Quote from: meekGee on 09/10/2014 05:19 amQuote from: Kabloona on 09/10/2014 04:19 amQuote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 04:00 amFWIW, the fenced building/facility to the south-southeast of the SpaceX construction, at the east end of the road, is the UP Aerospace vertical launch facility.(that is their launch tower sticking out of the end of the hangar doors)Is that this thing?http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Aerospace#/image/File:UP_Aerospace_vertical_launch_site_Spaceport_America.JPGWhat a gorgeous contraption!It's like Thunderbirds 1 had a baby with StingRay, in a barn, and the baby is poking its head out, Alien style. And wheels.Yes, that is the UP Aerospace movable building and launch mount. As I recall from something I read a few years ago, the launch mount is fixed to a foundation, and is of course raised vertical for launch, while able to go horizontal to allow work on the rocket prior to flight. The building structure (the "payload integration hangar") is on wheels so it can move out of the way for launch. Both the UP Aerospace building, and the SpaceX F9R-Dev2 construction zone, are in the designated vertical launch area of Spaceport America.
Quote from: Kabloona on 09/10/2014 04:19 amQuote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 04:00 amFWIW, the fenced building/facility to the south-southeast of the SpaceX construction, at the east end of the road, is the UP Aerospace vertical launch facility.(that is their launch tower sticking out of the end of the hangar doors)Is that this thing?http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Aerospace#/image/File:UP_Aerospace_vertical_launch_site_Spaceport_America.JPGWhat a gorgeous contraption!It's like Thunderbirds 1 had a baby with StingRay, in a barn, and the baby is poking its head out, Alien style. And wheels.
Quote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 04:00 amFWIW, the fenced building/facility to the south-southeast of the SpaceX construction, at the east end of the road, is the UP Aerospace vertical launch facility.(that is their launch tower sticking out of the end of the hangar doors)Is that this thing?http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Aerospace#/image/File:UP_Aerospace_vertical_launch_site_Spaceport_America.JPG
FWIW, the fenced building/facility to the south-southeast of the SpaceX construction, at the east end of the road, is the UP Aerospace vertical launch facility.(that is their launch tower sticking out of the end of the hangar doors)
Quote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 08:51 amQuote from: meekGee on 09/10/2014 05:19 amQuote from: Kabloona on 09/10/2014 04:19 amQuote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 04:00 amFWIW, the fenced building/facility to the south-southeast of the SpaceX construction, at the east end of the road, is the UP Aerospace vertical launch facility.(that is their launch tower sticking out of the end of the hangar doors)Is that this thing?http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Aerospace#/image/File:UP_Aerospace_vertical_launch_site_Spaceport_America.JPGWhat a gorgeous contraption!It's like Thunderbirds 1 had a baby with StingRay, in a barn, and the baby is poking its head out, Alien style. And wheels.Yes, that is the UP Aerospace movable building and launch mount. As I recall from something I read a few years ago, the launch mount is fixed to a foundation, and is of course raised vertical for launch, while able to go horizontal to allow work on the rocket prior to flight. The building structure (the "payload integration hangar") is on wheels so it can move out of the way for launch. Both the UP Aerospace building, and the SpaceX F9R-Dev2 construction zone, are in the designated vertical launch area of Spaceport America.Oh, the functionality is obvious... It's just the look that got me. It almost looks like something from Dr. Who.
Quote from: meekGee on 09/10/2014 12:27 pmQuote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 08:51 amQuote from: meekGee on 09/10/2014 05:19 amQuote from: Kabloona on 09/10/2014 04:19 amQuote from: Llian Rhydderch on 09/10/2014 04:00 amFWIW, the fenced building/facility to the south-southeast of the SpaceX construction, at the east end of the road, is the UP Aerospace vertical launch facility.(that is their launch tower sticking out of the end of the hangar doors)Is that this thing?http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UP_Aerospace#/image/File:UP_Aerospace_vertical_launch_site_Spaceport_America.JPGWhat a gorgeous contraption!It's like Thunderbirds 1 had a baby with StingRay, in a barn, and the baby is poking its head out, Alien style. And wheels.Yes, that is the UP Aerospace movable building and launch mount. As I recall from something I read a few years ago, the launch mount is fixed to a foundation, and is of course raised vertical for launch, while able to go horizontal to allow work on the rocket prior to flight. The building structure (the "payload integration hangar") is on wheels so it can move out of the way for launch. Both the UP Aerospace building, and the SpaceX F9R-Dev2 construction zone, are in the designated vertical launch area of Spaceport America.Oh, the functionality is obvious... It's just the look that got me. It almost looks like something from Dr. Who.Here is a video from a camera attached to that mount. Nice ring to it !!
Spaceport America's finances, and a still unbuilt southern access road, were big topics Monday when a New Mexico legislature finance committee met at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces....Next March Space X, one of the Spaceport's two permanent tenants, is expected to conduct its flight test.
http://www.kvia.com/news/spaceport-and-its-relationship-to-dona-ana-county-discussed-at-nm-finance-committee-meeting/29244612QuoteSpaceport America's finances, and a still unbuilt southern access road, were big topics Monday when a New Mexico legislature finance committee met at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces....Next March Space X, one of the Spaceport's two permanent tenants, is expected to conduct its flight test.Could this news be true? Surely the reporter just got something mixed up...
Quote from: solartear on 10/22/2014 01:56 amhttp://www.kvia.com/news/spaceport-and-its-relationship-to-dona-ana-county-discussed-at-nm-finance-committee-meeting/29244612QuoteSpaceport America's finances, and a still unbuilt southern access road, were big topics Monday when a New Mexico legislature finance committee met at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces....Next March Space X, one of the Spaceport's two permanent tenants, is expected to conduct its flight test.Could this news be true? Surely the reporter just got something mixed up...Isn't there a single NSF member out there who can drive out to the gate or fly over to snap some photos? November or March, the HIB has to be pretty far along by now, and easily viewable from a distance.
Quote from: sghill on 10/22/2014 08:23 pmQuote from: solartear on 10/22/2014 01:56 amhttp://www.kvia.com/news/spaceport-and-its-relationship-to-dona-ana-county-discussed-at-nm-finance-committee-meeting/29244612QuoteSpaceport America's finances, and a still unbuilt southern access road, were big topics Monday when a New Mexico legislature finance committee met at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces....Next March Space X, one of the Spaceport's two permanent tenants, is expected to conduct its flight test.Could this news be true? Surely the reporter just got something mixed up...Isn't there a single NSF member out there who can drive out to the gate or fly over to snap some photos? November or March, the HIB has to be pretty far along by now, and easily viewable from a distance.My understanding is that the facility is a bit remote - it's 1h20m fro Truth or Consequences, NM, and 2h30m from Las Cruces. And if you drive out there, they don't let you onto the facility.There's a tour bus from T-or-C; they say to allow 3 hours for the tour. Given 2h40m round-trip driving, that gives you abouta 20 min tour of the facility. Maybe 30 min. Given that there's probably not much to see there, that sounds like it might be about right...tl;dr version: I'd be surprised if anyone in NSF was in a position to just pop on over ...