spaceport america preview bus tours

We came to T or C specifically for this tour because we are interested in rocketry and wanted to see the Virgin Galactic operation there. Our driver/guide Tyson was knowledgeable and friendly (he's a high school math teacher who also leads the school's rocketry club). It's a 28-mile scenic desert drive to the site. The other 7 guests were mostly locals, some skeptical of their tax dollars going toward this futurist vision. The facility is still under construction, and Space Ship 2 and mother ship are not in residence because of the unfortunate crash last month. However, Tyson let us get out at several stops: to tour the operations building and its emergency-response vehicles (like any big airport's), stand outside the nearly-finished departure lounge building designed by London's Norman Foster, and on the 12,000 foot runway on the other side of the mountains from White Sands Missile Range. Tyson explained how this site was chosen, where they are in the construction process, the kind of other operations also going on there (Elon Musk's Space X, for one). Maybe it's not everyone's taste, but we thought we were looking at the future!

We did a tour of the Spaceport America this morning with Follow the Sun Tours. Not only was the tour awesome and exciting but the tour guide (Gary) was an amazing fountain of knowledge. We learned a lot about the history of the Spaceport as well as NM history. The bus even drove on the approx three mile space way (runway). It is exciting to see the direction NM is headed with this endeavor. Bravo NM and bravo Follow the Sun Tours for a must do tour.

The tour points out and explaisn the different components of the new Spaceport America infrastructure including the Spaceport Operations Center (SOC), Spaceway, fuel storage complex, and the iconic Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space Building. It's a behind-the-scenes inside the SOC, --mission control, and then a drive down the Spaceport’s main runway – Spaceway 16-34 – the same place that will one day welcome returning astronauts. These are both limited opportunities available only during this preview stage of Spaceport America tours. The tour also stops in front of the Gateway Building: a stunning URS/ Foster + Partners structure that may figure prominently in New Mexico’s future visual identity.