Space X - Aim Media Texas

Transcription

WHAT’S INSIDE
w w w. b r o w n s v i l l e h e r a l d . c o m / s p a c e x
D1 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014
INCENTIVES
LURE SPACEX
SPACEX
FACTOR
Entities across the Rio Grande
Valley and Texas worked
together to convince SpaceX
to land in South Texas.
PAGES D12-14
LAUNCHING
TOURISM
South Padre Island and the
surrounding area expects to
benefit from the interest in
rocket launches.
PAGE D16
CELEBRATING THE ARRIVAL OF SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES
D2 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014
Small cardboard fans emblazoned with SpaceX logos rest on chairs prior to the arrival of guests
invited to witness the Sept. 22 groundbreaking ceremony for the space exploration firm’s rocket
launch pad at Boca Chica Beach east of Brownsville.
A NEW GATEWAY
OVER THE YEARS
Campaign pays off
with new industry
Valley will need to
‘train up’ workforce
MARKETING
YVETTE VELA/THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
SpaceX adds
to area’s history
THE WORKFORCE
A LOOK INSIDE
The development of a rocket launch site at
Boca Chica Beach provides another historic
opportunity for the region to continue its
legacy as a gateway to a new frontier.
PAGE D4
For years, officials worked to bring SpaceX to
South Texas. Those dreams came to fruition
this year when the rocket firm planted its
flag on Boca Chica Beach.
PAGE D6
The Lower Rio Grande Valley isn’t turning
out a lot of aerospace engineers these days,
but that could soon change with the arrival
of world’s first commercial launch pad.
PAGE D8
Rockets inspiring
branding overhaul
In the spirit of SpaceX coming to the area,
many of Brownsville’s city groups are
planning marketing strategies based on
these new developments.
PAGE D15
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD | D3
EDITORIAL
South Texas poised to become gateway
W
ith the arrival
of SpaceX at
Boca Chica
Beach, the Rio
Grande Valley is poised to
claim a reputation as a
gateway.
The planned rocket
launch pad, which could
be active as early as 2016,
will soon embark on its
first commercial missions
to space — and might one
day carry the first man to
Mars, according to the
vision of SpaceX founder
and CEO Elon Musk.
At the groundbreaking
for the site in September,
Gov. Rick Perry took to
the podium with a prepared speech, but he had
an impromptu observation
upon visiting the site near
the eastern end of
Highway 4. “I noticed the
sign behind me that says
‘pavement ends in 1,000
feet,’” the governor said,
“but the future of South
Texas takes off right
behind me. And that’s
what
today’s
really
all about.”
Perry’s and others’
words that day reflected
views that this spot would
serve as a gateway in the
years
ahead.
Yet
Brownsville and coastal
South Texas have ebbed
and flowed like a tide
throughout history, rising
to prominence as a gateway time and again.
This region first served
as one of several gateways
to the New World as
European explorers began
to arrive and map the
coastline, perhaps coming
ashore in what would
A sign marks the future site of SpaceX’s South Texas Launch Pad on Sept. 22 near Boca Chica Beach at the eastern end of Highway 4.
become South Texas for
supplies and water. In the
1500s, Spanish explorers
encountered the vast
coastline and its barrier
island, known today as
South Padre Island. To this
day, remnants of that
Spanish heritage remain
in familiar landmark
names. The bridge to
South Padre Island bears
the name of Spain’s Queen
Isabella. The mouth of the
Brownsville Ship Channel
has always been known as
the Brazos Santiago Pass.
As European explorers
arrived in the New World,
this region’s history as a
gateway truly began.
In the 1600s, two ships
— the Rosario and the
Esperanza — carried
crews along the full length
of the Texas coastline, providing their travelers with
observations for reports,
maps and coordinates. As
the ships passed Padre
Island, it’s said that Native
Americans ran through
the dunes in parallel with
the shallow-draft ships as
they passed. On that trip,
the seafarers recorded a
latitudinal fix for the
mouth of the Rio Grande.
It wasn’t the first arrival to this part of the world,
but it put Brownsville and
Cameron County on the
map — and relatively precisely for that period.
Those same explorers
anchored at the mouth of
the river, using this spot as
a gateway to send armed
men up the river in canoes
to as far north as presentday Starr County. Other
explorers would soon
return to use the river to
penetrate deeper into this
new frontier. Even into the
1700s, this gateway greeted the Spanish, who used
the river to establish
churches as far north as
today’s Eagle Pass, while
thousands of colonists
entered Texas here to
found 20-plus towns along
the Rio Grande frontier.
During the MexicanAmerican War, U.S. troops
established Fort Brown
and staged an invasion
into the heart of Mexico.
Again, during the Civil
War, goods were smuggled
from Europe to the
Confederates here at
the
mouth
of
the
Rio Grande, and battles
were waged in Cameron
County, ultimately in an
attempt to shut down the
flow of goods through
this gateway.
During the days of the
California gold rush, travelers arrived here by boat
— a faster mode of transportation than land-based
options — before heading
farther west to California
and solidifying this area
again as a gateway to
opportunity.
There are several other
examples throughout our
region’s vast history, but
even today immigrants —
legally and illegally —
arrive here at our border
seeking opportunity.
There are other historic moments when our
region served as a gateway to progress and
advancement, often driven by prayer and hope like
those two early ships, the
Rosario and Esperanza.
The latest opportunity
so happens to come with
the arrival of SpaceX, but
it has the potential to uplift
the economy, education
and culture, transforming
South Texas into a bold,
new gateway.
And maybe, if Musk is
proven right, Brownsville
will reclaim its role as a
gateway to a New World,
this time shuttling explorers to another planet in
our galaxy.
WELCOME
SPACE X
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Welcome
SpaceX!
Antonio “Tony” Martinez
Mayor
Estela Chavez Vasquez
Commissioner, At Large “A”
Dr. Rose M. Z. Gowen
Commissioner, At Large “B”
Ricardo Longoria, Jr.
J
Commissioner, District 1
Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa
Deborah Portillo
John Villarreal
Commissione
Charlie Cabler
City Manager
Years of effort culminate with SpaceX’s arrival
BY LAURA B. MARTINEZ
STAFF WRITER
I
f everything’s bigger in Texas, then
the dreams of officials in South
Texas fit that
description when they
dreamed of the area
becoming a commercial
gateway to space.
Those
dreams
appeared to come to fruition this year when
Space
Explorations
Technologies
Corp.
founder and billionaire
Elon Musk announced
that his rocket firm had
chosen Cameron County
for the site of the nation’s
first planned commercial rocket launch pad.
SpaceX
personnel
gathered with state,
county and local leaders
Sept. 22 for the launch
site’s groundbreaking
ceremony at the eastern
end of state Highway 4
near Boca Chica Beach
outside of Brownsville.
Musk was on hand for
the
event,
along
with Gov. Rick Perry,
Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.,
D-Brownsville,
Rep.
Eddie
Lucio
III,
D-Brownsville,
Rep.
Rene
Oliveira,
D-Brownsville, County
Judge Carlos H. Cascos,
Brownsville Mayor Tony
Martinez, University of
Texas System Chancellor
Francisco G. Cigarroa,
former UTB President
Juliet V. Garcia and
many other local officials, community leaders
and stakeholders.
The paved launch site
could possibly be completed in about nine
Supporters of SpaceX wear “Launch Brownsville” shirts, which were part of a campaign started by the Brownsville Economic Development Council to show support
for plans to build the rocket launch pad at Boca Chica Beach, in this 2013 file photo.
months, and the first
rocket launches could
begin as early as
late 2016.
“Over the course of
the last 13, almost 14
years, we have looked
for major projects of
which we can make a
really big impact on
South Texas,” Perry said
at the groundbreaking
event. “I noticed the sign
behind me that says
‘pavement ends in 1,000
feet.’ But the future of
South Texas takes off
right behind me. And
that’s what today’s really
all about.”
Countdown to SpaceX: The years’ highlights
STAFF REPORT
Chica Beach for rocket
launches, should SpaceX
decide to build a rocket
launch pad in Cameron
County.
H
ere’s a look at
the important
moments
since 2012
during the
effort to bring a SpaceX
rocket launch site to the
Rio Grande Valley.
April 2014
SpaceX passes a U.S.
Fish and Wildlife assessment regarding proposed
rocket
launches
in
Cameron County.
April 2012
Officials learned that
Cameron County was one
of
three
sites
being considered by Space
Exploration Technologies,
or SpaceX, for launching
the Falcon 9 rocket and
other commercial space
vehicles.
“It’s being called the
commercial
Cape
Canaveral,”
Gilbert
Salinas, executive vice
president
of
the
Brownsville
Economic
Development Council, said
at the time.
May 2014
SpaceX passes the FAA’s
environmental review stating that it does not believe
building a rocket launch
pad near Boca Chica Beach
will have an impact on the
environment.
July 2014
The FAA issues Record
of Decision that will allow
SpaceX to apply for a
license to build a rocket
launch site in Cameron
County.
May 2012
The first public hearing
on SpaceX’s proposal to
build a satellite launch site
in Cameron County and
virtually all comments
from the public showed
support for the project.
August 2014
February 2013
Mat Thompson, Environmental Health and Safety Supervisor with SpaceX, speaks with visitors during a public hearing in 2013 at
the International Technology, Education and Commerce Center in Brownsville.
Cameron
County
Commissioners
Court
appoints a board for the
Spaceport Development
Corp., which will work like
any economic development
corporation. It is charged
with courting and attracting companies to invest in
the space industry.
March 2013
April 2013
SpaceX billionaire Elon
Musk said Texas is still the
leading candidate for a
SpaceX launch site. Musk
made the statement before
the House Appropriations
Committee in Austin.
The Federal Aviation
Administration releases
ongoing environmental
review that indicates no
impacts would occur that
would prevent the FAA
from issuing a permit to
SpaceX for rocket operations in South Texas.
showed
support
the project.
of
May 2013
May 2013
Second public hearing
on SpaceX’s draft environmental impact statement
and majority of comments
Texas Gov. Rick Perry
signs House Bill 2623 into
law that will allow the temporary closure of Boca
SpaceX’s Elon Musk
announces that he will
build a rocket launch pad
near Boca Chica Beach.
September 2014
SpaceX breaks ground
at Boca Chica for the first
commercial orbital rocket
launch pad located in the
United States.
IT’S ROCKET SCIENCE
Rio Grande Valley’s workforce needs ‘training up’ for coming high-skilled jobs
BY STEVE CLARK
STAFF WRITER
The Lower Rio Grande Valley
isn’t turning out a lot of aerospace
engineers these days, but that
could change in coming years,
now that the world’s first commercial orbital rocket pad is on its
way to Boca Chica Beach.
High-tech, high-skilled jobs
are coming in one form or another — SpaceX would be a prime
example — and Pat Hobbs, for
one, hopes to see the day that they
can be filled by a homegrown
workforce.
This requires a level of training that’s new to the Valley, though
efforts are underway to ramp it
up as quickly as possible.
“If you look at (SpaceX’s) website and the job postings that they
have on there, 95 percent of
them have ‘engineer’ attached to
the
end,”
said
Hobbs,
executive director of Workforce
Solutions Cameron.
Some of those positions could
be filled via currently available
training, though the majority are
“way out of our league,” at least
for now, he said.
The STARGATE spacecraft/
satellite-tracking facility, a
project between SpaceX and
the University of Texas System,
will
supply
training
for
higher end jobs, as will future
programs of UT Rio Grande
Valley, Hobbs said.
“But that’s long term,” he said.
“An engineer takes six years to
produce. We don’t have the regular civil engineers, mechanical
engineers — just the regular engineers that potentially could be
trained up to be a space
engineer of some kind. That’s
COURTESY OF SPACEX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the AsiaSat 6 satellite Sept. 7 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
where we lack.
It’s not just SpaceX, Hobbs
said. Multiple projects are on the
horizon over the next few years,
including proposed power plants
in Brownsville, Harlingen and
possibly Edinburg, he said.
Even before the question of
staffing all those facilities comes
up, they have to be built, which
itself requires scores of skilled
workers, Hobbs said.
“That’s the scary part: They’re
all big building projects, and any
one of them could potentially
suck up all the skilled labor that
we’ve got in the area,” he said.
“It’s all going to be welders, pipe
fitters, carpenters, foundation
people. If they were to all hit at
more or less the same time, we
could be in trouble.”
As such, it’s not surprising that
Hobbs is preoccupied with timelines: What companies need workforce-wise and when they need it
— information he lacks so far
regarding SpaceX and other
major projects looming.
“That’s why I’d like to see the
schedule so I can ease my mind
that we’re not going to, just by
circumstance and timing, fall into
a crunch,” he said.
“Once the plant is built, maintenance is probably within our
realm. But the high-level engineering jobs, the computer ana-
lyst and the software tracking
programmer and all of that stuff:
out of our league.”
Progress is being made,
though, Hobbs said, citing BISD’s
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) career pathways program as an example.
The program, based on the
Achieve Texas model, puts middle school students on a multiyear career path toward a STEM
field, culminating in either certification, a two-year degree or a
four-year degree, depending on
the career goal.
Texas Southmost College,
Texas State Technical College and
UTRGV will likewise play central
roles in educating the workforce
to meet future demand — as will
industry itself in helping pay for
the necessary training labs and
other expenses, Hobbs said. Most
SpaceX jobs will require a fouryear degree, he noted.
“Every school district needs to
get on the Achieve Texas bandwagon,” he said. “Even if
SpaceX wasn’t coming, this is
still needed.”
Elon Musk, SpaceX founder
and chief designer, said at the
launch pad’s Sept. 22 official
groundbreaking that his company
plans to recruit heavily from local
higher education institutions and
even high schools.
“We’ll definitely recruit locally,” he said. “That’s the best
place to recruit. We’re doing
it by default.”
Musk said the ideal candidate
for employment with the company is just out of college, “really
driven, they like hard work and
have a technical aptitude.”
“That’s what’s really needed,”
he said. “We also want to make
sure that people don’t think that
they have to
have prior
space experience in order
to work here.”
Hobbs said SpaceX is the perfect “carrot” to attract students to
STEM fields, which too many
students have veered away from
in the past.
Not that every STEM graduate
is going to land a job as a rocket
engineer, though SpaceX likely
will foster other job opportunities
as firms that supply and
support the aerospace company
move in, he said.
“Around SpaceX there are
going to be all kinds of opportunities,” Hobbs said.
Welcome
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Elon Musk insists his
firm will hire in Valley
STAFF REPORT
Space
Explorations
Technologies Corp. founder
and CEO Elon Musk is adamant that his company
would recruit employees
from the Rio Grande Valley
when operations begin
BRAD DOHERTY/THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD at
the
commercial
rocket launch pad at Boca
Elon Musk answers questions Sept. 22 during the groundbreaking ceremony for the SpaceX Chica Beach.
launch facility that will be constructed near Boca Chica Beach.
A partnership between
Musk and the University
of Texas System program
known as STARGATE, or
Spacecraft Tracking and
Astronomical Research into
Giga-hertz Astrophysical
Transient Emission, aims to
place UT Rio Grande Valley
students and faculty in a
facility adjacent to the
SpaceX command center
where new space vehicle
communication technolo-
gies will be developed.
STARGATE
was
launched at the University
of Texas at Brownsville and
is expected to continue at
UTRGV. Officials say the
program will help local students to develop the skills
needed to work in the space
industry, possibly taking
some of the 300 new jobs
the launch pad is expected
to create in South Texas.
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Boca Chica site will work with McGregor operation
BY EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO
Noting that SpaceX is aiming for the reusability of
rockets because this would lead to dramatic cuts in the cost
of space flight, CEO Elon Musk said that these would need
to be refurbished.
STAFF WRITER
SpaceX’s future launch pad at
Boca Chica Beach will be an extension of the firm’s operations in
McGregor, Texas, where the company tests its engines and structures at
a 920-acre rocket development facility, SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon
Musk said while in the Rio Grande
Valley in September.
Noting that SpaceX is aiming for
the reusability of rockets because
this would lead to dramatic cuts in
the cost of space flight, Musk said
that these would need to be refurbished. Musk said that there would
be a strong presence in engineering
research and development at the
Boca Chica site.
“Larger rockets in the future are
so big (that) they are not going by
road,” Musk said, acknowledging
that the manufacture of rockets here
could be in the distant future.
SpaceX’s intent is to quickly
develop and activate the commercial
launch site at Boca Chica in Cameron
County in order to meet the
demands of a growing manifest.
The firm’s commercial launch
missions to geosynchronous
transfer orbit (GTO) and beyond
would be transferred to the new
launch complex.
“Our preference is to try to move
— particularly the commercial GTO
missions — to the Boca Chica
launch site as soon as we can,”
Musk said in September.
Musk noted that “there is a significant benefit” in that the Boca
Chica site is south of Cape Canaveral,
Florida, “and that should help for
GTO missions.”
Most of the commercial missions involve the launching of satellites.
As Jason Davis with The
Planetary Society has explained:
“GTO is the last stop for payloads
headed to geostationary orbit,
where satellites cruise around the
world at the same speed the Earth
rotates, keeping them at a constant
longitude. Geostationary orbits are
more than 35,000 kilometers high
— much higher than your run-ofthe-mill 400-kilometer low-Earth
orbit, where the International Space
Station hangs out.”
Musk, in meeting with reporters
at the Sept. 22 groundbreaking for
the Boca Chica site, also emphasized
that the launch sites SpaceX uses at
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida and Vandenberg Air Force
Station in California “are great
launch sites, but they are military
launch sites.” SpaceX also is presently upgrading NASA’s historic
Launch Pad 39A.
“We are still going to make
heavy use of the Cape Canaveral,
Kennedy and Vandenberg sites, but
those will be primarily for U.S. government activities, and then we’re
expecting our South Texas launch
site to be primarily for commercial
and we’re expecting a very high
flight rate in the future,” Musk said.
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McGregor engineers
work on reusable rockets
STAFF REPORT
For much of the history
of space exploration, rockets have been built and discarded with each launch.
Most rockets have been
designed with expendability
in mind.
SpaceX hopes to change
COURTESY OF SPACEX that with its continued
development of the experiA prototype rocket developed by SpaceX and called the Grasshopper takes flight during a mental prototype rocket it
1,066-foot ascent that was followed by a successful landing June 14, 2013 in McGregor.
has dubbed the Grasshopper.
The test rocket has proven able to take off from a
launch pad — at least as high
as 1,0066 feet — and then
land vertically at the company’s rocket development
and testing facility in
McGregor, Texas.
During a Sept. 22 visit to
Brownsville, SpaceX CEO
Elon Musk discussed the
strategy of reusable rockets
— comparing such rockets
to commercial airliners.
“If you think about how
many launches are needed
to ultimately establish a
base on Mars, it’s a lot of
launches, particularly if you
want to make it a self-sustaining base, where if the
resupply spaceships from
Earth stop coming, the Mars
city wouldn’t die out. That’s
the key threshold that we
want to try to reach,” Musk
said. “That’s going to require
a lot of launches.”
Welcome Space X
2010
2011
2012
Thank 2013
You!
www.SIMMONS-HOMES.com
SIMMONS-HOME
350-8000 • 350-8200
We believe
in a bigger,
brighter
future
through the
Space X
Initiative.
I am an
agent …
of change.
Let’s build a better future together.
State Farm® has a long heritage of helping out, and giving back is a great
part of my job. That’s why I’m proud to support SpaceX in Brownsville.
Get to a better State®.
Rick Armendariz, Agent
800 E. Alton Gloor Blvd.
Brownsville, TX 78526
Bus: 956-542-7425
[email protected]
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Texas and Rio Grande Valley entities sweetened pot
STAFF REPORT
Multiple entities across
Texas and the Rio Grande
Valley, including the
Cameron
County
Commissioners Court and
Brownsville,
offered
incentives to lure SpaceX
to construct a commercial
rocket launch pad at
Boca Chica Beach.
Overall, the combined
incentives package to
lure the space exploration
firm to South Texas
totalled approximately
$30 million, according to
some estimates.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
said at the Sept. 22 groundbreaking ceremony for the
rocket launch pad at Boca
Chica Beach that more
than $100 million would be
invested in the facility.
In
August,
Musk
addressed the announcement of state incentives
with a prepared statement
issued through Gov. Rick
Perry’s office: “SpaceX is
excited to expand our work
in Texas with the world’s
first commercial launch
complex designed specifically for orbital missions.
We appreciate the support
of Gov. Perry and numerous other federal, state and
local officials who have
partnered with us to make
this vision a reality. In
addition to creating hundreds of high tech jobs for
the Texas workforce, this
site will inspire students,
expand the supplier base
and attract tourists to the
south Texas area.”
The Texas Enterprise
Fund
kicked
in
$2.3 million for the rocket
launch project.
The Cameron County
Spaceport Development
Board also agreed to
accept $13 million from
the state’s Spaceport
Development Trust Fund.
The money is intended to
support the development
of infrastructure needed to
establish the SpaceX
rocket launch site at Boca
Chica Beach.
The Cameron County
Commissioners’
Court
agreed to waive 10 years of
county taxes owed by
SpaceX to bring launch
operations to South Texas.
The
Greater
Brownsville Incentives
Corp. initially pledged $5
million toward the efforts,
and other organizations
throughout the Valley plan
to contribute as well.
In August, local officials
gathered for a postannouncement news conference at the Brownsville
Economic Development
Council office where they
discussed the history of
the efforts to bring SpaceX
to the Valley, which began
more than three years ago.
“What a historical
moment for the greater
Brownsville region and the
State of Texas. It’s the culmination of a dream and a
vision that began more
than three years ago,”
Brownsville Mayor Tony
Martinez said in an August
press release. “We will
ensure that SpaceX has
everything they need in
order to be successful in
the Greater Brownsville
Borderplex.”
Other local leaders also
acknowledged the impact
of the region working
together to negotiate
with SpaceX.
“It’s amazing what we
can do when we don’t
polarize each other,”
Cameron County Judge
Carlos. H Cascos said.
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WELCOME SPACE X!!!
McAllen wants business, education returns for $500K offer
BY KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER
SpaceX is required to prove it purchased
$20 million in goods and services
over the next 10 years from
McAllen-based businesses.
STAFF WRITER
McAllen’s economic
development arm hopes its
$500,000 injection to
SpaceX will help the Rio
Grande Valley strengthen
its economic muscles.
Keith Patridge, executive director of the McAllen
Corp., likened incentives to
a diamond ring for
companies who want a
promise, and something to
show for it.
“This is one of those
regional economic develop-
ment projects, it would be
silly for us not to support it
because it’s going to have
such a huge spin off in a
number of ways,” Patridge
said. “It’s the same way
with a company and a community, an engagement
ring says we really want
them here.”
SpaceX is required to
prove it purchased $20 million in goods and services
over the next 10 years from
McAllen-based businesses.
The company is also bound
to holding at least two
annual conference meetings within McAllen’s
city limits.
In the event of a hurricane, due to the proximity
of the coast and sea level,
McAllen hopes SpaceX will
consider using inland warehouses for its most sensitive electronics.
In May 2013, the
McAllen City Commission
formally backed SpaceX’s
proposal to build its launch
site in Brownsville.
“It’s kind of a no-brain-
er,” McAllen Mayor Jim
Darling said in May 2013,
days ahead of when he was
set to take office. He said
SpaceX will create jobs,
hopefully attract local kids
to study science and be a
great way to attract positive attention to the Valley.
Officials anticipate a
2016 opening alongside
300 jobs and about
$100 million of investment
in the local economy.
McAllen’s incentives to
SpaceX also require the
company to detail how its
making the city aware of
possible suppliers or other
companies supporting the
launch site, and how the
city could be a place to base
those operations.
McAllen is providing its
$500,000 in incentives via
installments of $25,000 per
$1 million spent by SpaceX
at city-based businesses,
up to $200,000 per year.
The McAllen EDC also
has the ability to audit
SpaceX records to make
sure it’s holding up its end
of the agreement. If the
EDC finds SpaceX isn’t
abiding by the terms of the
deal, it would have to give
up the incentives.
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Harlingen contributes incentives in exchange for jobs
BY EMMA PEREZ TREVINO
SpaceX promised to provide annual written reports
to the economic development corporation showing the
number of full-time Harlingen employees, dates of hire,
status, and wages earned.
STAFF REPORT
The
Harlingen
Corporation built stipulations into its agreement with SpaceX to
ensure that commitments
promised
in
exchange for incentives
will be met.
Harlingen has committed a $450,000 job
creation grant.
Under Harlingen’s
agreement,
SpaceX
promised to create a
minimum of 100 full-
time jobs within the first
three years of operation.
A minimum of 10 percent must be Harlingen
residents. Those jobs
must pay a minimum of
$9 per hour, with an
average annual income
of $55,000, and the jobs
must be maintained for
at least five years.
In addition, SpaceX
must maintain a payroll
of at least $24,750,000
over a five-year period.
The incentive would
be paid in three payments of $150,000 per
year, and would start
30 days after SpaceX
employs
its
first
full-time employee in
the area.
SpaceX promised to
provide annual written
reports to the economic
development corporation showing the number
of
full-time
Harlingen employees,
dates of hire, status, and
wages earned. It will
provide copies of all
Texas
Workforce
Commission Employer’s
quarterly reports that
it files.
SpaceX certified that
it will not knowingly
employ undocumented
workers, and if convicted in connection with
this, it would repay the
incentives with 6 per-
cent interest.
SpaceX also will provide Harlingen with
access to records so that
it can verify employment statistics and compliance with the agreement. In the event of
default, the company
would repay the incentives received.
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Brownsville developing new marketing strategies
BY VICTORIA BRITO
STAFF WRITER
In the spirit of SpaceX coming to
Brownsville, city groups are planning marketing strategies based on
these new developments.
“We’re currently brainstorming
ideas and working on a logo and
motto, considering something to
reflect our new outlook on
Brownsville and what’s on the horizon for this region,” said
Brownsville Economic Development
Council Executive Vice President
Gilbert Salinas.
SpaceX broke ground at Boca
Chica beach on Sept. 22 and should
be completed sometime next year
with the first rocket launch to occur
in 2016. SpaceX is said to be a critical component toward creating a
human presence on Mars.
The
Brownsville
City
Commission in September voted to
contract with Hahn Public
Communications for branding and
marketing services. The contractor
met with stakeholders to help
rebrand the city’s image and marketing efforts.
Brownsville Convention and
Visitors Bureau CEO Mariano
“Bean” Ayala said that the CVB will
also be marketing based on SpaceX.
“Its such a beautiful windfall for
the city of Brownsville,” he said.
“The only thing we’re waiting on is
to make sure that we follow the
lead from the Brownsville Economic
Development Council as to what
logos or what marketing strategy
they would like for us to take in
order to be consistent with what
they want us to put out there.”
Ayala said that since last year
the CVB has been waiting for the
official announcement that
SpaceX will definitely be coming
to Brownsville before it or BEDC
made any major marketing strategies. BEDC and CVB have held a
couple of marketing meetings so
far, he said.
“Gilbert Salinas has called
several entities and we’re waiting
for the next meeting,” Ayala said.
The citywide celebration in
honor of SpaceX that took place
on Sept. 22 at the Brownsville
Sports Park was a cooperative
effort between several agencies,
according to Ayala.
Once the CVB has a follow up
meeting with the BEDC, a marketing strategy can begin, he said.
“I’m very glad that the city of
Brownsville was named by
SpaceX as the new location and
I’m very happy to say that all
these entities in the city of
Brownsville are starting to come
together and work together for
the betterment of Brownsville,”
Ayala said. “It’s such a great feeling to know that so many of us
are uniting and promoting the
city of Brownsville.”
The Commemorative Air Force
Museum is also looking into
SpaceX as a marketing focus.
Air Fiesta Chairman and
Commemorative Air Force Rio
Grande Valley Wing Commander
David Hughston said the CAF is in
the process of developing a new
site for the CAF Museum on the
Boca Chica Boulevard side of the
Brownsville South Padre Island
International Airport.
“We plan for SpaceX to have
a presence there, one
way or another,” Hughston
said. “We would like to have a
section of the museum dedicated
to SpaceX.”
It is too soon to tell what the
exact presence SpaceX will have
at the museum, Hughston said,
but they would definitely like to
include aerospace in the new
museum, which is still years away
from being a reality.
Hughston said the CAF is in
the process of working on fundraising to build the museum,
which will cost between $3.5 million and $4 million.
“We’re really excited that
SpaceX is here,” Hughston said.
“We’re hoping that SpaceX will
take an interest in our airport and
a lot of things in town. We’re real
excited to have them.”
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Launches seen as ‘high-tech fireworks’
South Padre Island excited about SpaceX, believing tourism will benefit
BY VICTORIA BRITO
STAFF WRITER
On any given weekend,
people from all over the Rio
Grande Valley flock to
South Padre Island to see
firework shows at either
Clayton’s Beach Bar and
Grill or Louie’s Backyard.
As early as 2016, people
could begin seeking out
amazing island views of not
just fireworks, but of a
rocket launching into space.
“It’s like high-tech fireworks,”
said
Adrian
Gonzalez, public information officer for the City of
South Padre Island. “It’ll be
a definite tourist attraction
to see the rocket site’s
launch.”
Tourists who arrive to
witness SpaceX launches
will likely use the island
recreationally, and the
island will benefit from
that tourism.
“SpaceX is going to help
us in a lot of ways, not just
us, but everybody in the
region,” Gonzalez said.
The arrival of SpaceX in
South Texas also has the
ability to create job opportunities on the island, which
will attract more revenues
to the sales taxes.
“And even if they don’t
choose to live here, they’re
still going to be coming in to
visit,” Gonzalez said.
With the creation of hundreds of high-tech jobs,
SpaceX has the potential to
increase the number of residents in the Rio Grande
Valley. Members of that
expanded workforce might
choose to make the Port
STAFF FILE PHOTOS
Tourists gather on South Padre Island to view fireworks over the Laguna Madre is these 2012 file photos.
Isabel and South Padre
Island area their home — or
at least their visiting spot,
Island officials say.
“Like with any subdivision or anything that comes
up, obviously it’s going to
generate more traffic into
the island in form of day
stays or even weekend
stays — or perhaps
even long-term stays,”
Gonzalez said.
Officials with South
Padre Island are excited
about having SpaceX
plant a flag at Boca Chica
Beach, miles south of Isla
welcomes
SpaceX
Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.
“STARGATE makes South Texas a destination
for students like me who are interested in both the
science and hands-on, practical training”
– James Murray, ARCC scholar and senior in
UTB’s Department of Physics and Astronomy
UTRGV coming fall 2015.
beach — it’s like fireworks,
honestly — people come
here for the fireworks.
They’re going to come
here for the rocket
launches now.”
The Brownsville
Public Utilities Board
SpaceX provides a platform for the
establishment of STARGATE, the first
research center of excellence for The
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Find out more at utb.edu/stargate and utrgv.edu.
Blanca Park.
“The city is excited,”
Gonzalez said. “We’re excited about anything new that
comes into town, and even
if its not going to be on our
1425 Robinhood Drive / P.O. Box 3270 • Brownsville, Texas 78523-3270
(956) 983-6121 • www.brownsville-pub.com
WHAT’S INSIDE
w w w. b r o w n s v i l l e h e r a l d . c o m / s p a c e x
D17 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014
A LOOK AT THE
SPACEX ROCKETS
SPACEX
FACTOR
The California-headquartered
space exploration firm has
developed an array of vehicles
to accomplish its missions.
PAGE D20
CELEBRATING THE ARRIVAL OF SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES
Many school districts might be looking to
develop a career pathway in aerospace
engineering to partner with SpaceX, but at
least one such program already exists.
PAGE D22
The Brownsville Independent School District,
and other districts throughout the Rio Grande
Valley, envision a lot more than watch-party
field trips when it comes to SpaceX.
PAGE D23
COMMUNITY
AEROSPACE EDUCATION
Programs inspire
young students
STARGATE
A LOOK INSIDE
Brilliant minds
look to the stars
A program at the University of Texas at
Brownsville is dreaming big with SpaceX.
PAGE D24
Virginia sees boon
from rocket launches
A community in Virginia has already experienced
much of what’s ahead for South Texas.
PAGE D26
$6SHFLDO&RQJUDWXODWLRQV
to the City of Brownsville for their tireless effort
to bring Space X to the citizens of the county. The
commitment from leaders to bring a launch pad to
our community, the effort to organize committees
who would work together to promote the idea
of a launch pad, the many hours of collaborative
efforts spent to reach the final goal. Welcome
Space X. Your efforts will make dreams come
true and will allow those that dare to dream the
enthusiasm to make it happen.
“NOTHING GREAT WAS EVER ACHIEVED WITHOUT ENTHUSIASM.”
-RALPH WALDO EMERSON
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MASS: 3,225,000 lb
PAYLOAD TO GTO: 10,692 lb
“Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. As the first rocket completely developed in the 21st century, Falcon 9 was designed from the ground up for maximum reliability. Falcon 9’s simple two-stage configuration minimizes the number of separation
events — and with nine first-stage engines, it can safely complete its mission even in the event of an engine shutdown.” (source: www.SpaceX.com/falcon9)
“Falcon Heavy is the world’s most powerful rocket, a launch vehicle of scale and capability unequaled by any other currently flying.“ (source: www.SpaceX.com/falcon-heavy)
I would like to mark this incredibly special
moment and thank all the individuals, entities and the
community as a whole, that came together to help
land SpaceX. This unbelievable success should stand
as a shining example of what we can accomplish as
a community when we come together to achieve a
common goal. The SpaceX decision to build the first
commercial launch site in Brownsville, will act as a
catalyst, forever altering the trajectory for the entire
region and our community for generations to come.
This, however, is only the beginning. It will
take that same spirit of collaboration to capitalize
on the many opportunities that are now present.
The future for our region is bright. It is a future that
will allow Brownsville and our children to showcase
their vast talents, allowing them to change their
world while exploring the far reaches of space.
It has been a great honor to serve the citizens of
Brownsville. I am very proud of our city and remain
eternally optimistic of what our future holds.
Deborah Portillo
City Commissioner – District 3
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High school’s aerospace program example of STEM focus
BY GARY LONG
STAFF WRITER
As the Brownsville
Independent
School
District looks to develop a
career pathway in aerospace engineering to go
along with SpaceX, part of
such a program is already
on the ground at Rivera
High School.
The U.S. Air Force
Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps at Rivera is
an aerospace science program headed by retired
Air Force Col. J. Jr. Tilley,
senior aerospace science
“We teach the development of flight and how it started,
the military’s contribution to aviation, how airplanes actually
fly, how weather conditions affect flight, and they learn
about flight navigation.”
Retired Air Force Col. J. Jr. Tilley, senior aerospace science instructor
instructor. It has a
connection to space exploration as well.
After all, the first
U.S. astronauts were Air
Force pilots, as are
most of NASA’s current
astronauts.
“It’s a leadership aware-
ness
program
to
acquaint the cadets with
flight, including a knowledge of aerospace science,” Tilley said. “We do
what’s called ‘curriculum
in action’ where they visit
aerospace industries, military museums, NASA,
commercial airports and
military bases.”
Tilley added that the
program is a “full-fledged
curriculum” in which
cadets study aviation history, the science of flight
and space exploration.
“We teach the develop-
ment of flight and how it
started, the military’s contribution to aviation, how
airplanes actually fly,
how weather conditions
affect flight, and they
learn about flight navigation,” Tilley said.
“When we get to the
space side we teach them
about astronomy, space
environment, space exploration,
manned
and
unmanned space flight and
space technology,” he said.
The program also
includes a model rocketry
club that meets after
school on Wednesdays.
There students learn how
to design, build and fly
model rockets. Included is
a “pocket rocket” competition where cadets compete
to hit long-, medium- and
short-range targets.
“We teach them personal life skills, survival skills,
physical training,” Tilley
said. “We teach then how
to work together as a team,
how to become leaders of
the future and how to wear
a uniform properly.”
The program has 185
cadets this year and is
growing as word spreads,
Tilley said.
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Brownsville schools ready to work with SpaceX
BY GARY LONG
STAFF WRITER
The
Brownsville
Independent
School
District envisions a lot
more than watch-party
field trips when it comes
to SpaceX, the company
building the world’s first
commercial launch pad
south of town at Boca
Chica Beach.
Actually, BISD already
has a lot of the infrastructure in place for teaching
the math and science that
go along with launching
rockets. One good example is the aerospace engineering class at Porter
High School taught by
John Lynch, a mechanical
engineer and pilot now
in his eighth year of teaching aerospace engineering
at BISD.
“SpaceX is only going
to enhance what we
already have in the school
district, and it’s going to
provide inspiration to our
students,” Lynch said.
Lynch’s aerospace engineering class is for seniors
and part of a program of
study sanctioned by the
national Project Lead the
Way. Engineering programs are among Career
and Technical Education
graduation plans available
in the STEM fields of science, technology, math
and engineering. These
programs are offered at
all BISD high schools,
although the aerospace
engineering class is only
available at Porter.
Lynch is certified by
Project Lead the Way, a
curriculum accredited by
top colleges and universi-
MIGUEL ROBERTS/THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Porter High School educator John Lynch, above, teaches aerospace engineering for the Brownsville Independent School District.
ties including Stanford,
Princeton and Duke.
Lynch
points
out
that students can receive
college credit for PLTW
courses they take during
high school.
Several of his former
students have done just
that, including Marissa
Casas,
who
is
an
aerospace engineering
major at the University of
Texas at Austin. Other
graduates of the program
include Hugo Valdavia,
who is at Stanford, Martin
Nevarez, who got a scholarship to Princeton, and
Silvia Chapa, who is at
Brown University in
Rhode Island.
With the Legislature’s
passage last year of House
Bill 5, all students are
required to have at least
one endorsement to gradu-
ate from high school. In
BISD’s case, 31 of these
endorsements — which
range from computer science to agriculture, and
architecture to choral
music — are possible,
many of them applicable
to SpaceX.
SpaceX stands for
Space
Exploration
Technologies Inc. The
company held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the
launch facility on Sept. 22.
The announcement earlier
this summer that the
launch pad was coming to
Boca Chica Beach capped
three years of high-level
efforts to lure billionaire
Elon Musk’s company to
Brownsville and Cameron
County.
Lynch, who is on the
Brownsville Economic
Development Council’s
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Launch Brownsville committee, sees endless possibilities for internships,
field trips and other interaction between BISD and
the company, such as having SpaceX engineers as
guest lecturers.
BISD Superintendent
Carl A. Montoya was one
of the first people SpaceX
sought out when it began
to consider Brownsville
for expansion. He said
SpaceX
immediately
expressed interest in a
long-term working relationship with BISD.
Montoya said it quickly
became apparent that
SpaceX was serious about
coming to Brownsville and
that it wanted to work with
BISD in the interest of
workforce development.
“They wanted to know
if we would be interested
NMLS #266316
in developing a career
pathway in aerospace
engineering, which of
course I said we would,”
Montoya said. “I think it’s
going to work well for our
community and help our
schools when the kids see
SpaceX out there and what
math and science can lead
to in the real world.”
For Aleida Olvera, a
junior
at
Veterans
Memorial High School, the
SpaceX announcement
was major news. Right
away she saw that her
father, a welding inspector
certified in Canada, the
United Kingdom, Mexico
and the United States who
had been looking for work,
could get a job there.
“It can bring financial
stability to my family,” she
said when asked what
impact SpaceX would
have locally.
Aleida is part of the
STAMP
program
at
Veterans Memorial, which
stands
for
Science,
Technology, Architecture
and Medical Professions.
The program has since
been expanded to all BISD
high schools.
BISD’s
engineering
technology curriculum
actually begins in the middle schools, said Norma
Nelson, a STEM instructor
at Stell Middle School.
“We prepare students
for the engineering occupations,” she said. “There
are modules for flight
technology, biotechnology,
and concepts of engineering
and
technology.
There are courses they
can take during their
eighth-grade year for high
school credit.
Luis Villarreal, an engineering instructor at
Veterans Memorial who
has been teaching engineering for BISD for 23
years, said having SpaceX
here will make the engineering professions more
visible and attainable
to students.
“We’ve always had students who do well,” he
said. “Just having SpaceX
here will help them to realize there are going to be
opportunities here.”
Lynch said SpaceX’s
presence will help build up
his program at Porter and
expand the base of students in the STEM fields.
“It comes full circle,”
he said. “SpaceX is filling
the pipeline for the future,
for five years down the
road and I’m sure they
know that.”
0RUWJDJH&R,QF
George
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Aim for the stars, we make dreams happen:
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3I
Email: [email protected]
275 Jose Marti Blvd., Suite A Brownsville, Tx 78526
GATEWAY
TO
THE
STARS
Research and commercialization are twin goals of UT-SpaceX collaboration
BY STEVE CLARK
STAFF WRITER
Fredrick Jenet, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, speaks with students recently in the Arecibo Remote Command
Center at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Jenet is the director of the ARCC program at the university.
having confidence in the
proposal at an early stage.
“That technology is
applicable in a wide range
of things, so STARGATE
is going to give us the
infrastructure to develop
not only space-related
technologies but technologies all across the board,”
Jenet said.
“The idea is that with
the right labs in place, the
right interfaces between
SpaceX and other technology companies and
other universities, and the
right environment for
business incubation, we
can spark this spirit of
entrepreneurship
and
hopefully — and this is
the idea — to create that
spirit of Silicon Valley
down here in the Rio
Grande Valley.”
He said STARGATE is
a natural outgrowth of
CARA’s Arecibo Remote
Command Center or
ARCC, which was established seven years ago
and allows students to
control large radio telescopes in other parts of
the world, primarily in
search of a type of neutron star called a pulsar.
Jenet said ARCC has
been good at attracting
students to science, technology, engineering and
PLEASE SEE STARGATE, D27
Welcome SpaceX to the
City of Brownsville, Tx.
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([S
FINDNEWROADS
™
the facility.
STARGATE stands for
“Spacecraft Tracking and
Astronomical Research
into
Giga-Hertz
Astrophysical Transient
Emission.” It was the
brainchild of Fredrick
Jenet, director of the university’s Center for
Advanced
Radio
Astronomy or CARA and
now STARGATE director,
who applauded GBIC for
p
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The astrophysics program at the University of
Texas at Brownsville has
suddenly ratcheted up
several degrees in terms
of coolness.
That’s
thanks
to
STARGATE, a radio frequency technology facility that will serve an academic and research role
while also providing a
business incubator to cultivate the future aerospace cluster expected to
grow in SpaceX’s wake.
At a Sept. 22 groundbreaking for the rocket
launch pad Elon Musk
plans to build at Boca
Chica Beach, Gov. Rick
Perry
announced
a
$9 million investment
in STARGATE, which will
track spacecraft and
satellites, occupying the
same site as Musk’s
Boca Chica launch command center.
The Texas Emerging
Technology Fund will
invest $4.4 million and the
University of Texas
System $4.6 million. Two
years ago the Greater
Brownsville Incentives
Corporation committed
$500,000 in seed money to
the project, contingent on
additional investment and
a
“memorandum
of
understanding” between
UTB and SpaceX. Also,
the
U.S.
Economic
Development
Administration in October
announced a $1.2 million
grant for construction of
math fields starting in
high school.
“(STARGATE) was the
next thing in sort of a continuous of improvement
in the program,” he said.
“The thing of course is
always making sure that
the projects and the faculty are focused around
the students, and giving
them the opportunities
and the tools they need to
make a difference in their
lives and a difference in
the lives of everyone
down here.”
Jenet singled out members of the “STARGATE
team” who worked hard
for years to make the
project a reality: Randall
Charbeneau, assistant
vice
chancellor
of
research with the UT
System; Irv Downing,
UTB’s vice president for
economic development
and community service;
Fernando Gonzalez, UTB
commercialization program director; Alma
Miller, CARA assistant
director; Richard Price,
UTB physics and astronomy professor and CARA
assistant director; Ben
Reyna, UTB assistant
provost for governmental
relations; and John Sossi,
UTB director of international trade.
Jenet said that when
SpaceX first came to
Brownsville to “kick tires,”
he quickly realized that the
company would need
tracking systems, communications systems, etc.
Come Home to Harlingen...
& welcome to South Texas!
For over 25 years, from General
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The Pride of Chincoteague
Coastal town in Virginia embraces rocket roots, provides insight for South Texas
BY TY JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
M
oments after
breaking
ground
at
Boca Chica
Beach SpaceX Founder
Elon Musk was already
promising to recruit
locally when it came time
to hire workers there.
Musk’s words lent credence to the dreams of
dozens
of
students
throughout
the
Rio
Grande Valley who voiced
their support for SpaceX
during public forums
while plotting future
careers in rocketry.
It’s true that some of
the incentives that drew
the company to Texas
require the use of local
labor in some instances,
but Musk’s mini-pep talk
aimed at college students
— be driven, have technical aptitude — was likely
a cue to many University
of Texas at Brownsville
students to take aim.
Guy Bailey, who will
lead the new University
of Texas Rio Grande
Valley, said he felt UTB’s
astrophysics program
was one of the factors in
bringing SpaceX to South
Texas in the first place, a
notion bolstered by a $14
million investment from
Musk’s company into
STARGATE, a partnership that will place students and faculty in the
same facilities as SpaceX
professionals.
Still, it seems surreal
that the next generation
of
rocket
scientists
and NASA employees
could
come
from
Brownsville
simply
because of its proximity
to a launch pad.
But
that’s
just
how it happened in
Chincoteague, Virginia.
Rural rockets
“This
is
rural
America,” Chincoteague
Chamber of Commerce
Director Bonnie Shotwell
said in describing the
area. “The difference is
when someone says
“What’s that noise?” people say “Oh it’s just NASA
blowing something up.”
Perhaps the history of
the
Wallops
Flight
Facility had locals primed
for the larger rocket
launches, but it’s safe
to say that the town
has embraced its role as
the on-ramp to orbit
based on how it looks during a launch.
NASA/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
This Image provided by NASA shows the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, as it launches from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Spaceport (MARS) on Sept. 18 at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
“A lot of times, business comes to a standstill,” said Kelly Conklin,
owner of the Island
Creamery, an ice cream
shop in Chincoteague.
“Everyone has their
favorite spot,” Shotwell
explained.
The Chamber has sug-
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gested viewing spots for
tourists, she said, but
most locals have settled
on their own secret spots
throughout the area.
Shotwell said traffic
on the causeway is always
a little heavier ahead of a
launch as people from all
over situate themselves
with a view of Wallops
Flight Facility and the
launch pad.
PLEASE SEE WALLOPS, D27
PAIN MANAGEMENT
& PHYSICAL
THERAPY
DR. SURYA P. RAGUTHU, M.D.
BOARD CERTIFIED PHYSIATRIST
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956.546.7530
Fax: 956.546.7531
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email: [email protected]
WALLOPS
FROM PAGE D26
Conklin said his customers all head to the deck and
he himself steps outside to
watch, especially since the
Antares rocket launches
are infrequent.
“You’d have to go to
Florida to get the same kind
of experience that you can
get here at Wallops and
here you’re able to get so
close to the launch site,” he
said, explaining that his ice
cream shop is near the
flight facility. “If you go to
the tip of our island you
have a view from the launch
site and you can go on the
STARGATE
FROM PAGE D24
“Of course we don’t
have those yet, but as the
director of the Center for
Advanced
Radio
Astronomy, it was very
clear to me that, you know,
what they’re looking for —
tracking systems and all of
that — that’s radio frequency technologies, that’s
radio telescopes,” he said.
“That’s
what
our
expertise is.”
Jenet said he approached
Steve Davis, SpaceX director of Advanced Projects,
who liked the idea. One of
Jenet’s graduate students,
Louis Dartez, rallied ARCC
students to attend the first
open forum SpaceX held in
Brownsville — and even
managed to talk the company’s
representatives
into a tour.
“Louis managed to convince all the SpaceX people
to come into CARAMEL
(the Center for Advanced
actual beach and have unobstructed views.”
At his shop, Conklin dips
Rocket Fuel ice cream, a
special
NASA-inspired
chocolate, cinnamon and
hot pepper flavor.
“You’d be foolish not to
accept the opportunity to tie
into something like that,” he
said, essentially chalking
the flavor up as a tourist
to-do. “It’s not the most popular thing in the world, but
it sells.”
The rocket launches add
a nice tourism touch to the
offseason, Conklin said.
Conklin said even delays
are a boon for the area,
since it usually means
employees and tourists may
have to stay another night.
NASA Spokeswoman
Rebecca Hudson said while
unmanned missions mean
the area doesn’t see many
actual astronauts, trainings
throughout the year bring
researchers and other scientists to the area in
addition to tourists and
the media.
“We’re giving the local
economy a boost yearround,” she said.
And the mostly rural,
sparsely populated Eastern
Shore thrives on its newest
attraction, Conklin said.
“It’s a depressed area
other than a little resort
town,” he said.
Still, the launches and
the public’s growing interest in space is slowly transforming the economy.
Hudson grew up a mile
from the Wallops Flight
Facility gate and the
Chincoteague
native
has been steeped in small
town life.
“It’s just a small, coastal
town,” she says of
Chincoteague. “A lot of people say it’s like taking a step
back in history.
“To me, it’s just home.”
That home, though, is
one where just about everyone knows someone who
works with rockets somehow and launches are mustsee events.
“Everybody has a vested
interest in what is happening,” she said, explaining
that launch photos dominate local social media for
days after launches.
A friend’s five-year-old
son sees every launch, she
said, since watching science
and history intersect is a
worthwhile endeavor for
young children, even if
launches are scheduled
after bedtime. Children in
pajamas are common sights
during night launches,
Hudson said.
The launches to the
International Space Station
have inspired a new generation of locals who now see
before them a path to the
stars, Hudson said.
“They say ‘This is happening in my backyard. I
can build that. I can do this.
I can be the next Neil
Armstrong,’” she said.
Those thoughts never
occurred to Hudson growing up, but an internship
with NASA her freshman
year of college led her to a
job with Wallops public
relations and even resulted
in NASA paying for her to
get her master’s degree.
Now 30, Hudson has
marked a path to NASA she
hopes others will follow,
especially those who have
the benefit of growing up
around rockets.
“It’s not going to be easy,
but it’s definitely something
doable,” she said.
And while it wasn’t the
career she anticipated
growing up, Hudson said
she wouldn’t trade it
for any other.
“It was the dream I didn’t
know I had, come true,” she
said. “There’s no other place
I’d rather work.”
Radio
Astronomy
Microelectronics
Laboratory) — this was
back over at ITEC at the
time — and he basically
started to show them
all the stuff we were
doing,” he said.
Jenet said STARGATE
students will be involved in
every
aspect
of
a
space mission, from
designing science/technology payloads to the actual
spacecraft itself, testing
and launch phases, communications and orbital
operations.
Based on what they
learn, students who go
through the program
should be able to start their
own companies to serve
aerospace or other industries, he said, adding that
commercialization is a key
aspect of STARGATE.
“It’s very exciting,”
Jenet said. “The idea of
course is that every step of
the way the students are
involved and integrated
into these programs, and
then they’re going to develop new technologies.
“They’re going to have
the resources there to
develop the prototypes, the
resources there to develop
companies. It basically is
going to be research and
commercialization going
on here.”
STARGATE is the interface between a university
— soon to be UT Rio
Grande Valley — and a private enterprise, namely
SpaceX, he said.
It’s quite a turnaround
for a program that was
barely there when Jenet —
who earned his undergraduate
degree
from
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
and
his
Ph.D. from the California
Institute of Technology —
arrived
at
UTB
10 years ago.
“We successfully took a
department that was on the
edge — it was graduating
one or two students every
few years — and turned it
into one of the top 10 producers of Hispanic physicists,” he said.
Jose Martinez, a master’s
student
and
Brownsville native, is one
of them. This is his last
semester at UTB and he’s
getting his Ph.D. at the
Max Planck Institute for
Radio
Astronomy
in
Germany. When Martinez
is done with that, he really
wants to come back home
— to work in his field.
“The chance of actually
coming back and working
here at home just makes
me really happy, because
before all of this I didn’t
know what to expect,
if I had to leave
Brownsville and never
come back,” he said.
“But this is a really
great opportunity for me to
actually work here at
home, still be with my family, and still be able to provide for my own family in
the future.”
Martinez said SpaceX
and STARGATE are a
“dream that’s becoming a
reality” and that he’s excited about what the future
holds for his hometown.
Jang Luo, a graduate
student from China who
came to UTB five years
ago, said he was completely floored by the news of
the university’s collaboration with SpaceX.
“I was shocked,” he said.
“I could not say any words.
That’s what I dreamed of
doing when I was little. It’s
just so exciting.”
James Murray, a junior,
Brownsville native and
chief technician for CARA,
said he’s had the chance to
work in world-class facilities such as the National
Radio
Astronomy
Observatory in West
Virginia, the Arecibo
Observatory in Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory in
Washington D.C.
He admitted that a
shortage of equipment at
UTB sometimes slows
down research, but said
that’s about to become a
non-issue. Thanks to the
collaboration with SpaceX,
UT-RGV will be able to
offer students a unique
advantage from an academic and research perspective, he said.
“We’re going to have
this wonderful new equipment, state-of-the-art, just
boundless opportunities,”
Murray said. “I would like
to say that I really hope
students that are here recognize how big of an opportunity this is and get
involved in it.”
Jenet said the $9.5 million already committed is
enough to get STARGATE
off the ground but that more
money will be needed.
“It’s definitely not
everything we need,” he
said. “We have a mandate
to go after other funds.
There’s definitely some
other grants that we’re
going after that are well
suited for what we’re doing
across the board.”
He’d like to see the program in its new digs inside
two years. SpaceX said it
could launch its first rocket
as early as late 2016. Jenet
said construction on
STARGATE could start
before the end of this year.
“I might be a little optimistic on that, but it
should be very close to
that,” he said.
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Space X - Aim Media Texas

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