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A small group of Accredited Space Agents and future commercial astronauts had the absolute privilege this week to see first-hand that the new frontier of public space fights HAS ARRIVED!!!!!! I have been so excited since August when I received the invitation to attend the 2010 Accredited Space Agent Forum with Virgin Galactic. We arrived in New Mexico on Monday, October 4 and were given an itinerary that would prove to be the most incredible experience.
Our week long journey was designed to educate each of us on the historical significance that New Mexico has had on the space industry, embrace the hospitality of the people, and finally have the privilege of being among the first to see first-hand the home for the new frontier in travel and exploration – Spaceport America!!!!
We began the tour at White Sands Missile Base. What an undiscovered gem!!!! To see and hear the stories of where rocketry began was simply amazing. We had the opportunity to view everything from actual B2 missiles to Scud Missiles and everything in between. We also trekked off the beaten path and viewed an actual launch pad with missile intact. The missile base has a wonderful museum both inside stocked with historical memorabilia and outside stocked with helicopters, dozens of missiles and even a flying saucer!!!
We later traveled to the Space Museum that houses many artifacts including one of only three Sputniks and the burial site for the first monkey in space. This museum and its staff was truly another gem in the education and preservation of space history.
We had the distinct opportunity to have a wonderful dinner in Cloudcroft where we were treated to a star gazing party with Dr. Hale (famous for discovering the Hale Bopp Comet). We had climbed 9,000 feet above sea level for a truly spiritual experience. The stars shined brighter against unspoiled night sky and the crisp chill in the air was truly breathtaking. Truly a privilege!!!
The next day we began our day at the Solar Sunspot Observatory and had the opportunity to see some of the most state of the art telescopes available. We then moved on
We were welcomed in Hatch, NM by the entire community with such a wonderful reception at the Pelham House. What a beautiful and authentic facility!!! The people were truly a class act as we were welcomed by the community leaders and representatives. We could never have asked for a warmer reception and we took in the local culture, scrumptious food and watched the locals do their magic with what chili peppers (amazing). After a wonderful evening of socializing and enjoying the food and music we were off to our final destination – Truth or Consequences. Here we enjoyed our first night in the local hot springs and then called it a night to prepare for our 4:30 am departure to Spaceport America.
Spaceport America
It is difficult to describe the emotions that we each had (of course all of us were different), but we did share an overwhelming anticipation for the big unveiling. What makes this such a big deal you ask? Spaceport America will be the home to several space program and is a state of the art facility that will sure to become a global landmark. This is where the first private citizens will become astronauts. This is where legends will be made. This is the beginning of a new frontier. How many times will we have the opportunity to become part of a new frontier? Our ancestors discovered the world, maybe we have one or two stories to pass down that we can be proud of. Maybe not. This is the next frontier that many people will have the privilege of owning the rights to pass down a legacy to their ancestors. This is a once in many lifetimes opportunity to own a piece in history and be a pioneer. Commercial space travel is beginning to make the news, but Virgin Galactic is the only one that has a working spaceship that it is currently testing and taking reservations for. The day is coming soon and every day we see more and more tangible evidence that we are in the age of commercial space travel.
We pulled up to the runway in the early hours before sunrise. The buses lined up to block our view before the unveiling. We watched the sun creep up on a perfect New Mexico morning. As it rose over the mountains, the buses began to pull away unveiling our first peek at the new runway. This is a runway that any aircraft can depart or land at and will be home to the Virgin Galactic. We sat on the runway that many will make history at and looked down to see what they will see as they taxi off to begin their journey.
We then went to the new state of the art facility where the future astronauts will train, take the walk across the sky bridge before their flight and return to the world’s greatest lounge to share their adventure with their closest friends and family. To have the privilege to step inside this masterpiece before it becomes a world landmark was simply breathtaking. Words really cannot describe the experience so please visit my Facebook page for all of the photos and video links.
