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 ...
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?
Spaceport.
How cool. I want to work at a spaceport.
Maybe they will get a Space elevator too. It would be a good place
Eh why not! LOL
I still think a space outhouse might be more in line...
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.
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.
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).
Space elevators. The current thinking is to station them at massive floating platforms. It helps to have the "earth" end movable.
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