Spaceport America yakagadzirira kuve yeNew Mexico inokwezva vashanyi? Mmm, hazvisati zvakwana. Asi kune nzvimbo yakawanda yakavhurika, yakawanda yekugona uye tariro yakawanda yekuti spaceport ichamutsa domino mhedzisiro yebudiriro uye zviitiko zvevashanyi.
Kana hurongwa uhwu hukabudirira, Spaceport America nenzvimbo dzakaitenderedza dzinogona kuita mabhiriyoni emadhora nzvimbo yekushanya pamwe nekubhururuka muchadenga - chimwe chinhu chakafanana neFlorida's Space Coast ine Wild West twist. Kana hurongwa hwacho zvachose, nzvimbo yacho inogona kuguma se $198 miriyoni ghost town.
Zviri kuna Steve Landeene, maneja weNew Mexico Spaceport Authority, kuti ave nechokwadi chekuti zvirongwa izvi hazvifambe. “Unofanira kuva nezviono zvakawanda pano,” akadaro.
NeChishanu chapfuura, Landeene aive mutungamiriri wekushanyira rwendo rwezuva rebhazi raibva kuLas Cruces, NM, uye rakamhan'ara mamaira nemamaira emugwagwa mukuru, wakagadzirwa migwagwa uye migwagwa ine tsvina kuenda kunzvimbo yeNew Mexico ye18,000-acre yekutangisa.
Vanhu vakawanda vanogona kunge vachitamba saizvozvo mumwedzi iri kuuya. Vhiki rapfuura chete, chiremera chespaceport chakazivisa kuti chaizotanga kuita "hardhat nzendo" dzesaiti nenzvimbo dzayo muna Zvita. (Tarisa iyo Spaceport America Webhusaiti kuti uwane rumwe ruzivo.)
Kuenda ikoko ihafu yekunakidzwa - uye inopfuura hafu yemamaira. Kukwira bhazi kwemaira makumi manomwe neshanu kuenda kuChokwadi kana Migumisiro, uko chiteshi chemoto chinopera chinoshandurwa kuita nzvimbo inogamuchirwa. Ipapo iwe uri mune mamwe mamaira makumi maviri neshanu edzimwe nguva-inomonereka migwagwa, ichipfuura padyo neRio Grande. Ukaita rombo rakanaka unoona dzimwe bhizi dzaTed Turner dzichifura kune rumwe rutivi rwefenzi iwe uchipfuura nemunzvimbo inochengeterwa mhuka.
Kana iyo yeblacktop yamira pamasuwo espaceport, imwe mhando yekushanya inotanga.
"Isu tapinda muArea 52," Landeene akaseka.
Landeene akaburuka mubhazi ndokukiinura magedhi anopinda munhandare yespaceport. Mushure mekunge bhazi rekushanyira rapfuura, akasvetukira kumashure ndokunongedza chaakadana kuti "korona chishongo" chenzvimbo - njanji yakafara senhandare yenhabvu inotambanuka yakananga kumatenga. Panosvika Nyamavhuvhu anotevera, nzvimbo iyi yetsvina yakatsvuka ichashandurwa kuita chiteshi chezvikepe che10,000-foot runway.
Iyo $30 miriyoni yekumhara tambo inogona kushandiswa ne suborbital space ndege dzakadai seMhandara Galactic's SpaceShipTwo - kana nemauto drones akadai sePredators neReapers idzo dziri kubhururuka dzichibva pedyo neHolloman Air Force Base. Nzvimbo yerenje yedunhu, inotongwa nejecha nesage, mesquite uye cactus, ndicho chimwe chikonzero nei yakanyatsokodzera kurwa kwekudzidzira kumhanya.
"Izvi zvine huwandu hwakanyanya kuMiddle East," akadaro Landeene.
Kutyisidzirwa kukuru pazuva iri, zvisinei, hakuna kubva mukurwiswa nendege kana rocket-ups, asi kubva kumacowpies nerattlesnakes. “Takaona nyoka mhiri kwomugwagwa mamaira mashanu kana kuti matanhatu kudzoka,” Donna Brown, mutungamiriri mukuru wenzvimbo inochengeterwa varwere yeLas Cruces akanga achishanda somuperekedzi wevashanyi, akatinyevera sezvataiburuka mubhazi.
Pamusoro pemichina inorema uye nzvimbo dzakakura dzevhu rakarimwa, isu vashanyi takaratidzwa kumativi matatu emapadhi ekumhara, akagadzirirwa vakwikwidzi muNorthrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. Mamiriro akaita zvinhu, mapadhi aisadiwa nekuti vanorova maroketi vaibvumidzwa kuzvivakira padhuze nekumba, kuTexas kana California. Asi chiitiko ichi hachizoparara: Landeene akati mapadhi emuchadenga anozopedzisira ashandiswa kuvhurwa kwevadzidzi kwemauto-akawedzera Super Loki maroketi.
Inenge kiromita kure pasi penzira yetsvina, takatyaira tichienda kunzvimbo yekumisikidza yekumisikidza, iine njanji inogadzika yakavharirwa mukati meyayo ine mavhiri, senge turera-yakafanana pekugara. Kana yave nguva yekusimudzwa, turera inokungurutswa kubva panjanji, njanji inosimudzwa, roketi rinoiswa panzvimbo uye rinokwira mudenga kana kuverenga kudzika kwasvika zero.
Pakutanga mwedzi uno, Lockheed Martin uye UP Aerospace vakabudirira kuburitsa prototype rocket ndege. Uye muna Nyamavhuvhu, roketi-powered drone yakaedzwa-yakatangwa kuMoog-FTS aerospace kambani.
"Izvi zvinoratidza kuti harisi jee kunze uko," Landeene akadaro.
Iyo spaceport haisi yekuseka, kuve nechokwadi. Asi vamwe vevagari venzvimbo iyi vanonetsekana kuti jee rinogona kunge riri pavari, kunyanya mumatunhu maviri akavhota mukuwedzera mutero kubatsira kubhadhara nzvimbo. Pamusoro pemitero yemuno, mari yehurumende neyemubatanidzwa iri kuiswa pamadhora zana nemakumi mapfumbamwe nemasere emitengo yekuvaka, panguva iyo New Mexico iri kunetsekana kuenzanisa bhajeti rayo.
"Ini ndinoshuvira kuti tichawana mhindu pakudyara ikoko," mumwe mugari weLas Cruces akandiudza pachivande.
Zvimwe zvinonetsa zvinoputira horizon:
Ranchers vanonetsekana kuti spaceport ichabvisa mvura yavo. (Kupokana uku kwaifanira kuenda mukuyananisa svondo rino.)
Vanoongorora nezvezvinhu zvakasikwa vanonetseka kuti zvivako zvechiteshi ichi zvichaparadza “nzvimbo yokuona” yenharaunda ine makomo. (Ndicho chimwe chikonzero nei akawanda ezvivakwa zvemuchadenga zvichavakwa pazasi pevhu.)
Vagari muChokwadi kana Migumisiro vari kupikisa huwandu hwemarori ematombo ari kufamba mudhorobha ravo. (Svondo rapfuura, mumwe muratidziri akasungwa nekuda kwekuvhara traffic, achikonzeresa kunetsana kwakashata.)
Vanoona nezvenharaunda vari kuita ongororo yekuona kuti dzimwe mhuka dzemudunhu iri dzichada kuchengetedzwa here. ("Izvi zvinetse," Landeene akadaro.)
Kunyangwe nzvimbo huru yeSpaceport America iripo, zvinotora rimwe gore kushandura nzvimbo iyi kuita rudzi rwekukwezva inoratidzwa mu "Star Trek" -maitiro edhizaini. Iyo spaceport terminal inofanirwa kupedzwa muna 2011 - inotaridzika kunge ingangove nguva yekutanga iyo Mhandara Galactic yaigona kutanga kutengeserana nzvimbo mashandiro.
Kungovaka chiteshi chemuchadenga hakuzokwani. Landeene iri kubhengi kune zvimwe zvinokwezva, senge 18-hole gorofu kosi iri padyo neTurtleback Mountain Resort, kupa vashanyi venzvimbo ine zvitsitsinho zvakanaka nechimwe chinhu chekuita kumaodzanyemba kweNew Mexico. Zvimwe zvinodhirowa vashanyi zvinogona kusanganisira dude-ranch cookouts, Billy the Kid nhoroondo nzendo uye dune-buggy kukwira.
Kubudirira kunogona kuenderana nekuti kuvandudzwa kwezvivakwa, zvinokwezva vashanyi uye mashandiro ezviedza zvemuchadenga zvinokura pane yakawiriraniswa nguva. "Ndiko kugona kwemubatanidzwa kunotitendera kuita basa," Landeene akadaro.
Landeene ari kutoona amphitheatre inogona kuvakwa kuita yakaderera-slung butte uye inopa maonero akanaka ekusimudzwa kweroketi ... "carbon-negative" yemagetsi system inoburitsa simba rakawanda kupfuura yainoshandisa ... uye inotanga kutenderera mukati memakore makumi maviri. Izvo zvakanaka zvine musoro zvinhu, tichifunga kuti basa rekuvaka paspaceport rave kurova nhanho yaro. Asi usaedze kuudza Landeene kuti hazvigone kuitwa.
“Kana mumwe munhu akandiudza kuti handigoni kuzviita, ndinoti, ‘Ndichakuratidza. ... ndichazviita,'” akadaro.
