US gives green light for first commercial spaceport

US gives green light for first commercial spaceport

news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Federal Aviation Administration has given the green light for the world's first commercial spaceport, New Mexico authorities said Thursday.

The FAA granted Spaceport America a license for vertical and horizontal space launches following an environmental impact study, according to the New Mexico Space Authority (NMSA).

"These two governmental approvals are the next steps along the road to a fully operational commercial spaceport," said NMSA Executive Director Steven Landeene.

(visit the link for the full news article)


As mentioned in the article this craft could be the main focus at this facility.


[edit on 20-12-2008 by alyosha1981]

Wow, well this is deffinatly a cool concept I believe that were going in the right direction with the space program and soon more and more projects like this one will open up the heavens for more routine space travel. What do you think the possabilites are? can we we expect to see more and more things like this happening? well I think we have the privledge of living in a great time in human history, as always thoughts, opinions?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Its a move in the right direction for sure. There is another proposed place for a spaceport, located in Pecos Texas. And if there is to be industry and tourism industry in space, we need spaceports just as we have airports.



Cheers!!!!

That would be very cool indeed I hope to be able to see all of those accomplishments in my lifetime the whole idea is just so awsome to me, to think of spaceports like airports way cool heres another link I found on this as well enjoy
www.spaceportamerica.com...

Alyosha beat me to it (sorry, didn't see the new thread!) ... posted this after him/her with this question:

US gives green light for first commercial spaceport

I didn't see this one anywhere, so I apologize if there's a thread and I'm missing it.

Regular ATS reader, newly joined member ("long time listener, first time caller"). My question to ATS members (especially the UFO enthusiasts), stemming from this story, is this: as basic space flight becomes cheaper and more accessible to more and more people, what potential impacts might this have on the UFO phenomenon?

Paying, non-military, non-government people are already going up, thousands more are guaranteed to follow, and we're on our way to (eventually, one day, hopefully) complete orbital flights for citizens. And every one is guaranteed to bring cameras to document their experiences.

I'm open minded, and have seen quite a few interesting videos and pictures of UFOs (many here at ATS), but almost all are taken from the ground, and space footage I've seen from NASA hasn't convinced me completely. However, individual, private citizen accounts, with documentation from up there, would go a long way toward making believers out of everyone, negating any potential government cover-up.

Could widespread, sub-orbital, commercial space flight prove to be a tipping point for proving (or disproving) the existence of non-terrestrial UFOs? Thoughts please.

This is Richard Branson's Brainchild

Here's the site:

www.virgingalactic.com...

Thats a heck of a layout god knows he has the money for it, I wonder what that would be like to be the one to father something like that must be nice! and thanks for the pics chad I was just about to post something simmiler

UAE spaceport design:

Nearly full alien disclosure would have to happen before this. You cant send people into space knowing they will see these ufo's and still deny their existance.

This runs deeper than you think.

reply to post by hardcoremusiclover


You'd think, but seeing the military industrial complex is providing the technology for this construction - I wouldn't bank on disclosure.

Originally posted by hardcoremusiclover
Nearly full alien disclosure would have to happen before this. You cant send people into space knowing they will see these ufo's and still deny their existance.

This runs deeper than you think.

I completly agree maybe these baby steps are pointing us in the direction of a disclosure by means of first prepairing the people with a comfortable means for space travel and the logistics associated with it so that when all else is brought out into the open people's minds would already be conditioned to the fact that they will probably see E.T's in transit as well

reply to post by alyosha1981


People see UFOs while flying on airlines. This will be no different.

Besides that UFOs and "Aliens" show no concrete proof of even being extraterrestrial. There are military documents on STINET suggesting the phemonena is paraphysical. Dr. J. Allen Hynek who served as scientific advisor to the US Air Force on Project Sign, Grudge and Blue Book came to the same conclusion.

I can't imagine the government announcing to the public hey UFOs are real, we have no idea what the heck they are, but we think they might originate beyond our spacetime continuum. I can't imagine them disclosing a bunch of theories on the origins of a phenomena we do not understand. All it would do is make them look stupid and scare the crap out of people.

An absolute splendid video.

Any idea when the test flights are due for the spacecraft? The concept is magnificent and remarkable.

I dont know if hes scrapped this idea...but supposedly hes thinking of launching from scotland too! i think initial test flights are in california though..
news.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 20-12-2008 by Solomons]

Picture of SpaceShipOne during a flight in 2004. On June 21st, pilot Mike Melvill made a historic flight in the winged craft dubbed SpaceShipOne -- the first private manned mission to space.

awesome idea.
too bad we will probably never see it functioning in our lifetime

This is from our local news down here...

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has selected Gerald Martin Construction Management of Albuquerque to oversee construction of the state’s spaceport north of Las Cruces.

Spaceport officials said Thursday that Gerald Martin’s team will include specialists familiar with aviation facilities, fire and emergency medical services facilities and aeronautics and rocket facilities.

Spaceport executive director Steve Landeene said officials reviewed applications from “many quality applicants” before selecting Gerald Martin.

Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration finalized an environmental study of the spaceport and granted the Spaceport Authority a license for launching from the facility.

I've worked with Gerald Martin before so I can prognosticate the project will be behind schedule over budget and it will take years to fix everything they did wrong...

of course that's to be expected from taking the lowest bid.

Construction is to start in the first quarter of 2009. I have to add scepticism, Virgin believe the port can be constructed and operational within a year.

From the current pictures on the Virgin website, ground work and preparations are ahead of schedule. But due to the current forlorn economic crisis, we might not see scheduled flights until 2011.

reply to post by thing fish


An element of ambivalence I feel.

The spaceport will be functional by 2010/11 but with a $20,000 ticket - it will not be universal(excuse the pun) for decades.

The United Arab Emirates port is aiming for 2010 opening, but Virgin have denied UAE is definitive. A deal has been agreed, but no confirmation date for port completion or construction.