New Mexico EDDS Secretary Rick Homans On The Spaceport Fight

There's a battle underway in the Land of Enchantment right now, as state officials in New Mexico are working hard to help their state become THE world's space destination.

Now home to a spaceport, the Rocket Racing League and the continuing X-Prize competition, the Land of Enchantment still faces problems of funding its part in these ventures -- problems that center on the state legislature.

Many representatives are asking why New Mexico -- which, despite a rich aerospace history and the presence of such lucrative brain-trusts as Sandia National labs and Los Alamos, has traditionally been one of the poorest states in the union -- spend a portion of a rare budget surplus on such star-crossed ventures... when the state faces many issues closer to earth?

ANN's Jim Campbell talked recently about this question with New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans (below).

This feature is in addition to our daily news briefing -- available in either a quick "Touch And Go" format or an expanded Aero-Briefing.

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 02.08.06 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program)

ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 02.08.06 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program)

ANN Special Feature -- The legislative fight for New Mexico's spaceport: 02.08.06 (ANN's Feature News Program, with NM EDDS Secretary Rick Homans.)

Our DAILY programs consist of (at least) three separate products... the first is a short synopsis of the previous 24 hours of Aero-News, in brief, spanning only a few minutes (max) and in a size/format that will allow it to be mailed as part of a Daily Aero-Cast subscription; a more comprehensive DAILY news product that will cover the previous 24 hours of news in a somewhat more detailed fashion, and a feature Aero-Cast that will center on one of the more important subject or topics of the day in considerable depth and detail. This is how these products break down...

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• ANN's Daily Briefing Aero-Cast: The Daily ANN Report (ANNRep for short), is a more comprehensive look at the day's news. We'll give you the whole buzz... the news and features that occupy the forefront of aviation news as well as solid background on the subjects that aviators and other aviation professionals need to stay informed on.
• ANN's Daily 'ASR' Feature Aero-Cast: ANN will be offering a Daily 'Aero-News Special Report.' This involves a more in-depth view of a story or two that dominated (or will be dominating) the day's news. Far more detailed than any single story in our standard ANN Daily Reports, this is a solid chance to get a close look at the stories and topics that matter. ASR features may include exclusive interviews with Aviation's Newsmakers, ANN's Special Investigative reports and solid analysis of the stories that will have undeniable impact on the world of aviation and aerospace. We're tremendously excited about this particular product in that it truly adds nuance and background to important breaking news stories and personalities. While our current news format allows for extensive reporting and information dissemination, ANN's ASRs should set the bar even higher. ANN has become a pivotal force in the world of aviation in the six years that have passed since we undertook the immense task of becoming the aviation world's DAILY news and information service... but with the all-new news services we're offering as part of our Aero-Cast line-up, we expect to become even more indispensable to the industry we serve.

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