By Wes Oleszewski
To see the area surrounding the Mojave airport in its future
perspective you have to view it in the same terms that Walt Disney
viewed the swamps outside of Orlando in the early 1960s. That is
because if the future of private spaceflight is to grow, its
roots may best be located in Mojave.
For decades, since the end of the Apollo Program, it has been
said that the future of spaceflight will likely reside in corporate
industry. In some sort of mineral or manufacturing exploitation
embarked upon by some corporate giant with the vision to invest
billions on some new product. The fact is, however, that existing
businesses are put off by the simple cost of upgrading their copy
machines, let alone investing in a vision for space exploitation.
Those industrial investors will never participate in the future of
spaceflight.
Odds are if you want to know where the real future of
spaceflight is you need to look no farther than the tourist
industry. Large scale space-theme tourism is where future
spaceflight may earn its money. Ventures such as the flight of
SpaceShipOne can demonstrate how Mojave is the perfect place to
establish that space world tourist attraction. Mojave's room for
expansion can be equated with rooms for hotel guests and room for
the construction of space themed attractions.
Some may say that the activity of making sub-orbital astronauts
out of people who have little or no flying experience will always
be reserved for those who have plenty of cash. If, however, you
look at the entire process as if you have unlimited money to invest
and then add a bit of imagination you can clearly see how this
activity can be surrounded by family-style attractions.
Let's say, for example, that a member of the family has saved up
enough cash to make that once-in-a-lifetime flight. Bringing the
whole family out to the space world resort could be a worthwhile
venture if there is enough to keep them entertained. Imagine, if
you will, a surrounding theme resort that has full motion simulator
rides, a neutral buoyancy attraction, zero-G flights, museums,
I-Max theaters and a hefty garnish of gift shops, eateries and
distractions to keep the rest of the family occupied. Much the same
as the tourist industry and central Florida theme park giants have
learned to profit from the entire family, the space tourism
industry can also flourish.
All that is needed for this space world tourist attraction is
the presence of those who have the vision, the assets and the nerve
to make it happen. Fortunately, the X Prize has already started to
draw the attention of those sorts of people to both spaceflight and
Mojave. With any luck, one, or some of them will have the same
ability that Walt Disney had in 1964 to make the future happen.