Hawaii a door to the 'new frontier'?

[Peshkwe]

So where they gonna put the landing strip and stuff?



http://www.clickondetroit.com/travel...23/detail.html

Hawaii could even be the first state where space travelers use rocket planes to get from one place to another.

Hawaii's tourism leaders recognize the potential for attracting visitors with the promise of space travel, but it's unclear whether Gov. Linda Lingle will release the licensing money at a time when the state is facing big budget problems and possible government employee layoffs. A new law authorizes the state to spend $500,000 to apply for a spaceport license from the federal government, which is the first step toward allowing commercial space travel from the islands.

[mel]

Re: Hawaii a door to the 'new frontier'?

A few years ago I went to one of the hearings regarding this proposal. I think the company was Rocket Plane or Space Plane (can't remember their name now) out of Oaklahoma.

They envision having an operation based at Kalaeloa Airport using the present facilities. They have full support from Senator Espero who of course wants new industry in the district. They envision an entire space city type of facility where people come to train and learn about space with the lucky few who can afford it given the chance to go up in the sub-orbital space plane.

Island to island they see going to and from Kalaeloa to Kona. They also had some kind of flight from Hawaii to Japan.

Very expensive needless to say. Mostly pie in the sky for now.

OK. Yes it was/is Rocketplane. Mr. Strom mentioned in the article was my former employer in a previous life.

[Peshkwe]

Re: Hawaii a door to the 'new frontier'?

At the chunk of change they want for a spaceport license pie in the sky might be the only thing going up.

I wonder if a thrill ride type thing with the simulated weightlessness done the same way as they would normally do it without the 'space port' licensing would work out or be worth doing until funding for the license could be done at a less economically stressful time.

Tourists could go up, do the weightless thing for less than the cost of actually going into space and going from point A to point B. Might be easier to do it in smaller steps so folks get used to the idea too.

Then later get the spaceport license.

[mel]

Re: Hawaii a door to the 'new frontier'?

You can simulate weightlessness for a few minutes at a time without going into space. NASA used (and probably still has) the training jet called "The Vomit Comet" that would climb very high in the sky and then nose dive at a high speed to recover moments later into level flight.

The first time I heard of a civilian use for the aircraft is when 20th Centuy Fox, Ron Howard leased the plane so simulate weightlessness for the movie "Apollo 13" back in 1994 or 95....

I recently saw a news report that has a private company doing to same thing for people who want to pay a fee. I think they attract wedding parties and stuff like that.

[Peshkwe]

Re: Hawaii a door to the 'new frontier'?

You can simulate weightlessness for a few minutes at a time without going into space. NASA used (and probably still has) the training jet called "The Vomit Comet" that would climb very high in the sky and then nose dive at a high speed to recover moments later into level flight.

The first time I heard of a civilian use for the aircraft is when 20th Centuy Fox, Ron Howard leased the plane so simulate weightlessness for the movie "Apollo 13" back in 1994 or 95....

I recently saw a news report that has a private company doing to same thing for people who want to pay a fee. I think they attract wedding parties and stuff like that.

Probably didn't convey it right but that's what I was thinking.

Do that as a set up for awhile till the state cash flow will allow expanding it to the original plan of being a licensed space port. Get the buildings and groundwork constructed and set in preparation, use it as a training/education facility and ride at less cost than for the big trips.