Hawaii, going long on space tourism

Hawaii Looks to Space Tourism to Aid Recession Woes:

According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the state would start by spending up to a million dollars developing a spaceport.

But Hawaii isn't alone: The state is already facing heady competition from states including Florida, Okalahoma and New Mexico, all of which are moving into the space tourism market.

Hawaii has one comparative advantage: it's further south. I recall that the increased velocity of the earth's rotation the closer you get to the equator means that you get some energy for lift-off for free. This is why the French launch their rockets from French Guiana, and the Soviets had a facility in Kazakhstan.

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Oh, my... The housing bubble's burst, let's start a spaceport bubble...

Fun fact: ESA is building a Soyuz launching pad, so the Russians will be able to launch their rockets from French Guiana, too. :)

By Daggerstab (not verified) on 15 Jul 2009 #permalink

1) ESA is not the French. ESA includes Canada :)
2) Russia still has the facility in Kazakhstan.
3) The "French" actually launch the rockets from within the European Union ;)

By Peter Lund (not verified) on 21 Jul 2009 #permalink