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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Grug on April 05, 2006, 07:05:30 pm

Title: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Grug on April 05, 2006, 07:05:30 pm
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18727730-421,00.html

Quote
ADELAIDE-born astronaut Andy Thomas is pushing a $150 million project to turn the Woomera rocket range into an international spaceport for tourists.

Space tourism! =o
That would be cool. :D
Though still alot of money. =(
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Unknown Target on April 05, 2006, 08:42:12 pm
Neat :)

Virgin Galactic is getting ready to build a spaceport in New Mexico as well, IIRC.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: aldo_14 on April 06, 2006, 04:11:51 am
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18727730-421,00.html

Quote
ADELAIDE-born astronaut Andy Thomas is pushing a $150 million project to turn the Woomera rocket range into an international spaceport for tourists.

Space tourism! =o
That would be cool. :D
Though still alot of money. =(

And this just happens to come as several millions tonnes of alcohol are found to be floating out in space?
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Mefustae on April 06, 2006, 04:25:20 am
And this just happens to come as several millions tonnes of alcohol are found to be floating out in space?
:rolleyes:
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Rictor on April 06, 2006, 07:40:09 am
Huh? It only costs $150 million to build a spaceport? That can't be accurate can it? Otherwise, every non-starving country on Earth could afford one.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Shade on April 06, 2006, 08:12:59 am
Well, given that all you really need are space, concrete, a hangar, a radio and maybe a radar, it doesn't sound unreasonable. You don't need Heathrow mk2 to launch and recover one craft once a week.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Unknown Target on April 06, 2006, 11:11:22 am
It'd probably cost more to do one or two launches than to actually build the spaceport.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Kosh on April 06, 2006, 01:15:57 pm
It'd probably cost more to do one or two launches than to actually build the spaceport.

How much did it cost to build the Kennedy Space Center?
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Mars on April 06, 2006, 01:36:07 pm
That was (and is) a highly advanced place with facilities for truely huge (Saturn V) rockets, and shuttle maintainence, I don't imagine private spaceports deal with the same things.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: NGTM-1R on April 06, 2006, 02:46:24 pm
With the type of craft they're planning on using to get to orbit, it wouldn't be much more expensive then building an airport suited to handle Gulfstream-type jets. You can find those all over the world. 150mil is probably a little optimistic, but you don't need the facilities you'd find in a major airport, much less Kennedy.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Grug on April 06, 2006, 06:36:20 pm
It's already a rocket range, so its more of an upgrade than a start from scratch. :)

And this just happens to come as several millions tonnes of alcohol are found to be floating out in space?

Zero G Beer anyone? :p
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Charismatic on April 06, 2006, 07:31:15 pm
It's already a rocket range, so its more of an upgrade than a start from scratch. :)

And this just happens to come as several millions tonnes of alcohol are found to be floating out in space?


Zero G Beer anyone? :p
No thanks. I just got back from space with my newly found Bosch Beer. Funny, there was a few tons of that crap lyin around up there. Wonder why nobody else is takeing some.
Title: Re: Space Land Downunder!
Post by: Grug on April 07, 2006, 06:40:30 am
Ah. It's infected with rabies.
Shivan rabies.