If NASA's space shuttle program is essentially dead, does Houston's Space City moniker still apply?
Perhaps if we have a spaceport it will, and Mario Diaz, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System (HAS), revealed intentions to outfit Ellington Field for the future of travel during a State of the Airports address this week.
"Skimming along on top of the world," spacecraft would transport Houstonians to far-off destinations in a matter of hours.
To hear Diaz talk of it, a spaceport does sound pretty futuristic: Traveling at Mach 3 or 4 against the edge of space, "skimming along on top of the world," spacecraft would transport Houstonians to far-off destinations in a matter of hours.
(Diaz envisions traveling to Singapore in less than three hours, shorter than a drive to Austin. Compare that to a full day of flights and layovers and customs — I've been there, and it's harrowing.)
But all of this, says Diaz, is within our grasp. The airport system is currently seeking certification for Ellington from the Federal Aviation Administration, a process that's expected to take 15 to 18 months.
KTRK Ch. 13 News notes that this won't be a cheap endeavor for the airport or the customer — a joy ride on the Virgin Galactic, for instance, will set a passenger back $200,000 — but HAS seems to think that it won't be long before it's an economically viable enterprise.
Houston's not the only one in on the race to commercial space travel: Midland is looking into a license, and the FAA has issued them to two locations in Florida, one in New Mexico, and others in California and Virginia.
See the dinosaur tracks for yourself.Photo courtesy of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department