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Spaceport America Takes Off
SeaDour writes "Spaceport America, being built north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is finally becoming a reality and is set to become the world's first commercial spaceport. Governor Bill Richardson recently secured 33 million dollars from the state legislature for the final design, and a proposed 0.25% sales tax increase in Dona Ana County, where the facility is to be constructed, is expected to bring an additional 6.5 million dollars per year (if approved by voters next week). Richard Branson, the head of upstart Virgin Galactic, on Monday agreed to lease the facility for 27.5 million dollars over twenty years. If all continues to go as planned, SpaceShipTwo will make its first suborbital joy ride in two to three years."
Great, another industry being propped up by government revenue. Because that worked so well for the telecommunications industry.
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Study your history.
GNU/America took off years ago, and didn't work out.
If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
Am I the only one that sees the oxymoron here... "the world's first commercial spaceport" vs "Governor Bill Richardson recently secured 33 million dollars from the state legislature for the final design, and a proposed 0.25% sales tax increase in Dona Ana County,
This is a government spaceport. Possible deployed to deliver commercial products into space but it should be billed corrected as a government facility. Yet another shining example of your tax dollars at work. I am glad I don't live in that state/county but I fully expect that when a tornado or hurricane wipes it out I will have to foot the FEMA bill for it.
I'm not against space ports. But if Virgin Galactic wants a facility then Virgin Galactic should foot the bill for it.
I will never live for sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
Sounds like cheap rent.
When Virgin Galactic needs a space port, they can build one. Why is tax money building this?
PURE PORK BARREL BULLSHIT.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
1: Build Space port for $33 Million
2: Lease to Richard Branson for $27.5 million for 20 years.
3: Raise taxes!
Libertarian Leaning Political Discussion Forum.
Branson, is going to lease 83,000 square feet for $1 million a year. Does anyone know if this is only a small part of the space port or will he be taking the biggest spot?
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...unless it has a Starbuck's.
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..will there be lemon-soaked paper napkins?
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And my two thoughts are:
1. This will be very good for that part of New Mexico. As a whole, the state is relatively poor.
2. What on earth would you use a spaceport for? I don't think in terms of eighth grade pulp sci-fi these days (think Tek Jansen), so seriously, what would a spaceport be for?
-- haaz.
Am I the only one that sees the lack of utility in this? There's the aspect of bringing the occasional multi-millionaire into space... but spaceship two is a suborbital craft and thus would have problems launching a satellite into orbit thus nullifying a lot of its commercial use. Additionally, space is not a huge tourism industry. I'm sure it could be some day, but as is, we simply don't have the technology to safely, efficiently, reliably and comfortably cart people to any destination outside of the atmosphere. From an economical standpoint this looks to be a train wreck waiting to be unleashed.
The original generic sig.
The amounts of money mentioned seem rather low for a space port, they seem more in line with a cruise line port or fancy bus station.
One ring to bind them - should probably have more fiber and less rings in their diet.
I am amused that the summary says it will be the first commercial spaceport, while the "related" section points to http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/1 6/1736213, an article from last year about the mid-atlantic regional spaceport's first launch.
This will be the first purpose-built commercial spaceport. That's a key distinction.
then a war in Iraq. I'd much rather have something ten times as expensive and doomed to failure then the war on terror or Iraq. It would be much cheaper. Why can't the govenment just build something here instead of destroying a nation all the way around the world?
... a duty free shop?
One ring to bind them - should probably have more fiber and less rings in their diet.
Scientists say the desert of Las Cruces, New Mexico is very much like the surface of Uranus.
Didn't Sea Launch beat this by a few years? Especially since Sea Launch is already built and has had multiple launches?
<URL:http://www.sea-launch.com/>
I would start making contacts right now to secure a position in this space port.
It's a risk, but the potential pay off and wow factor would be to large to ignore.
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I'm going to keep my eye on that little slice of Earth for awhile - frankly, they may want to hire a lot of I.T., and I find it unlikely at best that they'll settle for not having somebody around with more than five to six years of experience, tops.
Which one?
... or the one played by Dirk Benedict? :)
The alcohol guzzling, cigar smoking, disobedient, hot-shot pilot
This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
Uh, RTFA or RTFPP (Read the F**king Parent Post)
$33M is for the design
Or will the taxpayers of that county be subsidizing the sending of dubiously talented pop stars into the really really upper atmosphere?
Just playing devil's advocate here, but people are going to ask that question or something similar.
... I thought that they already had one in Roswell.
Vi havas e-poston.
For all budding teenage wanabee gazillionaires who may be able to afford this one day.
The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. - HGTTG
The first describes a (usually innovative) new company, the other is a derogatory term for someone who is new to something and already believes themselves to be substantially better than the established players. Do submitters know how to use a dictionary or are they too busy posting badly-worded stories to bother?
The spaceport is actually $198M per TFA
Spaceport America launched a rocket from a temporary launch pad last fall, and authorities expect to complete the $198 million facility in late 2009 or early 2010. The state already has appropriated $115 million for the project and expects about $25 million in federal funds over the next five years with the goal of creating a home for future public space flight.
I'll bet all the landowners in that area have a very big smile and even bigger if all goes as planned. Wish I had some spare cash I would definitely buy a a big plot of sand.
WTF?
"Spaceport America, Fuck Yeah"
it is only after a long journey that you know the strength of the horse.
Mojave Airport/Spaceport already exists, is FAA certified for spaceport operations. (Remember Spaceship One?) Best part of all...Its already paid for.
My jobs boring now! Time to move to New Mexico, here I come big valley full of white sand...)
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