By Eric Berger 10:31 AM Seeking to lead Houston into a future from aviation to aerospace, the Houston Airport System unveiled preliminary plans on Wednesday to develop a 450-acre spaceport at Ellington Airport. "I'm absolutely convinced now is the time to start positioning Houston as a major player in this industry," said Mario Diaz, Houston aviation director. Ellington Airport, a few miles from Johnson Space Center, is only about one-third occupied. Diaz said Houston needs to seize the future of aerospace, which he believes is increasingly moving from the hands of government and NASA to the private sector. "In recent years we've seen a dramatic change in the aerospace industry," Diaz said. "With this trend in mind, the question is how does the city dubbed Space City USA in the last century hold on to that title in the 21st century? We think a spaceport is the answer." He envisions a facility that would be home to space tourism as well as support aerospace hangars, manufacturing facilities, educational institutions and museums. Like aviation companies do at other Houston airports, facilities would be leased from the city, providing the bulk of revenues. In addition to Johnson Space Center, Houston has attributes that would help it succeed as a private aerospace hub, including a skilled workforce and easy access to offshore airspace, said Michael Lopez-Alegria, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, an industry trade group. "It goes without saying that space and Houston are rather synonymous," Lopez-Alegria said. He agreed with Diaz that the spaceflight game is changing, and that Houston needs to move beyond relying on NASA alone for its aerospace prominence. "As important as that legacy is, I think we're on the doorstep of a new era," he said. Construction costs for such a facility are not clear. Diaz said there are no "concrete numbers" for development of the facility, which would be financed from a variety of sources, including private companies, public bonds and grants. He envisions construction occurring over the next five to 10 years. Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston City Council have expressed support for the initiative, giving the airport system approval to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for a spaceport license. The United States has eight spaceports. The commercial flights being proposed from Ellington Airport would take off from the spaceport like a traditional aircraft, then fly out over the Gulf and up to about 60miles above the surface. From there passengers would be treated to a view of the Earth seen so far only by astronauts. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...s-envision-spaceport-at-Ellington-4787853.php http://www.fly2houston.com/SpaceportGallery
No it doesn't make any sense. The recreational market for space flight will be at best miniscule. And I'm not sure I want space planes flying in and out over the world's largest petrochemical complex and a population of 4 million people. Probably a better use for Ellington would be something like Alliance Airport in Ft.Worth with commercial shippers and a Trade Zone etc. http://www.allianceairport.com/
Ignore the Wired or Fast Company articles with Branson and Musk on the cover, and factor in the commercial satellite transport that NASA might not have the budget or focus to support anymore.
I see what you are saying but I don't agree with you. Houston has a chance to be the largest North American city with a commercial spaceport. Add the proximity to the Johnson Space Center and the business-friendly atmosphere and you have the possibility of a very successful enterprise. Take a look at the the other locations of commercial spaceports in the US: Corn Ranch - Van Horn, TX (west texas) Cecil Airport - Jacksonville, FL Kodiak Launch Complex - Kodiak Island, AK Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) - Delmarva Peninsula, VA Mojave Air and Space Port - Mojave, CA Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark (Oklahoma Spaceport) - Burns Flat, OK Spaceport America - Sierra County, NM Of these, only MARS is affiliated with a NASA facility and only Cecil Airport is located close to a major metropolitan area. Ellington Field would be able to provide both benefits. Spaceport America is easily the most prominent of these facilities. Access to the White Sands Missile Range facility and support from the local government contributed a great deal to this success. However, the closest town to the facility is Truth or Consequences, NM (pop. 6,475). Ellington Field is more accessible than most of these facilities, has better amenities due to proximity to a major metropolitan locale and all the expertise from NASA and the NSBRI. BTW, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is a consortium of 12 institutions that is responsible for a great deal of translational space biomedical research. Most recently, the NSBRI provided medical expertise to the Red Bull Stratos jump. Baylor College of Medicine, Rice and Texas A&M are part of the 12 institutions. The main facility is the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (located in the BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) in Rice University.)
There is a reason that all the real commercial spaceports are all on the equator. The rotational velocity of the earth at the equator is greater. Spacecraft have reduced fuel costs and launches are more economical. Ellington Field can't compete with equatorial cost savings for commercial space flights. How about we just worry about making it a viable commercial airport. It works fine as a place for NASA guys to park their T-38's between joy rides. Also, given rotational direction of earth, all launches would travel out across the City of Houston. First rocket that has a failure early in launch and drops a couple of tons of flaming hydrazine on Pearland or Clear Lake would provoke an interesting reaction from the public, to say the least.
1. Agree the market will be miniscule. 2. Wouldn't you be afraid of any plane flying over Houston then?
Interesting point, however: Ellington is closer to the equator than Spaceport America (the busiest one) Regardless, your other point is valid up until commercial space travel becomes as routine as today's air travel
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