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New Mexico Spaceport: Open For Business
space.com ^ | 04/19/06 | Leonard David

Posted on 04/19/2006 7:19:23 PM PDT by KevinDavis

Work at the New Mexico spaceport has reached a milestone as facilities are ready to support the first rocket flight from the site—now targeted for July. Meanwhile, state planners have issued a request for proposals to design and engineer the scaled up Southwest Regional Spaceport, the needed hangers, control and support buildings, roads, utilities, launch pads, fuel storage facilities, and other infrastructure requirements.

Location of the New Mexico spaceport—some 45 miles north of Las Cruces and 30 miles east of Truth or Consequences—is a remote area near Upham that is favored due to low population density, uncongested airspace, and high elevation.

The State of New Mexico Economic Development Department is currently working with various commercial space operations to establish the new Southwest Regional Spaceport at Upham. Creation of the spaceport is considered a key component in the state’s bid to attract space-related business to New Mexico.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: space; spaceport

1 posted on 04/19/2006 7:19:25 PM PDT by KevinDavis
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To: RightWhale; Brett66; xrp; gdc314; anymouse; NonZeroSum; jimkress; discostu; The_Victor; ...

2 posted on 04/19/2006 7:19:45 PM PDT by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
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To: KevinDavis

I declared our driveway to be a spaceport. It's been open for bidness for quite some time now. It always struck me as rather humorous that New Mexico thought it was going to corner this market. Oh well, what do I know?


3 posted on 04/19/2006 7:21:38 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Illegal Immigration: What hope is there when OUR President is leading the insurrection?)
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To: KevinDavis

Spaceport.

How cool. I want to work at a spaceport.


4 posted on 04/19/2006 7:22:50 PM PDT by Flyer (Preserve American Culture)
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To: DoughtyOne

Maybe they will get a Space elevator too. It would be a good place


5 posted on 04/19/2006 7:32:49 PM PDT by catholicfreeper
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To: catholicfreeper

Eh why not! LOL


6 posted on 04/19/2006 7:35:14 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Illegal Immigration: What hope is there when OUR President is leading the insurrection?)
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To: catholicfreeper

I still think a space outhouse might be more in line...


7 posted on 04/19/2006 7:35:44 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Illegal Immigration: What hope is there when OUR President is leading the insurrection?)
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To: catholicfreeper

Not really. The best place for a space elevator is near the equator (at least according to Arthur C. Clarke, the one who dreamed it up). This is due to the rotation of the earth. If a space elevator is placed somewhere other than near the equator, it would need constant adjustment, not a good idea.


8 posted on 04/19/2006 7:36:50 PM PDT by Laz711 (The Barbarians are in Rome.........CLOSE THE BORDERS!!!)
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To: Laz711

Yeah I was just hoping the USA to control one. I guess we better start getting beeter relations with Countries like Panama or countries on the equator. The space elevator thing has really intrigued me when items are posted about it.


9 posted on 04/19/2006 7:40:04 PM PDT by catholicfreeper
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To: catholicfreeper
You should read some of the Sci-Fi about space elevators. It turns third world hell holes into the ultimate superpower overnight because of all of the money, prestige, and control over space they have. If the US really wanted one, the territory of Guam is at 13N, may be close enough, just put it on top of Nimitz hill (allthough typhoons would be a problem.......maybe)

The engineering is not there yet to make a space elevator. Materials is one major issue, nothing yet known can stand the tension that it would require, allthough carbon nano tubes look promising. Also, the very act of building it will be the most difficult undertaking ever attempted by man, IMHO, and it will take years to get it done (red tape nightmare, I am sure).

10 posted on 04/19/2006 7:45:18 PM PDT by Laz711 (The Barbarians are in Rome.........CLOSE THE BORDERS!!!)
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To: catholicfreeper
Space elevators are cool, I agree. But the space "tether" is even better and probably much more feasible.
11 posted on 04/19/2006 8:52:52 PM PDT by manwiththehands (I'm a single issue voter this year: illegal immigration.)
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To: KevinDavis
It is pretty cool when I was a member of the Astronomical Society of Las Cruses we would drive to Upham to have Star Parties it was a great place far out and very dark skies!!
12 posted on 04/19/2006 9:01:08 PM PDT by Empireoftheatom48 (God bless our troops!! Our President and those who fight against the awful commie, liberal left!!)
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To: Laz711

Space elevators. The current thinking is to station them at massive floating platforms. It helps to have the "earth" end movable.


13 posted on 04/20/2006 1:42:16 AM PDT by Paradox (Removing all Doubt since 1998!)
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