The Spaceports Of North America - Ready For Business

As of the end of 2012, North America supported 13 spaceports, with one in Canada and the reamining dozen in the USA.These ports are real and they are not all government operated. In fact, with the emergence of the NASA Commerical Crew (63 aerospace companies to date), the US Space Program took a decided turn for the private sector. The space program will go on with or without government funding.

Previously in May 2012, NASA itself had amassed a group of private sector aerospace companies to form its NASA Commerical Crew for commerical and privatized space ventures. Severasl of these companies are buidling replacements of various kinds for the US Space Shuttles retired in 2012, along with robot landers and habitat dwelling for the moon and in the furture, Mars..

Previously began ventures by Google were set to launch robot landers to the moon in early 2013, two years ahead of schedule (2015). In addition, Google joined with James Cameron and other investors to begin near-Earth orbit asteroid mining.

In late 2012, it was announced that a US astronaut, Scott Kelly and a Russian cosmonaut counterpart, Mikhail Kornienko, set to be shuttled to the ISS to complete an entire year in space in 2015. This is the longest of any long-term space living attempted to date, the current record in December 2012 being just six months. This will test the ability of the human body to withstand long-term space dwelling.

America first heard about such long-term space travel situtations when Walt Disney released space exploration episodes of his Sunday Night TV series in the 1960s.

Astronaut candidates and others who are now called pillownauts for their sleep and long-term bed stay partication in NASA studies, underwent sensory deprivation and sleep deprivation akin to that which might be experienced in outer space.

Many of these were illustrated on the Disney shows. These and more have been explored in the excellent Red Mars trilogy of Martian colonization sci-fi books. Kelly and Kornienki will see what really happens. Speculation exists that after many months in space, the human body is unable to sleep - what effects will this have on the brain, considering the body rejuvenates and even heals most duing sleep and specially REM Sleep? Astronaut related studies in the 1950s and 1960s showed hallucinations evident after 3 days lacking sleep. What will really occur "out there"?

All of these events and more combine to comprise a need for spaceports in North America. We have them and they are ready for business. Spaceport America began guided tours in 2011 - 2012 and tenants began coming on board.

The United States supports the development of 12 spaceports for government, commercial, and passenger transportation to outer space.

Spaceport America has, by the end of 2012, already sold 520 tickets at $200,000 each to private passengers to fly into space in late 2013. The spaceport incldues a 10,000-foot runway, vertical lift pads, and several other facilities. Aerospace companies that have already used the two-mile long runway include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, UP Aerospace, Virgin Gallactic (the anchor tenant), as well as its major competitor Armadillo Aerospace.

Spaceport America is huge overall, located near the White Sands Missle Site as well as the Trinity Site where the first atomic bomb was launched for testing. Spaceport America plans to be more positive.