By Vicki Nisbett
It won’t be cheap to take a ride into space from Spaceport America — Virgin Galactic is selling tickets for $200,000 apiece — but many of the estimated 1,500 people who attended a celebration of the facility’s groundbreaking on Thursday in Las Cruces are still excited about the project.
“If the optimistic views come true, it’s going to be pretty amazing,” Las Cruces resident Pam Carpenter said. “I’m a teacher in Hatch, and I’m anxious to see if there’s any repercussions up there and how it’ll help the community, the people in Hatch.”
So would Carpenter go up into space?
“Yeah, you bet I’d go, if it wasn’t my money,” she said.
Officials have touted the economic and educational benefits they say Las Cruces and the surrounding counties will experience with the development of the spaceport. James Webb, a SpaceTec instructor at the Doña Ana Community College, said, with the development of the aerospace industry in southern New Mexico, “the 21st Century is here.”
Webb teaches hands-on skills for building and maintaining rocket components at the college. He said a number of companies and agencies want to develop the industry, and he’s helping teach students so they “have the tools necessary to do the job right.”
Webb also said he would, if given the opportunity, take a ride into space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, which the company estimates will be ready to take passengers into space in 2011.
‘Just a great opportunity’
Others who attended Thursday’s celebration in Las Cruces shared also expressed optimism.
“I hope (Spaceport America) helps the local employment around here, Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences,” Las Crucen Gene Miller said. “They can stand all of the new jobs that are available.”
Gene’s wife Erika Miller said she is “very enthusiastic” about the spaceport, adding that it’s “just a great opportunity for people.”
Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima emphasized in an interview that, while he didn’t favor the local tax increase that helped fund the spaceport, he’s a fan of the project and the growth he expects will result.
“In 50 years, we’ll probably be the size of Tucson. Even though we probably won’t need it, we’ll probably have our own major airport or it’ll be closer between El Paso and Las Cruces,” he said. “We’ll still be one of the top places to live. We’ll be a hub for trade with the Far East and Europe because of the availability and products we have such as pecans and chile. What we import in will be interesting.”
Miyagishima said “maybe” when asked if he would be willing to take a ride on SpaceShipTwo.
One woman who attended Thursday’s celebration just learned about Spaceport America.
“I was at the chamber of commerce today, where the guy from Virgin Galactic, the guy from the U.K., talked about having 300 customers already who paid to go on (SpaceShipTwo),” said Suzette Coggins, who is from Mesa, Ariz. “Those people are coming from all over the world. All I could think about was, why was Phoenix so stupid? Why didn’t Arizona get (the spaceport)?”
‘I’m waiting to see’
Two men interviewed are spaceport proponents but said they’re a little skeptical.
“I would like to see more work being done, actually get to see facilities, hardware and more development,” said Las Cruces resident and mechanical engineer Rich C’de Baca. “I’ve been to a lot of publicity events. I would like to see more progress in the actual technologies side of it.”
C’de Baca said he would ride on SpaceShipTwo if he got a discount.
Lee Baker, a alumnus of New Mexico Tech in Socorro, said he has “seen a lot of money put into events like this, and a lot of hype surrounding things, but not much in the construction of the actual spaceport. So, that’s what I’m waiting to see.”
Just like Rich, Baker said he would go on the spaceship with a discount.
Two people from Deming were optimistic about the spaceport.
“I’m really excited about the space program; I always have been,” said Jack Briggs. “I moved here from Michigan and now they’re putting a spaceport in New Mexico. My kids are (crazy) about it. I would go on the spaceship in a minute, and my whole family would, too.”
Briggs’ neighbor, Pam Ortega, said the project is “pretty cool.”
“The younger generation is really digging it,” she said. “It’s a learning experience, too.”
No, she wouldn’t go up in the spaceship, but her husband, Gary, would, she said.
Nisbett is a Las Cruces-based freelance writer, and is writing articles for this site while she pursues other opportunities. She can be reached at puncpubs@yahoo.com.