Posts Tagged ‘Truth or Consequences’

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

Photo courtesy of Fred Shepherd

LAS CRUCES, NM — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has selected Follow The Sun, Inc., to conduct public Preview Tours of Spaceport America.

Spaceport America’s Preview Tours will feature guided, exclusive access to the spaceport and provide guests an up close and personal encounter with the spaceflight facilities only available during the current pre-operational phase. Guests will also learn the history and evolution of transportation and trade in the area from the Spanish pioneers and Native Americans of the past to the space pioneers of the future. The approximately three-hour experience gives guests an in-depth look at the scenic beauty and rugged ranges of New Mexico’s Old West, as well as man’s efforts to survive in the high desert.

“The company is thrilled for the enormous opportunity to provide exclusive tours of Spaceport America,” said Rose Bleth, president and founder of Follow the Sun. “What an honor”.  As part-time residents of Sierra County, Bleth and her business partner and husband Mark not only recognize the long-term business potential of spaceport tourism, but also see the endeavor as personally gratifying, explaining that they both “truly care about the community and the success that comes from Spaceport America. We want to make a difference, and our heart is in it as well.”

Tours will begin May 13, 2011, and will be conducted each Friday, Saturday and Sunday thereafter. Tour buses will depart twice daily, at 9 am and 1 pm. The guided tours will initially depart from both the Elephant Butte Inn, 401 New Mexico 195, Elephant Butte, NM; and across from Sunset Grill on 306 S. Pershing St., Truth or Consequences, NM. Expansion of tours to Las Cruces and Albuquerque is anticipated later this year.

Cost:  $59 for adults and $29 for children under 12. Reservations are required with a minimum of two guests per tour. Group discounts are available. For more information go to www.ftstours.com or call: 1-505-897-2886 or Toll Free: 1-866-428-4SUN (786)

About Follow the Sun, Inc.

Follow the Sun Inc., a woman-owned motorcoach and tour company based in Albuquerque, NM, has been showcasing the wonders of New Mexico to local, national and international clients since 2003. In addition to serving as the official tour operator for Spaceport America, the company offers a variety of charter, receptive and day tour services throughout the state featuring local, experienced guides and the highest level of customer service. Follow the Sun believes that it’s more than transportation and touring, it’s about taking care of people.

About Spaceport America

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Armadillo Aerospace, Moog-FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on the promise of economic development to the people of New Mexico.

For more information, please visit: www.spaceportamerica.com

The New Mexico Space Grant Consortium announced that the next Student Launch (SL5) will take place at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, April 1, 2011 from Spaceport America. The launch will achieve a 65 mile altitude and include 33 experiments from New Mexico middle schools, high schools and universities.

Registration by March 15, 2011 is mandatory for attending the launch. All guests will be required to be transported by bus – no personal cars will be allowed to enter into Spaceport America. Guests and students will meet at staging areas in Las Cruces (South) at 3:00 a.m. and in Truth or Consequences (North) at 4:00 a.m. to caravan to Spaceport America for this launch.

The sponsors of the 2011 Student Launch Program include:

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

• International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS)

• Dona Ana County

• Sierra County

• Starbucks Coffee

Click here for more information and to register.

Release courtesy of the Governor’s Office

SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez announced today that she has made appointments to all positions on the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors. The appointments come as the Martinez administration continues to review all boards and commissions to make necessary adjustments and ensure that New Mexico’s taxpayers receive the best possible return on their investment. Each member has agreed not to conduct business with the Spaceport for two years after leaving their position on the board.

“I believe that with the right leadership and the right approach, the Spaceport can be a successful venture that brings jobs to New Mexico,” said Governor Martinez. “New Mexico’s taxpayers have made a significant investment in the Spaceport project. It’s time to see the project through to completion by bringing in private funding. In order to let taxpayers know that their government will operate in an open and honest manner, I have also asked each board member to make a commitment that they will not conduct business with the Spaceport for two years after their tenure on the board ends. I look forward to working with the new board members to ensure that we responsibly develop the Spaceport to its full potential, bring new jobs into New Mexico, and give taxpayers a healthy return on their investment.”

The members of the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors are listed below.

•        Chairman Richard Holdridge is a retired Air Force officer from Deming whose military service included a heavy focus on satellite program acquisition and overseeing the manufacturing, planning, and operation of United States Department of Defense satellite programs. After retiring from the Air Force, Holdridge was elected to the Deming City Council, where he served from 1998 to 2000. He currently manages his family’s real estate development and farming businesses in southern New Mexico. Holdridge earned his B.S. in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, his M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Dayton, and his PhD in Astronautical Engineering from Stanford University.

•        Irvin Diamond is a Certified Public Accountant and a Senior Principal at REDW Stanley Financial Advisers in Albuquerque. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and chairs the Board of Directors at Amerinst Insurance Group. Diamond holds degrees from John Carroll University and the University of New Mexico.

•        Sid Gutierrez is a former NASA astronaut who currently serves as Director of ES&H and Emergency Management as well as Chief of Safety for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. Gutierrez piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1991 and served as Mission Commander for the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1994. He also served on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and International Space Station Management and Cost Evaluation Taskforce. Gutierrez earned his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and his M.A. in Personnel Management from Webster University.

•        Jerry Stagner is the President of Citizens Bank in Truth or Consequences. He also served as President of State National Bank and has an extensive background in the banking field. Stagner holds a B.B.A from Eastern New Mexico University. He previously served as a member of the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.

•        David Buchholtz is an attorney at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP in Albuquerque. His practice includes government finance law, economic development and state tax incentive law, financial institutions law, securities law, and corporate law. Buchholtz has been a private practice attorney since 1976. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Think New Mexico and also served as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico Law School. He earned his B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

•        Scott Krahling is a marketing consultant from Las Cruces who specializes in developing and implementing marketing plans for small businesses and real estate clients in Dona Ana County. Krahling also serves as a member of the Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners. He holds a B.A in Government and Journalism & Mass Communications from New Mexico State University.

•        Benjamin Woods serves as the Senior Vice President for External Relations and Chief of Staff at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, managing the Office of Government Relations as well as the University Communications and Marketing Services in that capacity. Woods has served as an administrator at NMSU since 1987, working in multiple fields for the university, including Planning, Physical Resources, and University Relations. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and earned his M.B.A from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Woods previously chaired the Spaceport Authority Board of Directors.

Article courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News

Rick Homans

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES – Spaceport America Director Rick Homans announced his resignation Wednesday, saying he’d been ordered to do so by the Gov. Susana Martinez administration.

Some Spaceport America board members expressed concern about Martinez’s move and questioned whether Homans’ departure was good for the $209 million spaceport project as it goes through a key stage.

An emotional Homans read a lengthy resignation statement, saying he was committed to the project and hoped to stay longer.

“While I have embraced this project, it is clear that Gov. Martinez is not embracing me,” he said, during an emergency meeting of the Spaceport Authority board in Las Cruces. “I understand politics, and I also understand how critical it is for her to have absolute trust and confidence in the executive leadership of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.”

Homans, 54, said he was informed last Thursday to resign or be fired. He said he told the Martinez administration that he’d take up the matter Wednesday with the board, which has official power over hiring and firing the executive director.

Jon Barela – Martinez’s economic development secretary nominee who’ll also chair the spaceport board – didn’t attend the meeting. But Barela’s spokeswoman, Angela Heisel, said later that Martinez has asked for the resignations of all political appointees from the Gov. Bill Richardson administration.

“This is no different than what was asked of other political appointees,” she said. “Homans’ resignation will not disrupt the construction of the spaceport; the construction team remains in place and is continuing its work.”

Heisel said a search for a replacement director is under way.

Two members of the seven-person board – Jerry Stagner and Gary Whitehead, both Truth or Consequences businessmen – voted against accepting Homans’ resignation, while other members voted in favor.

Whitehead said he realizes this is the first gubernatorial changeover in the spaceport’s existence, but “as a board member, I’d really envisioned a smoother transition as we move forward with the spaceport and our new administration.

“I know we’ll work through it, and we’re certainly in a gray area,” he said. “It would have been my wish we would have seen an extension of Mr. Homans’ contract or his job to allow a smoother transition.”

The first suborbital spaceflights are expected to launch later this year from Spaceport America.

Some officials pointed out the spaceport project is in a critical stage, attempting to transition from a big construction project to an active hub for commercial aerospace activities. Finishing construction and attracting industry are the next important steps, they said.

Homans said the first phase of construction, which includes the spaceport terminal-hangar and a 10,000-foot runway, is about 80 percent finished.

But a second construction phase that was added last year is only beginning.

Board member Casey Luna of Belen pointed out he’s been involved with planning for a New Mexico spaceport since 1991 and said he’s concerned that “we’re skipping a beat here.” But the project survived a previous “hiccup,” after the resignation last year of former director Steve Landeene, he said.

Luna said he believes that’s possible again.

“I’m hoping the governor is aware that continuity is very, very important,” he said. The spaceport “will be a good thing for the state in general and this country.”

Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, an eighth, non-voting member of the spaceport board, did attend Wednesday’s session by phone, though didn’t say much.

Board members thanked Homans and outgoing board member and chairman Ben Woods.

Spaceport board members also said they were unsure of whether Martinez will allow them to serve out their terms. And, they said they hadn’t been told how to move forward in hiring a new director.

Said Whitehead: “It’s a time like this where we’re really not sure where we stand as leaders. And it feels like we’ve been put on hold, so I remained concerned about that.”

Homans, in his statement, said for the spaceport to succeed, Martinez must “become its biggest champion and rally her administration to support this effort.”

“Nothing short of complete commitment from Gov. Martinez and her administration will allow this project to achieve its full potential, which is the promise we made to the citizens of New Mexico …,” he said. “My hope is that Gov. Martinez can quickly move beyond viewing Spaceport America as the legacy project of Bill Richardson.”

Homans said instead, the project should become “her own legacy” because she’ll be governor when it first opens.

Homans, who earned $170,000 annually, said the resignation is effective at the close of business Friday. He said he started a search for a new job Wednesday.

Homans was hired as executive director in June, after Landeene resigned because of a controversy involving a possible conflict of interest. Before that, Homans was chairman of the spaceport board from 2005 to 2007 because of his job as head of the state’s Economic Development Department. Also, he was briefly the executive director in 2007, before leaving for a job in private industry.

Spaceport America is located in southeastern Sierra County.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

Rick Homans

LAS CRUCES, NM — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the day-to-day operations of Spaceport America, announced Rick Homans, Executive Director of the NMSA.

“Issuing these RFPs represents another major milestone on the path toward serving commercial spaceflight companies at Spaceport America,” Homans said. “The companies that win these awards will be on the front lines as we establish day-to-day operations for our launch customers.”

The RFPs cover three distinct areas of operations: General Services (including but not limited to operations and maintenance of facilities); Protective Services (including but not limited to site security and safety and environmental and health management); and Technical Services (including but not limited to airfield and launch support, IT management, airspace management and flight safety engineering).

Mandatory pre-proposal meetings and visits to Spaceport America have been scheduled on December 1 and 2 for each of the three RFPs. For complete details, the RFPs are available for download under the “Proposals” tab at www.spaceportamerica.com.

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has also established an online business registry so local businesses can post contact information and the level and type of experience they offer. Through the registry, larger companies can identify potential sub-contractors and suppliers with the capability to provide specific goods and/or services.

Regional economic development groups, including the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance and Sierra County Economic Development Organization, have scheduled two regional industry events to bring registered companies together in one place so they can network face-to-face and explore partnership arrangements.

LAS CRUCES:

Industry Day Event

Wednesday, Dec. 1 – 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Las Cruces Convention Center

680 E. University Ave., Las Cruces

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES:

Industry Day Event

Thursday, Dec. 2 – 9 a.m. – 12 noon

Sierra County Event Center

2953 S. Broadway, Truth or Consequences

“We want to do everything possible to ensure that local businesses participate in the opportunities created by Spaceport America,” said Homans. “We appreciate the support provided by the regional economic development organizations to ensure that we maximize local involvement.”

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with their anchor tenant Virgin Galactic and other leading aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, Armadillo Aerospace, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.