My husband and I recently attended County Commissioner meetings
about the proposed Spaceport America. I was heartened to see how
much the New Mexico Spaceport Authority has already accomplished
on the project. They have selected a site, and done preliminary
surveys for its suitability. They have an agreement in principle
with Virgin Galactic as their first anchor tenant. They have
designs for hangars and placement for runways, and plans for water
treatment. They have designed the Spaceport to cover mainly
state-held land, and made agreements with the owners of the
privately held land.

It’s not the first time New Mexico has looked to space. Werner Von
Braun began here, before Huntsville, Alabama offered him
incentives to relocate. White Sands Missile Range pours over a
million dollars a day into the local economy. The state government
first began looking at locating a commercial spaceport here in
the 1990s.

Richard Branson’s plan for space tourism, and the other developments
in commercial access to space, such as the X-Prize winners, the
Rocket Racing league, and the growing commercial use of satellites,
made the time look right for a commercial spaceport.

The area has several advantages for a spaceport — the weather is
good all year around, the altitude and southern latitude both give
a boost, there is ample land available — including one unique
advantage. White Sands Missile Range has a controlled flight area
above it all the way up. This means that commercial planes do not
overfly the area of the proposed spaceport. In avoiding White
Sands, they avoid the spaceport location as well.

Governor Bill Richardson, Spaceport Authority Chairman Rick Homans,
and County Commissioner for Dona Ana County William McCamley have
all dedicated significant time to creating the Spaceport. The next
hurdle is a local option bond measure on April 3rd. The funding
for the Spaceport must come from a selection of sources. The state
of New Mexico has put in the majority. The federal government has
been approached for some. The counties of New Mexico have been
asked to raise the rest.

Passing the bond measure will not only fund the project, but also
show that the local citizens believe enough to support it. The
vote on April 3rd is the next step on the critical path to building
the Spaceport.

If you live in New Mexico, or have influence in New Mexico, your
support would be appreciated.

Book Recommendation

The Wellstone by Wil McCarthy

Would everyone settle back and enjoy it with unlimited material
wealth? Not in this story of a revolution run by nearly immortal
children in an incredibly wealthy civilization. As the son of
immortal monarchs, Prince Bascal has few hopes of exercising
power. So he leads his friends on a protest that grows larger
than any of them expected. This is a great ride, and it’s worth
noting that author Wil McCarthy is actually trying to build the
title substance that underlies his fictional civilization’s wealth.

—————
Anna Paradox is a life coach, specializing in helping those who want
to create a spacefaring civilization realize their dreams. For more
information, see her website at www.annaparadox.com or contact her
at anna@annaparadox.com.

—————
Wings of Infinity, 2100 Thomas Dr, Las Cruces, NM 88001, USA