Going to Florida for a scuba certificate? Add an Astronaut badge!
May 9, 2005 18: 18 EST
Now Florida too wants a piece of the pie when it comes to private Space travel. "Space shuttle flights are scheduled to end in 2010. If the shuttle program ends before the development of a new NASA space vehicle, thousands of high-paying jobs at Kennedy Space Center could vanish. In that case, space tourism might help hold off an economic collapse," writes FloridaToday.
Private space ports
So now the Florida Space Authority is checking the possibility for private space ports, envisioning future cruises of a different kind; tourists would arrive to Florida for the usual R&R in the sun, topping the trip with a few hours in space. Scuba diving certificates to be supplemented by real Astronaut badges!
Florida, New Mexico and Texas
"Space tourism could turn the X Prize into Brevard's $ Prize, injecting millions into the economy and adding thousands of jobs, which would supplement flat NASA budgets," reports FloridaToday.
Futron Corp., will study possible locations, infrastructure needs and funding requirements for a spaceport. Flights could begin by 2008, and the company plans to carry up to 500 passengers a year. Florida, New Mexico and Texas have been considered second launch site for SpaceShipTwo.
Already Zero gravity flights are taking place in Florida: ZERO-G’s Boeing 727 aircraft G-force offers weightlessness in roller-coaster spin ride To 25,000 feet. In California, private space buff's can get Spaceflight Training at NST spaceflight simulators in Santa Maria, California, near Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Image of SpaceShipOne Astronauts, courtesy of Scaled.com.
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