New Mexico Pushes Forward w/ Spaceport Project

[marshabar1]

By Susan Montoya Bryan
Associated Press May 26, 2011
SPACEPORT AMERICA, N.M.—The wind is still whistling through the massive unfinished steel hangar doors at
Spaceport America. The exterior is waiting to be clad with custom metal panels, and the hangar floor, where a
pair of sleek spacecraft will one day sit, is still dirt.
Construction of the world's first built-from-scratch launch station for sending people and payloads into space has
been stymied by everything from Mother Nature to construction delays brought on by working in such a remote
stretch of New Mexico desert.
Still, the director of the $209 million taxpayer-financed project says the state is as committed as ever to finishing
the project.
And so is Virgin Galactic, the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson.
"When you think about what we've had to build out here, all of it is challenging because we're building a whole
city. There's water storage, a water treatment plant, getting permanent power out here, everything," said
Christine Anderson, a retired Air Force civilian official who was hired in March as the spaceport authority's new
executive director.
"We're in the middle of the high desert country of New Mexico. It's very under developed so building way out
here is very difficult," Anderson said during a bumpy ride from the vertical launch area back to the massive
terminal hangar building.
This slice of southern New Mexico is beautiful, but it's difficult. The few ranchers who live out here call it a no
man's land -- where there's little water, where only a hardy cow can survive and where the dirt roads are equal
parts sand and rutted earth.
Add to that a lack of electricity, unreliable mobile phone service and the fact that the state of New Mexico has
ventured into uncharted territory with the construction of the commercial spaceport.
The effort is unprecedented and complicated. Construction is more than a year behind schedule, and there have
been building code problems, contractor disputes, costly change orders and weather-related delays.

www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2011/05/26/new_mexico_pushes_forward_with_spaceport_project/

[Deleted]

That is so cool. I hope they are able to finish it. I am familiar with NM, and that part of it is "no man's land", for sure. Exciting. Hope my kids live long enough to take a trip. Very exciting that the new Gov (R) has not given up on space...

[floridayankee]

Tickets for SpaceShipTwo cost $200,000. The 2 1/2-hour flights will include about five minutes of weightlessness and views of Earth that until now only astronauts have been able to experience.

Define irony.....

Former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson committing $209 million in tax payer money to fund a project that caters to the evil, greedy mega rich corporate bass turds that the left seems to despise.

[marshabar1]

Yep, ironic, yankee, but those wiley devils will need someplace to go once they've completely devastated the planet with their idiotic schemes. Beam me out . . .

It is a little comforting to see a good old fashioned forward looking, optimistic project going forward. Like the old days before the progressives turned the country into a loser gasping for survival.

[floridayankee]

May 27, 2011 9:00:05 GMT -5 @marshabar1 said:

It is a little comforting to see a good old fashioned forward looking, optimistic project going forward. Like the old days before the progressives turned the country into a loser gasping for survival.

With the badly bent budgets, broke taxpayers and the fragile economy these days, I think this is even a bigger of a waste of taxpayer funds than high speed rail....NM's very own "bridge to nowhere". I'm of course assuming that Virgin Galactic isn't going to give free (or even reduced cost) trips to the very taxpayers funding their spaceport.

[cme1201]

May 27, 2011 8:08:17 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Tickets for SpaceShipTwo cost $200,000. The 2 1/2-hour flights will include about five minutes of weightlessness and views of Earth that until now only astronauts have been able to experience.

Define irony.....

Former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson committing $209 million in tax payer money to fund a project that caters to the evil, greedy mega rich corporate bass turds that the left seems to despise.

Why? What reason could justify paying this tax payer money that most taxpayers will not be able to afford the luxury of this tax benefit.

Wow.

[Deleted]

Well, seems when the new Gov came in tons of money had already been spent, AND they have $55,000,000. in deposits for people waiting to fly in it, so might as well finish it and make the money back?? Of course, if it is successful it will bring in huge money. We'll see.

[floridayankee]

May 27, 2011 12:18:03 GMT -5 @krickitt said:

Well, seems when the new Gov came in tons of money had already been spent, AND they have $55,000,000. in deposits for people waiting to fly in it, so might as well finish it and make the money back?? Of course, if it is successful it will bring in huge money. We'll see.

Re-read the article Krickitt....Virgin Galactic received $55 million in deposits. Virgin Galactic is a private corporation owned by a British Billionaire, Richard Branson.

My question is....why isn't Branson paying for this? It's not like there are dozens of companies waiting in line to launch spacecraft out of this terminal.

Construction of the world's first built-from-scratch launch station for sending people and payloads into space has been stymied by everything from Mother Nature to construction delays brought on by working in such a remote stretch of New Mexico desert.

Remote...as in way out of the way...as in why on Gods green earth would someone voluntarily go out there in the middle of this desert. They are spending $209 million on a space station in the middle of the desert for sending people and payloads in to space. Really? Let's think about this for just a few seconds. This "spacecraft" will fly people into a weightless environment for a whole 5 minutes. It's not like star trek here. There's no place to send all them people and payloads.

There's that and....

Virgin Galactic, the spaceport's anchor tenant, has signed a 20-year lease and already has invested millions of dollars in the development of its spaceships, which Branson has described as "sexy beasts." Just this week, it completed another test flight of SpaceShipTwo's feathering technology, which allows the craft to safely re-enter the atmosphere.

The damned spacecraft isn't even fully developed and/or a commercially viable craft yet. This is a $209 million dollar taxpayer funded amusement park.....with potentially only one very expensive ride.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have bigger plans for my spare $200k I have laying around the house.

[Deleted]

What the article didn't say is how much has already been spent, unless I missed it. I'll defer to you, though, Yank, because you seem to know something about it, and I don't care all that much, really. Just thought it looks neat. LOL-- nowhere to post today..
;D