RAF Leuchars Spaceport Anyone?

[iRaven]

An interesting read: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408414/uk-spaceport-government-response.pdf

Funny how the report states that RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks lack any tourist activity in the local area - they've obviously never heard of Loch Ness, the Cairngorms and the Whiskey Trail then!!!

It will also be interesting when the morning space launch interrupts the first tee-off at the Royal and Ancient!

iRaven

[Sandy Parts]

A few disgruntled people around following this report/shortlist. Moray council promoted (and spent public money promoting) both Kinloss and Lossie. They were therefore very surprised to see the reason for their rejection was due to "MoD commitments". As the councilors said, why was that not mentioned in the 2 years they had been promoting the 2 bases? As the post above also says - to say there is a lack of tourist activity is also blatantly untrue.
Personally, I don't think ISK or ISL had any chance anyway and I also think the whole "spaceport" label is a marketing fad that will not yield any concrete results. After all, why would you use expensive UK real estate so far north when near-equatorial sites are much cheaper to launch from and develop?
However, the issue here is that if there is a 'competition' which councils are encouraged to enter to promote their area, the decision process should be fair and transparent.

[Corporal Clott]

I also thought it funny that they wanted the MOBs for Typhoon and Lightning II - ie. Coningsby and Marham. Are they mad!!! :ugh:

[Courtney Mil]

Physics. Best to launch anything that goes into space from a place where the tangential velocity is higher. Basically, the nearer to the equator, the more free velocity your rocket starts with. You could launch rockets from Scotland, but you could do better much further south.

And, yes, I do get it.

[Floppy Link]

Aren't most of these commercial spaceplane operations sub-orbital? i.e. up and down again, so they're not too fussed about the free velocity from being nearer the equator?

[chopper2004]

How about Boscombe Down?

1) Its south west

2) It has the longest runway around bar Machrihanish in the UK

3) Good support re test and eval - telemetry equipment

4) Secure due to the very nature of the base :mad:

5) A good place to carry out research in support of space operations due to Qinetiq's presence and DSTL across the field. Could even feature in preview syllabus of the ETPS course :E

6) When whatever spaceplane lands, no better escort than the Hawks assigned to ETPS :)

7) Aviation Med is based there with the Hawk


Post Heli Expo me and my other half went to KSC....and were reminded on the tour around the newest attraction - Atlantis , why they are located there...because for the very reasons Courtney mentioned.

Vandenberg is used for polar orbit launches and they had considered launching a few shuttle missions in the 80s with Space Launcher Complex 6 being modified and the north runway was lengthened...but in the aftermath of Challenger disaster...and subsequent suspension of shuttle operations...Vandenberg shuttle ops never happened bar in fiction a decade earlier with Moonraker :cool:

Cheers

[Sandy Parts]

Floppy - I think the 'space tourist' idea was the original carrot dangled to entice the regions to submit options. Serious space-industrialists soon poo-poo'd that idea and the evidence is in where the Virgin and Space-X launch and recovery sites are now based (hint - not the UK). The replacement carrot was the LEO (Low Earth Orbit) Small Satellite bandwagon. The UK actually does well in this arena (see Cambridge Small Satellites) - but in Design and Manufacturing - not launch. As I understand it, the govt is proposing a 'Space Centre of Excellence' where space-oriented business could co-locate, possibly with cheap launch facilities. While I have no issue with the former aspiration (although encouraging the tefal heads out to the necessary remote areas might be a challenge), I think the latter idea is a no-goer. Just my opinion - based on working in a high-tech business that struggles to attract the necessary highly skilled expertise to our beautiful but relatively remote location. Would be better for govt to support the business already in these locations rather than throw grants at new 'trendy' businesses who frequently drift away once the free money dries up.

[PICKS135]

Local council wont even allow a visitors centre with toilets near the beach at St Andrews, as it might spoil the view for people hitting a little white ball.

[Onceapilot]

Sub-orbital.:hmm:
This is little more than a dangerous rollercoaster IMO.

OAP

[andrewn]

There was an interesting piece on radio 4 this week about the so called spaceport in New Mexico, US on which millions of $ of tax-payers money had been spent. Seven years later, it is still sitting there unused.


Nice idea, but way ahead of its time IMO.