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A Spaceport In Ohio?
UglyTool writes to alert us to an initiative by the state of Ohio and the city of Columbus to lure Canadian rocketeers PlanetSpace to launch from an area airport (the former Lockbourne Air Force Base, now called Rickenbacker International Airport). A decision on the incentives could be made by January. From the article: "Such a package could include tax credits, financing programs and training grants amounting to millions of dollars... PlanetSpace's chairman, Indian-American entrepreneur Chirinjeev Kathuria, told MSNBC.com he expected the incentives to amount to 'somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million.'" Five other states have spaceports approved or planned.
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I always like reading about efforts to get humanity off this ball of rock and water. One thing about the location though, I thought that the closer to the equator, the better. How does that compare against tax breaks?
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
Spaceships launch east, preferably from the equator. This will mean basically that a private company can launch ballistic payloads up into the air over DC. Nobody there will let this happen.
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I'd be more than happy to ride on Burt Rattan's SpaceShipOne, but PlanetSpace's rocket looks more like an ICBM with a stealth fighter attached than something destined for sightseeing. I'm sure it's fine, but it doesn't have that "Cool" factor for me.
... it seems like the vast Canadian tundra would be a far cheaper alternative, and the Canadian government would probably even lend some of their military airports to support Canada's image worldwide (not that it really needs much support).
I wonder why a Canadian team is paying that much money to fly from Ohio
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Um, this is a dumb idea
As others have already noted, Ohio has two strokes against it:
It is substantially farther from the equator than Florida (and other proposed SW "spaceports").
There are heavily populated areas around and to the east of it it. Falling lower stages and strap-on boosters could end up mashing a house or highway or city block.
I wonder if there's a bandwagon effect in action. Cities in the SW are starting to get publicity for hosting space ports, so why not Ohio?
I can picture charming hucksters selling cities on space ports the way that con artist sold Springfield on thier monorail.
- The Wright brothers, who developed and flew the first airplane, were from Ohio.
- John Glenn, the first man in orbit, is an Ohioan.
- Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, is an Ohioan.
- Now, they are talking about building a spaceport in Ohio.
It just shows what length men will go to to get the hell out of Ohio!Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
The article mentions that the site for launching and landing could be different. Ohio seems to be bidding for a landing and manufacturing site, with launching as a possiblity only if it's approved by the FAA. The article even mentions the idea of launching off of a barge and landing in Ohio.
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Why all the comments about being close to the equator? This is a SUBORBITAL craft. It goes up, and then comes down. It travels no more than 50 miles horizontally. It makes no difference whatsoever where on the planet the craft is launched from. There are many places in Canada from which they can launch. Ohio just wants to grab a slice of the pie. In fact, the suggested airbase is actually not viable, because the first stage (the red and white rocket shaped part) is designed to splash down. There is no major lake near Rickenbacker.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
I think it is spelled I O W A.
The Russians launch over land all the time. But it's been said that there have been occasional problems with this.
I thought that Alaska was the only non-federally owned launch site in the US. It is the only location not in Florida that can lauch east and still be over water. It's the farthest north of any sites ever proposed (good for polar launches). It is good for launching test rockets for the missile defense (the other site approximates what would happen if New Zealand would attack the US, Alaska approximates a Russian, Chinese, or North Korean launch). And, it's a great place to hunt bears or fish if weather delays your launch. Not to mention it is cheaper than any other launch site for launch fees, thought getting the rocket there (and fuel for non-polar launches) might be more. Oh, and unlike other proposed non-federal sites, it's been operating for years.
Go Alaska!
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