The First Space Airport in The World

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2211/spaveport.jpg

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Spaceport America is the world’s first facility devoted exclusively to serve commercial flights into space. The airport is also intended for the millionaires who want to travel into space using a Virgin Galactic flight. The airport which was built in 2006 was located in a remote desert near the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, United States. Spaceport America is near the White Sands Missile Range, U.S. Air Force military facilities.

In the western region airports, available facilities for office administration support Virgin Galactic (private airline owned by millionaire space Richard Bronson) and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. Central region, which has a hangar covering an area of 4366 square meters are used to accommodate aircraft White Knight Two and Space Ship Two. Two vehicles can deliver humans into space.

In the eastern region, there are areas of training, operations, the departure hall, dressing room space, and public areas. In the restaurant and the mission control room, visitors can see first hand apron, runway, and the scenery behind it. The airport is also designed environmentally friendly. He uses a technology called “Earth Tubes” to cool the building, using a panel of sunlight, heating and cooling underground, as well as natural ventilation in summer. Visitors can take advantage of shuttle bus service to the Spaceport.

Although construction of the airport have not really finished, but since October 2009, eight sub-orbital flight missions (100 kilometers above sea level) have been launched from the airport. The airport itself will be completely new, built in 2011.

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:Coffetoday.com:

how many flights does it have annually, I wonder??
I guess the multi millionaire owner can afford it for now with only 8 flights for the last 1.5 years. But IMHO, not every business can afford to have such a limited number of flights originating from it. Not even a multi-millionaire owner. The purpose of a business is to make money.
Eventually, the place is going to have to increase it's number of originating flights or shut down and become a museum.

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Originally Posted by SealLion

The purpose of a business is to make money.

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The purpose of a business is to increase market value, which could or could not involve earning money (Earnings are reinvested)
Maybe they are just trying to bait investors and crazy billionaires that want to go to space. Besides, the cheapest fare for a flight as of today is U$S 25.000.000 in Russia (as far as I know), and I guess they can make space flights at a fraction of that....that's a hell of a business in my opinion!

You can't really call it a "flight" as the name doesn't really fit... lol, If you ask me, flights are available for as low as 20, 40 bucks, this is about 100.000 times more expensive, still it makes the whole concept of going into outter space as leisure travel a lot more accessible (for smaller millionaires).

Hope to give it a go some day ahah :) - would certainly be a good sign

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Originally Posted by desodorante

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Maybe they are just trying to bait investors and crazy billionaires that want to go to space. ...

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How would they bait investors, though??
I mean, with what?
With cheaper space flights, I guess since according to your knowledge, the cheapest space flight costs around 25 Million. Still, they'd have to wait for some company, or even a number of them, to construct a space aircraft apart from the monopoly that NASA and Russia and I think also Japan and even China have. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't South America also have some kind of space program?
I'm talking about commercial space flight programs run by private companies that don't necessarily invest money in furthering science while in space.

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Originally Posted by bernardosgr

You can't really call it a "flight" as the name doesn't really fit... lol, If you ask me, flights are available for as low as 20, 40 bucks, this is about 100.000 times more expensive, ....

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You've got to be kidding me. How can one fly as low as 40 bucks unless your flying to the next village which is 10 Km away.
I can see 100 bucks for a flight but I can't see 40.
Unless I"m in the backwaters somewhere.

Just go for low cost, believe it or not, I've seen flights get booked for as low as 8$ ... Pathetic right? The thing is, it's not a short flight, I saw this in a TV show in my country (Portugal) and the flight was to Cracow (roughly 1600 miles or 2500 kilometers) in straight line, I believe. Also, if you're smart you can go even as low as 11$ - 15$ to a place like London, which is actually very close but still...

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Originally Posted by SealLion

How would they bait investors, though??
I mean, with what?
With cheaper space flights, I guess since according to your knowledge, the cheapest space flight costs around 25 Million. Still, they'd have to wait for some company, or even a number of them, to construct a space aircraft apart from the monopoly that NASA and Russia and I think also Japan and even China have. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't South America also have some kind of space program?
I'm talking about commercial space flight programs run by private companies that don't necessarily invest money in furthering science while in space.

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I understand that is hard to see this is a profitable business, but in my opinion it should be, because EVERYONE wants to go to space, and there are several companies that have made commercial, reusable planes that can make orbital flights...and this people were the first to build an "airport" for such planes, providing this companies with ways to successfully market flights, providing customers with a location suitable for the task, and everything at a lower rate.
There is an overview of the subject in Wikipedia, sorry but that is the most comprehensive article I could find.
Space tourism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maybe you could start offering Seal-powered boat trips to Antarctica :D, and you could accept tracker invites as payment!!...I had the idea so we are officially partners and you owe me 50% of the revenues kind seal-sir.

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Originally Posted by SealLion

But IMHO, not every business can afford to have such a limited number of flights originating from it. Not even a multi-millionaire owner. The purpose of a business is to make money.
Eventually, the place is going to have to increase it's number of originating flights or shut down and become a museum.

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it can be done, as an exclusive project for high-profile customers first and later on gradually widen the customer base when the profits start to stagnate (saturation) - by then the technology might be sufficient to expand the project, though i'd say its probably already feasible - what they likely want is overpricing through scarcity as long as possible, not to mention the ability to overtake possible competition, maybe also to establish monopoly in this segment, which surely is something that can acquire a large 'consumer' interest

also, even if most people don't have the means to actually go for a ride into space, there is a good amount of revenue possible by charging for the ground-facilities sightseeing, training programs, monitoring/observing flights, etc.

at least this project makes more sense than some others:

http://www.sb-innovation.de/showthre...threadid=18018

as for those cheap flights:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-cost_carrier

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Originally Posted by desodorante

I understand that is hard to see this is a profitable business, but in my opinion it should be, because EVERYONE wants to go to space, and there are several companies that have made commercial, reusable planes that can make orbital flights...and this people were the first to build an "airport" for such planes, providing this companies with ways to successfully market flights, providing customers with a location suitable for the task, and everything at a lower rate.
There is an overview of the subject in Wikipedia, sorry but that is the most comprehensive article I could find.
.......
Maybe you could start offering Seal-powered boat trips to Antarctica :D, and you could accept tracker invites as payment!!...I had the idea so we are officially partners and you owe me 50% of the revenues kind seal-sir.

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Yes, I see what your saying now. It makes more sense.

Also, I'll get right too it with the 50 % revenue. I'll start on it first thing in the morning. I'll have my secretary prepare the papers and all other related matters to your complete satisfaction. After all, Seal - Powered motorization is the lowest price and I refuse to be undersold.
And as a certain Canadian retailer used to say, " The lowest price is the law "

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Originally Posted by slikrapid

it can be done, as an exclusive project for high-profile customers first and later on gradually widen the customer base when the profits start to stagnate (saturation) - by then the technology might be sufficient to expand the project, though i'd say its probably already feasible - what they likely want is overpricing through scarcity as long as possible, not to mention the ability to overtake possible competition, maybe also to establish monopoly in this segment, which surely is something that can acquire a large 'consumer' interest

also, even if most people don't have the means to actually go for a ride into space, there is a good amount of revenue possible by charging for the ground-facilities sightseeing, training programs, monitoring/observing flights, etc.

at least this project makes more sense than some others:

........

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I was thinking that too at one brief point with respect to the maximization of profits until prices settle at some point component.
Still for now, one can see that the current pricing for this sort of travel/liesure activity ( if one can even say that it is a 'leisure activity' ), is pretty much out of the reach of the average consumer until prices do settle.

I think that you guys are right. I think that as time goes on, things of this sort could pretty much be available to most other people on earth. Maybe not right away, perhaps in 15- 20 years or so, IMHO

Maybe one day (soon hopefully) one crazy guy will create a low-cost company and a few more airports (so you can get more competitive airport fees) for space travelling and maybe then, SB-I will promote a field trip into outter space!!
No, but seriously, I agree with what's been said, I myself would truly love to go into outter space and experience it's "hugeness"