Cabana: "I see a great future for KSC"

Here is Cabana's talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s27Oq5ot0ZI

They Fly like Rats!

Well,I was at the breakfast Thursday. If anyone wants to see Cabana's comments in their entirety and the question and answer session, you can watch the video I shot here (it's in 5 parts):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgUnaKng02s

Not entirely "newsworthy", i.e. nothing new, but still a good view of the Director's perspective. And the breakfast was really good, so kudos to KSC, Delaware North and Andrea Farmer.

If I am Space X or any of the Merchant 7, I stay as far away from NASA property to launch my rockets as I can. Dealing with those that control requirements of performing any function on KSC property will be very costly.

Great News!!

HLV will fly when... 2016? 2020?

Commercial crew underfunded by Nelson and dissed by the House? When will it fly? 2016 or later?

HLV development will suck up all available budget for the foreseeable future, killing Flagship and Robotic Precursor missions, 21st Century Launch Site and any other Program with a pulse.

Thanks Sen Nelson for saving US Human Spaceflight!

A point of clarification, as of today, no commercial rocket has ever flown from KSC property, except for the old Titan IV pad that is technically on KSC property but effectively leased to the Air Force. ALL commercial rockets, even if they fly from a pad located on NASA/KSC land, will fly under the authority of the Air Force 45th Space Wing. They are the only "ultimate" authority for use of the Eastern Range. Even NASA has to subjugate to the Air Force authority for launches, even those of the space shuttle, for certain mission critical issues such as range safety. So, whether or not SLC-39 is "privatized" or "rented out", the ultimate authority is and will be the Air Force. It's their launch range. And, yes, it's costly. The range safety Flight Termination System alone can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars plus millions in certfication costs, not to mention millions more in environmental impact statements for the launch site and operations. The Eastern Range is costly to operate from. That's because it's a federal government range (as opposed to a state-owned facility like Spaceport America. However, it is also the most-capable range, has the best infrastructure for operating from (i.e. a sea port, train access, interstate highway a few miles away, etc.). It's also the best-suited launch site in the continental U.S. for equatorial orbiting satellite launch, hands down. AND there are liability indemnification issues which help launch providers. Bascially, it's expensive and there's darn good reasons it is... and none of them have to do with NASA at all.

Best wishes
On your business plan.

http://www.okspaceport.state.ok.us/
The Oklahoma Spaceport became the first inland spaceport to establish a flight corridor for space operations in the national airspace system clear of military operating areas or restricted airspace. This arrangement means that space vehicles will not need military permission to operate because the spaceport will have its own airspace.
This information is published by the FAA, Office of Commercial Space Transportation in their 2009 U.S. Commercial Space Transportation Developments and Concepts: Vehicles, Technologies, and Spaceports Report which is produced annually.

http://www.mojaveairport.com/

I have one of my spacecraft in Kern County Ca.