By Wes Oleszewski

To see the area surrounding the Mojave airport in its future perspective you have to view it in the same terms that Walt Disney viewed the swamps outside of Orlando in the early 1960s. That is because if the future of private spaceflight  is to grow, its roots may best be located in Mojave.

For decades, since the end of the Apollo Program, it has been said that the future of spaceflight will likely reside in corporate industry. In some sort of mineral or manufacturing exploitation embarked upon by some corporate giant with the vision to invest billions on some new product. The fact is, however, that existing businesses are put off by the simple cost of upgrading their copy machines, let alone investing in a vision for space exploitation. Those industrial investors will never participate in the future of spaceflight.

Odds are if you want to know where the real future of spaceflight is you need to look no farther than the tourist industry. Large scale space-theme tourism is where future spaceflight may earn its money. Ventures such as the flight of SpaceShipOne can demonstrate how Mojave is the perfect place to establish that space world tourist attraction. Mojave's room for expansion can be equated with rooms for hotel guests and room for the construction of space themed attractions.

Some may say that the activity of making sub-orbital astronauts out of people who have little or no flying experience will always be reserved for those who have plenty of cash. If, however, you look at the entire process as if you have unlimited money to invest and then add a bit of imagination you can clearly see how this activity can be surrounded by family-style attractions.

Let's say, for example, that a member of the family has saved up enough cash to make that once-in-a-lifetime flight. Bringing the whole family out to the space world resort could be a worthwhile venture if there is enough to keep them entertained. Imagine, if you will, a surrounding theme resort that has full motion simulator rides, a neutral buoyancy attraction, zero-G flights, museums, I-Max theaters and a hefty garnish of gift shops, eateries and distractions to keep the rest of the family occupied. Much the same as the tourist industry and central Florida theme park giants have learned to profit from the entire family, the space tourism industry can also flourish.

All that is needed for this space world tourist attraction is the presence of those who have the vision, the assets and the nerve to make it happen. Fortunately, the X Prize has already started to draw the attention of those sorts of people to both spaceflight and Mojave. With any luck, one, or some of them will have the same ability that Walt Disney had in 1964 to make the future happen.

FMI: www.mojaveairport.com