trafficking & slavery by msbsod · · Score: 1

    Space tourism, human trafficking and slavery - and oil, of course - the modern UAE. What an explosive mixture. Where else do we get that. http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/UnitedArabEmirat es.htm

    1. Re:Space tourism, human trafficking & slavery by tempestdata · · Score: 1

      Oh yes. Dubai has a dark side.. Its a bit like the wild wild west. The rich make crazy amounts of money, the poor get exploited, and people flock there to try their luck and strike it rich. Dubai doesn't just have a human trafficking problem alone, it has a lot of gang/crime related problems. the funny thing about dubai is, its pretty damn safe. You can leave your front door unlocked, your car running while you run into the grocery store, and walk along at 3 am in the night. The individual minding his own business has to deal with nearly zero crime. In my 19 years in that country, I haven't had a single crime attempted against me.

      At the same time, there is a lot of gang related crime there. My shop was robbed... twice.. by sophisticated russian gangs (thats what the cops thought) that the police was too inept and poorly trained to even attempt to track down. A lot of gang members from Pakistan, and India are known to operate from their base in Dubai. Lots of money laundering, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, prostitution goes on here.. and the gangs make lots of money.

      The thing to note about this country, is its really who you know. If you know the king of Dubai well enough.. you can literally getaway with murder. That is the dark side of the country... but you know what?

      All of the above happens all the time in the US too. AND there is crime against the individual with muggings, robberies, drive by shootings. etc.

      On the whole, dont knock Dubai.. America probably has a higher smuggling/rape/muder rate than Dubai does. :)

      --
      - Tempestdata
    2. Re:Space tourism, human trafficking & slavery by thewise1 · · Score: 1

      Biggest difference as far as I'm concerned is that non citizens can't own their own companies there. That one thing alone differentiates it from the old west in such a manner that the entire comparison starts to break down. But if you enjoy(ed) it, more power to you :)

    3. Re:Space tourism, human trafficking & slavery by tempestdata · · Score: 1

      Oh.. dont get me wrong. I was discussing the good points of dubai.. not the bad points. The reason I'm in the US instead of Dubai is precisely because of the way they treated me. :)

      --
      - Tempestdata
  23. Re:Middle east is a good place to start such proje by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Uhm, rockets don't use "gas" or "petrol" Ding, but thanks for playing...duh

  24. Same guys who bought P&O. by jd · · Score: 1

    They're now locked in a massive lawsuit in something like a dozen US States over potential port security, right now, owing to fears that they're going to utterly demolish the (non-existant) port security of America. This space tourism venture is interesting, but there are considerable risks that political hostilities could seriously impact any high-tech operation in the UAE. Also, we are talking about a region that is troubled and definitely outside of the US' "tier 1" for ITAR purposes. It will be interesting to see what happens, but until things improve, I would recommend seeing at a suitably LONG distance.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  25. what the hell? by c6gunner · · Score: 2, Informative

    As over 90% of the worlds Oil is found in and around middle east

    What the hell?

    North America 16.48%
    Central & South America 8.00%
    Western Europe 1.16%
    Eastern Europe & Former U.S.S.R. 6.13%
    Middle East 57.52%
     Africa 7.94%
    Asia & Oceania 2.78%


    Try again?

    1. Re:what the hell? by ravee · · Score: 1

      Heh, I guess I over stated the percentage there... But still 57.52% (If it is the right data) is a major share.

      --
      Linux Help
      for all things on Linux
    2. Re:what the hell? by houseofzeus · · Score: 1

      I'm sure your figures are probably right, but it might be worth quoting an actual source in future.

  26. One man's suborbital space tourism rocket.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ..another man's ICBM.

    1. Re:One man's suborbital space tourism rocket.. by Wes+Janson · · Score: 1

      Mod parent up.

  27. just like leia by fishexe · · Score: 2, Funny

    What you don't realize is, His Highness really hates being called that. Just like when Princess Leia got pissed at Han, he keeps going, "will you stop calling me that?" but since nobody's trying to get in his pants the way Han was, they never stop, they just keep it going 'cause they know it eggs him on.

    --
    "I don't care about the Constitution!" --Bill O'Reilly, November 17, 2009
  28. Hope he doesn't read Slashdot. by Shag · · Score: 2, Funny

    He might put you on His no-fly list for your insolence. :)

    --
    Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
  29. I like spaceport! by fishexe · · Score: 1

    I used to hang out there as a kid, playing Pac-man and Donkey Kong. And later on, Golden Axe. It's very exciting that they're expanding their franchise to UAE, especially since I had thought they had gone out of business. Although the wisdom of building a $265 million video arcade is questionable.

    --
    "I don't care about the Constitution!" --Bill O'Reilly, November 17, 2009
  30. Cost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    265 million! That's like - the cost of a week in Iraq!

    If the U.S. wants to stay in the space race, it needs to fully commit to it and not tie up resources in continuing wasteful ventures.

    What's that I smell? Burning karma?

  31. Another reason... by SirBruce · · Score: 1

    Another important attribute of a potential spaceport, aside from being near the equator, is to have a large body of water to the east of you, because usually you're going to be launching eastward (to take advantage of the Earth's rotation). So the UAE also benefits from having an eastern coastline. It doesn't have to be a particularly large body of water; just enough so any spent rocket stanges can be dropped off into the ocean. Alternatively, large stretches of empty land can also work.

    Bruce

  32. It may be racist but No space for Jew by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The UAE strongly discourages Zionists aka Jews from entering the country, especially to travel outside of the worldy Dubai trying to shake its image of being a terror financing hub. It seems for now commercial space travel and employment will be off limits to those with Israeli passports or Jewish features.

  33. Sigh so they'll become the first... by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

    middle eastern nation into space based on bought plans and oil money?

    Too bad...

    Maybe this will help to take some of the attention off the astronauts and put it back on the engineers who actually work and develop these technologies.

  34. That's all I needed by Joebert · · Score: 0

    ... The Russian-built ...

    Have fun everyone, I've seen enough science fiction movies to know not to screw around with theese guys...

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  35. New Mexico Spaceport by PodissRT · · Score: 1

    Yeah, we're getting a spaceport in New Mexico too. Seems some people really must think this whole space tourism thing is really going to take off... http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/060216_spacep ort_update.html

    1. Re:New Mexico Spaceport by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hmmm.

      *shrug* Virgin Galactic supposedly has already sold 40,000 tickets at $200,000 USD each for a suborbital flight.

  36. No, but I thought of User Application Error by antdude · · Score: 1

    Remember that error from Windows 3.x days? :)

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    1. Re:No, but I thought of User Application Error by dolo724 · · Score: 1

      First thing I thought of when I saw the title. Nearly made me flip the big red switch!

      --
      But you just gotta have another sigarette
  37. well.. by slashmojo · · Score: 1

    Would you prefer he be called the Chief Executive Officer? VP Country Development perhaps? Chief Desert Nation Architect maybe? Mr President?

  38. The UAE and Terrorism by Juicio · · Score: 1

    The UAE might be friendly towards us, but it has a sketchy history when it comes to terrorism. As mentioned, our current administration is trying to sell them 6 of our largest ports. That purchase, however, has been blocked by a 7-member bipartisan group in congress because of the country's terrorist activity. Here are some of the things they mention:

    - The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

    - The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.

    - According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.

    - After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts.

    Check it out.

    1. Re:The UAE and Terrorism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These facts just show they don't care about who their clients are. That's considered a good bussiness practice.
      Get the other facts (like slavery) that they are actually evil, as your bolds seem to imply.

    2. Re:The UAE and Terrorism by Juicio · · Score: 1

      I believe you are right about the evil. My point is that it's probably bad business practice for 'us' if they help others harm us and we willingly give them control over major entry points to our country.

  39. United Arab Emirates by Aokubidaikon · · Score: 0

    Guess this means "male astronauts only".

  40. Re:Middle east is a good place to start such proje by njh · · Score: 1

    Sure, but rocket fuel is usually derived from the energy in crude oil.

  41. To deter terrorism... by DrXym · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    ... the craft will be called Mohammed 1 and will be an emblazoned with a likeness of the prophet.

  42. "altitude of nearly 100km" by Tango42 · · Score: 1

    "altitude of nearly 100km"

    As the standard definition of space is 100km, doesn't that mean they're not actually going into space? It's just a high altitude flight, not spaceflight. (They could be using the lower US defn, but no-one else will pay any attention to them if they do.)

    1. Re:"altitude of nearly 100km" by nystagman · · Score: 1

      For US personnel, you get your astronaut wings at 50 miles.

      Of course... (wait for it...) Your Milage Might Vary.

      --
      Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice.
    2. Re:"altitude of nearly 100km" by Tango42 · · Score: 1

      Yes, I know, I said that - I also dismissed it. The international definition is the one that matters.

  43. Vehicle name by EnsilZah · · Score: 1

    Guys, are you sure about calling it 'Explorer'?
    Sounds a bit 'crashy' to me...

  44. IAWTP -- Though... by he-sk · · Score: 1

    How can you burn karma if you have none, Anonymous Coward?

    --
    Free Manning, jail Obama.
  45. what a dumb idea by Ralph+Spoilsport · · Score: 1
    space tourism is. Let's see .... spend millions, likely billions, putting together a special kind of airport so rich idiots can go zoom-zoom in a big fast rocket. And send that vehicle up using an irreplaceable resource. That's going to look really great in 10 years when people all over the world will be struggling to heat their homes in the winter.

    Heck - that alone would be reason enough for some neocon dumbass to go invade them - just out of spite... It's like straight out of Syriana...

    "You want to know what we think of you people? We think 100 years ago you were living in tents and chopping each other's heads off, and in another 100 years, that's exactly where you're going to be. Now, on behalf of my company, I am happy to accept your money."

    Sometimes people are so pathetic.

    RS

    --
    Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
    1. Re:what a dumb idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, because Syriana was shot in Dubai (city in UAE).

  46. Amiga Actually by CarpetShark · · Score: 1

    Actually, UAE stands for Universal Amiga Emulator (or some slight variations depending on who you ask). Those Arabian folks really should quit hogging the namespace ;)

  47. This fits with the rest of the plans for UAE by 99luftballon · · Score: 1

    I've just come back from the UAE and what they are doing to that country id incredible. They are doubling the capacity of the existing 90 million person per year airport and building another capable of handling 150 million. They have one of the world's biggest ports and expanding control of other international port facilities. Meanwhile the whole country is being developed as a commercial hub. UAE don't have much oil compared to Saudi or Iran and are using the money from what they have to develop as a trading hub. Other countries could learn from this example of self-investment.

  48. More exposure please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's nice to see UAE mentioned on slashdot. As other posters mentioned , there are a lot of problems here, but with the govt bent on promoting tourism, they are quickly addressing problems that become well known in the mainstream media. So the more exposure UAE gets in the news, the better things will be for people here. I was born in the UAE and lived most of my life here, but don't have any citizenship benefits. At times I had to take a visit visa to stay here. Most of the gulf countries are the same, the difference with the UAE is they are now quite sensitive to negative publicity. Here's one of the more popular UAE blogs: http://secretdubai.blogspot.com/

  49. Wikipedia is your friend by kadathseeker · · Score: 1

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman are two of the nicest and most progressive countries in the Middle East. I lived in Oman for about seven months, and I am still amazed at the change that has happend in 30 years (the Sultan is pretty unique among rulers). Much of the rest of the Mid East feels like it is a world apart.

    --
    The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. - William Gibson
    1. Re:Wikipedia is your friend by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1

      Ah, but have any of their heirs to the throne been barred from G.A.Y. nightclub in London for fighting? Now that's liberal :-) (if he doesn't get executed anyway).

  50. PIPboy forgot... by leonbrooks · · Score: 1

    ...the tags.

    Perhaps he figured that they were redundant?

    --
    Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
  51. Mod parent down... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...but leave grandparent alone?

  52. progress by maimou · · Score: 1

    There is nothing wrong with funding space tourism with oil profits. At least they are obtaining their oil supply in a civil manner.