We have a problem: can a city spaceport keep Houston in the space race?

Famously the home of Nasa ’s Mission Control, Houston is struggling how to stay relevant to modern spaceflight. Is a new spaceport the answer?Houston has a long and proud connection with space exploration. It is home to the Johnson Space Center, the Nasa hub best known for hosting Mission Control. But as the US government squeezes Nasa ’s budget and cedes much of its work to private industry, high-profile tycoons such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson are generating most of the buzz around the future of American spaceflight. And they are elsewhere.In an attempt to stay relevant, Houston is transforming its 101-year-old Ellington airport into a major spaceport. “It keeps the city at the cutting edge of space and maintains it as Space City USA,” said Mario Diaz, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System, which manages Ellington and the city’s two major passenger airports, George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - November 22, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Tom Dart in Houston Tags: Cities Space Science Houston Nasa Future of cities SpaceX Virgin Galactic The space shuttle Source Type: news