05. Is it true that a spaceport will be built in New Mexico? *(Rick Homans) (A K2S Question)
From The Space Library
New Mexico made headlines around the world in December 2005 when British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson chose the state to be the headquarters for Virgin Galactic—the first company in the world to take paying passengers into suborbital space. This is an exciting time in history. For the first time, everyday people will be able to buy a ticket on a spaceplane, blast out of the atmosphere, and view the Earth from outer space. Until now, US spaceflight has been controlled by NASA. Now, modern-day counterparts of the Wright brothers are developing new ways to transport passengers and payloads into space. New Mexico is planning to build a spaceport for Virgin Galactic and businesses like them. Already, this company as well as rocket builders UP Aerospace and Starchaser Industries have located in the state. Also, the Rocket Racing League, which will race airplanes powered by rocket engines, has made New Mexico its new home. New Mexico is appealing to aerospace companies for several reasons. It is sunny 340 days a year, which means that launches probably won't be cancelled because of bad weather. The spaceport site is at an elevation of about 4,700 feet, which means spacecraft will need less fuel to reach space, compared to launch sites at sea level. As the fifth largest state in land area, but with a population of only 2 million people, New Mexico has plenty of wide-open land and sky. The site of the proposed spaceport is about 30 miles east of the town of Truth or Consequences. Right now, the area is flat, open land used primarily for cattle grazing, but we predict that as soon as five years from now it will contain hangars, runways, rockets and spaceplanes carrying people to the final frontier. Each year, New Mexico hosts the X Prize Cup public spaceflight exhibition in October, and students, teachers, and parents visit the city of Las Cruces to see new spacecraft, learn about space, and launch model rockets. According to Spaceport Authority Chairman and New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans, "We expect that people will be traveling into space from New Mexico in the next three to four years...and not just one or two but hundreds of people and eventually thousands of people...to experience what space travel is all about." For additional information, please see: www.nmspace.com
Answer provided by Derek Webber & Rick Homans & Eric Anderson
Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer
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