XPrize show in Las Cruces

Don Jones

Don Jones

Line Up and Wait
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Feb 23, 2005
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Las Cruces, New Mexico
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DJones
I went to the XPrize show here in Las Cruces today. They closed down the airport and covered the ramp with displays from various teams who are all part of the effort for private space travel. It was a real mess on the ramp, with between 15 and 30 thousand people in attendance. Here are a few pictures, they are not the best quality since the wife had the good digital this weekend. So many people on the ramp made it difficult to take any pictures as well. They also had a demonstration flight of one of the Rocket Racing League aircraft, kinda interesting. http://rocketracingleague.org/default.aspx This is all a big buildup of the New Mexico Space Port to be built about 40 miles north of Las Cruces. This event is to be an annual event and is supposed to be held at the Space Port next year.
Don

Oh, by the way, there is a dork in every crowd, lol
 
Great pictures!!!

Looks like it was quite an exciting event
 
Is the RRL for real? Do you have any other information on the space port?

Vandenburg AFB is supposed to support a civilian/military space port. It's been a long time coming, various govt agencies and state and federal politicians have gotten behind it but I haven't heard anything for a long time. I just wonder how many space ports can this nation support. So far it's all talk and no show, 10 yrs and counting.
 
I can't believe I forgot about this. I was actually planning on going down there for that too.

**Kicks self**
 
Richard said:
Is the RRL for real? Do you have any other information on the space port?

Vandenburg AFB is supposed to support a civilian/military space port. It's been a long time coming, various govt agencies and state and federal politicians have gotten behind it but I haven't heard anything for a long time. I just wonder how many space ports can this nation support. So far it's all talk and no show, 10 yrs and counting.
Click to expand...

The NM Space port has already broken ground, they claim after the first of the year to be going full bore getting it built. I flew over the area the other day but did not see it so who knows. There are several foreign companies who have already committed to moving their operations to the new facility once it is done. Exciting stuff for the 48th poorest state in the union. http://www.space.com/news/050825_newmexico_spaceport.html

I don't know about the RRL, they did a big video presentation about it and the guy starting it is the one who got the XPrize thing started. He has partnered up with an Indy racer(can't remember his name) to form the RRL. Some of what they were showing on the video seemed a little far fetched, but who knows. They say there are several of the planes flying now. Here is the only pic I got of it. Did not have a zoom lens on my cheapie digital.
Don

Also got a cool fly-by demo with a Stealth
 
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NickDBrennan said:
I can't believe I forgot about this. I was actually planning on going down there for that too.

**Kicks self**
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Too bad Nick, Jack in the Box was open, lol. You would have had to fly in on Saturday though and could not leave til after midnight tonight though.
I wish I could have gotten some shots from the air. I flew over the show(they were still setting up) Saturday but like Michael, I forgot the camera. It would have been hard to take pics of it anyway since I was solo.
Don
 
NickDBrennan said:
I can't believe I forgot about this. I was actually planning on going down there for that too.

**Kicks self**
Click to expand...
Just think, you successfully avoided another opportunity to forget your camera.
 
Don Jones said:
Too bad Nick, Jack in the Box was open, lol. You would have had to fly in on Saturday though and could not leave til after midnight tonight though.
I wish I could have gotten some shots from the air. I flew over the show(they were still setting up) Saturday but like Michael, I forgot the camera. It would have been hard to take pics of it anyway since I was solo.
Don
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Okay, enough already! Hear ye, hear ye, I FORGOT MY CAMERA is no longer a valid excuse. Effective immediately, the correct verbage is, I don't need a camera, I have a photographic memory. Honestly, are you guys getting your water from the same tap?
 
Richard said:
Okay, enough already! Hear ye, hear ye, I FORGOT MY CAMERA is no longer a valid excuse. Effective immediately, the correct verbage is, I don't need a camera, I have a photographic memory. Honestly, are you guys getting your water from the same tap?
Click to expand...

All you need now is a USB download port on the left side of your head. Perhaps it's inside your ear. Look closely...
 
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