Spaceport Development Picks Up Steam In Texas

RocketAcademy writes "The Lone Star State is moving to become a leader in spaceport development. The Houston Airport System is officially moving ahead with plans to turn Ellington Airport, near NASA's Johnson Space Center, into an FAA-licensed commercial spaceport. The airport system has completed a feasibility study for turning the field into a spaceport for suborbital spacecraft such as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two and XCOR's Lynx. In the longer term, spacecraft could link Houston to Singapore in as little as three hours, according to airport system director Mario Diaz. Meanwhile, state Representative Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville) introduced a bill that would allow county commissioners to close a local beach for launches from the proposed SpaceX launch site in Cameron County. The bill is part of a flood of spaceport-related legislation that has been introduced recently in the Texas legislature."

Comments

Houston to Singapore In As Little As Three Hours..

[Press2ToContinue]

(Line for the 10-mile-high club forms to the rear of the craft.)

"and thank-you for riding Virgin Galactic. We hope you'll come again."

Science

[Anonymous Coward]

Science, shame they don't teach that in Texas schools.

Re:Science

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey guess what? I am a Texas high school student and I am currently doing chemistry homework.

Re:Science

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey guess what? I am a Texas high school student and I am currently doing chemistry homework.

No you're not, you are wasting time on /.

Re:Science

[Dasuraga]

I get that it's a joke, but I'm really tired of hearing people demean Texas' education system.
While the state might not do so well in math and science test comparisons compared to other states, the state excels at making many things available to students that are rare if non-existent elsewhere. The right to a good education is in the state constitution (which also asks for the foundation of "first-class" state universities: University of Texas and Texas A&M), and implements a very broad wealth redistribution scheme (Robin hood plan), which makes sure that even very poor school districts can pay for AP classes, music electives, sports facilities, the works. Children who show potential are given chances from a very early age to enter advanced-placement courses, and many efforts are made by teachers to identify children who can enter these.

I honestly think that the low rankings of Texas in Math and Science comparisons is more due to demographics than the school system, and in more general rankings the school fares much better. In any case, it goes to great lengths to let children broaden their horizons with their peers, independent of social class.

Re:Science

[Dasuraga]

No, I'm saying that the demographics of Texas (5th poorest state in the nation by poverty rate, among other things) cause the lower rankings, not the school system. The school system gives the tools for motivated children to learn, but when these children don't get three meals a day....

Re:Science

[girlinatrainingbra]

Gotcha! I'll buy that line of reasoning. I remember reading somewhere that when the school system provides a free lunch, kids do better. When the school system provides a free breakfast (also, or instead, I forget which...) the kids do even better. This is most effective when the kids getting the free or reduced cost meals are not pointed out and do not feel like they're different from the other kids who don't get the free meals (like not having special meal card colors or anything).
.
There's also the "discount approach" where the tax burden is decreased and people are told that the "extras" can be paid for by the parents or by extra fees. Then, the rich area schools get their enrichment or after-school program paid for by parents who can afford it, whereas the poorer neighborhoods all do without. Yet the political idiots can claim that all of the schools are equal because the same opportunity is afforded to all, the poor just aren't getting the money together to give their kds the bonuses. [french nobility idiot's quote: the law in all its majesty also forbids the rich from sleeping under the bridges as much as it forbids the poor from doing so. The rich just have no need for sleeping under the bridge].
.
Third rant [you've set me off for these rants, i apologize]: somehow they can always find the money for the football teams ( for the uniforms, for the sod to get redone yearly, for the scoreboards, for the extra bus trips, for all of those extra items), yet there's never enough money to do the artistic extracurriculars or the scientific or others (either enough money for math club or for model U.N. but not for both, or we have to choose between music programs or visual arts, but not both). Texas must have an extra large problem with football, at least if everything I saw on Friday Night Lights was to be believed. I live in La Jolla (San Diego, CA). What's the football situation really like in Texas? Does it really suck up all of the money and the oxygen from the rest of the school system?

Re:Science

[Anubis IV]

Eh, teaching is overrated. When you have a GDP that is sufficient to land you between Australia and Russia, you can afford to simply import the folks with book learnin'. See: NASA.

Of course, that doesn't stop some of us from getting one of those edjumacations. When I wanted to study Computer Science some more (instead of following up on one of the three separate internships I had in the space industry as an undergrad), I ended up pursuing my graduate coursework at a major Texas university, for instance. Now, I'll be the first to admit that having to type and move my cursor while on horseback took some getting used to, but it's really quite enjoyable after awhile.

Re:Science

[sycodon]

What you and everyone else is missing is that Texas is burdened with educating hundreds of thousands, if not more, illegal aliens. In fact, Kids come across the border to attend our school. Why? Fuck if I know, but the courts said we have to let them in for some reason.

So now you have to feed them, hire Bi-Lingual teachers, and then deal with the inevitable gang problems. Just look at San Antonio ISD.

The district my kids went to is rated tops in the nation in all the math and science scores and guess what? 99.9% of the kids that go there speak English and are not in gangs. If you think I should pony up more tax dollars to make sure a bunch of illegals on the border get a nice stadium and band instruments, then I think you should too.

As for Football, aside from the initial capital investments, the programs are run mostly on ticket sales and other fund raisers. Same thing with the Bands.

Re:With all the stolen businesses from other state

[akboss]

We dont want your unwashed masses, if we did we get them cheaper just over the border (or home depot). We do want all your businesses to relocate here sans employees (we will provide). Gun makers should move here too as the rest of you really dont want or need them but they are part of our heritage. I bet we could swing a deal and send say Houston to Detroit and you give us Ford.

Re:Space ports are nice and all.

[OhANameWhatName]

Why not develop this technology so everyone can use their microwaves and a copper cone to have a spaceport in their driveway?

Yes indeed .. why not? That's one of those quintessential questions. It's like the question "Why aren't we all driving around in cars powered by Tesla's black box" or "Why are we still burning fossil fuels when the problem of abundant energy was solved nearly a hundred years ago" or "Why are we all working 40 hour weeks when there's enough automation to work 12 hour weeks" or "Why are we clinging to a dying monetary system that serves no purpose" or "Why do people starve to death on a daily basis when there's no need for it" or "What's causing the current global environmental changes" or "Why does religion have such an improperly powerful position in society" or "Why do people raising valid question get modded as trolls".

Take the red pill.

It's not our fault...

[Nova Express]

...that other states keep driving business out with higher taxes, more bureaucratic red tape, burdensome regulations, and corrupt closed shop union cronyism.

This is why California keeps driving businesses to Texas.

Also, Texas now ranks higher than California in standardized test scores, both in aggregate, and in each demographic ethnic group.

For a more in-depth discussion of these points (with numerous statistics to back it up), see Chuck DeVore's The Texas Model: Prosperity in the Lone Star State and Lessons for America.

Re:Now you can leave Texas at Mach 10.

[Anubis IV]

Which explains why the state recently gained additional seats in the House of Representatives. It's growth rate is outpacing the national average by a decent amount since people are moving into it at a pretty rapid rate. And, honestly, having moved here a little over a decade ago, I can see why. Sure, there's some truth to the various stereotypes, but having lived for roughly equal amounts of time in California, Florida, and Texas, I'd pick Texas over the other two any day. The people are nicer, you get a LOT more bang for your buck in the housing market, and there's high demand for folks with the sorts of skills the commenters here at Slashdot have. You'll deal with crazy people anywhere you go, but at least the Texas crazies are pleasant enough to be around.

Underutilized spaceports

[Animats]

New Mexico already was screwed by Virgin Galactic on this. The state built Spaceport America for Virgin. Then Virgin demanded a better deal, and got it. Once in a while Armadillo Aerospace launches some test rocket from there. The terminal building is used for bus tours.

Re:Cronyism at its finest

[Anubis IV]

Indeed! How can they possibly justify suggesting that a large-ish military/NASA airport within spitting distance of Johnson Space Center be used as a spaceport?! Why, next thing you know, they'll try and pass it off as common sense. One person I met had the gall to suggest that because Houston is one of the largest urban centers in the nation, is within a short driving distance of 3 of the top 5 seaports in the nation (which might make transporting parts for these craft easier), and has a high concentration of individuals connected to the space industry, it makes sense to put a starport there. How dare there! Harumph.

Re:Houston to Singapore In As Little As Three Hour

[inflex]

Because if you want the money to flow back to the "masses" you better find something interesting for those "rich bastards" to spend it on, rather than having it stagnate in some bank account. Money is most effective when it is in use, lubricating the economy engine.

Re:Messing with Texas

[crutchy]

you forgot: shooting their guns till Old Age