Author Topic: Spaceports in the United States (Read 18556 times)

SpacemanInSPACE · « **on:** 06/29/2011 06:07 pm »

I'm curious, do you think New Mexico went ahead with calling it Spaceport 'America" to give off the impression that THIS is America's spaceport to discourage the development of other spaceports.

I live in California and the closest thing to a spaceport aside from VB is Mojave but with Virgin Galactic signing deals with New Mexico, I'm not sure if Mojave will be able to thrive aswell?

What do you think? Given the potential range of commercial space impact, is their room for multiple Commercial Space centers in the United States?

Mackilroy · « **Reply #1 on:** 07/02/2011 07:41 pm »

From what I've read of Mojave it's more of a development and research facility than an out-and-out spaceport. If commercial spaceflight takes off though, I could see there being room for more than one spaceport in the country.

yg1968 · « **Reply #2 on:** 07/03/2011 03:29 am »

Part of the plan for the 21st century complex is to make KSC into a spaceport of some sort. See this thread:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25790.0

vt_hokie · « **Reply #3 on:** 07/03/2011 04:57 am »

Having the taxpayers pay for this "spaceport" strikes me as being wrong. Of course, I'm also against paying for stadiums for private sports franchises...

yg1968 · « **Reply #4 on:** 07/03/2011 05:25 am »

Quote from: vt_hokie on 07/03/2011 04:57 am

Having the taxpayers pay for this "spaceport" strikes me as being wrong. Of course, I'm also against paying for stadiums for private sports franchises...

To be consistent, you should then also be against any money going to NASA or to build airports or bridges. In any event, the companies that use the facilities pay a rental fee. It's not very different from an airport.
http://www.leighfisher.com/pdfs/publications/Focus-Airport-Privatization.pdf

pathfinder_01 · « **Reply #5 on:** 07/03/2011 05:27 am »

Quote from: vt_hokie on 07/03/2011 04:57 am

Having the taxpayers pay for this "spaceport" strikes me as being wrong. Of course, I'm also against paying for stadiums for private sports franchises...

Like stadiums it depends on how much revenue this thing might bring in via taxes and tourism. In theory you have tourism as people may want to vist the place and if you can get some spacecraft to land there even better(like cst 100 or Dream Chaser).

vt_hokie · « **Reply #6 on:** 07/03/2011 05:42 am »

Quote from: yg1968 on 07/03/2011 05:25 am

To be consistent, you should then also be against any money going to NASA or to build airports or bridges. In any event, the companies that use the facilities pay a rental fee. It's not very different from an airport.

I thought about that, but this seems more like subsidizing an amusement park for the ultra-wealthy.

Diagoras · « **Reply #7 on:** 07/03/2011 05:49 am »

Quote from: vt_hokie on 07/03/2011 05:42 am

Quote from: yg1968 on 07/03/2011 05:25 am

To be consistent, you should then also be against any money going to NASA or to build airports or bridges. In any event, the companies that use the facilities pay a rental fee. It's not very different from an airport.

I thought about that, but this seems more like subsidizing an amusement park for the ultra-wealthy.

Like HSF is an amusement park for government employees? I believe I've corrected you on this once before, so why do you keep disparaging the work of suborbital companies?

Jason1701 · « **Reply #8 on:** 07/03/2011 11:27 am »

Quote from: vt_hokie on 07/03/2011 04:57 am

Having the taxpayers pay for this "spaceport" strikes me as being wrong. Of course, I'm also against paying for stadiums for private sports franchises...

The bulk of the government funding was provided by New Mexico, not the federal government. Residents of the counties surrounding the spaceport site voted to have a "spaceport tax." Paying for the spaceport didn't strike them as being wrong; it was an investment in their state and communities.

vt_hokie · « **Reply #9 on:** 07/03/2011 07:33 pm »

Fair enough, I'll concede on this one. (It just rubs me the wrong way when necessary infrastructure projects, like upgrading our neglected transportation system for example, keep getting attacked as wasteful when nobody seems to have a problem with things like this.)

yg1968 · « **Reply #10 on:** 07/04/2011 06:08 pm »

Here is a map of other spaceports in the United States:
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/03/05/map-spaceports-america/

Robotbeat · « **Reply #11 on:** 07/05/2011 04:54 pm »

Quote from: vt_hokie on 07/03/2011 07:33 pm

Fair enough, I'll concede on this one. (It just rubs me the wrong way when necessary infrastructure projects, like upgrading our neglected transportation system for example, keep getting attacked as wasteful when nobody seems to have a problem with things like this.)

This isn't in the same realm as stadiums (which I agree with you on, actually). Space tourism is only part of one of three markets that suborbital companies are going for: 1)People 2)Payloads and 3)Nanosats. Closer to a conventional airport or other infrastructure projects.

mike robel · « **Reply #12 on:** 07/05/2011 05:01 pm »

In the popular view - that is if you asked people to say where is America's Space Port, it would be KSC, if only because the Shuttle is launched from there.

Robotbeat · « **Reply #13 on:** 07/05/2011 06:56 pm »

Quote from: mike robel on 07/05/2011 05:01 pm

In the popular view - that is if you asked people to say where is America's Space Port, it would be KSC, if only because the Shuttle is launched from there.

Except you've never been able to buy a ticket on Shuttle. For some of the spacecraft leaving Spaceport America, you will be able to.

In my city, there's the Mall of America. It's marketing. And there's nothing wrong with that.

yg1968 · « **Reply #14 on:** 08/26/2011 07:13 pm »

FAA Spaceport grants awarded:

http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/08/spaceport-grants-will-strengthen-commerical-space-industry.html

Quote

$125,000 to the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to improve security and remote monitoring;
$125,000 to the East Kern Airport District’s Mojave Air and Space Port in California for a Supplemental Environmental Assessment; and
$249,378 to the New Mexico Space Port Authority’s Spaceport America to construct a mobile structure to prepare larger rockets before launch.