Labels: comedy, decemberists, music, steven colbert, video

Labels: comedy, writing

The Columbus Dispatch yesterday reported that Rickenbacker Airport, the former SAC base south of town now primarily serving industry and shipping traffic, is in the running as a home for PlanetSpace's planned shuttle-like tourist flights into orbit beginning in 2008.

PlanetSpace has designed several space vehicles, including what they believe to be a practical, affordable vehicle for earth-to-orbit traffic. The Silver Dart is a flexible hypersonic vehicle capable of a controlled return to Earth from orbit. It will be driven into orbit via booster rockets. Unlike the American shuttle, the Silver Dart will be highly maneuverable, and so can leave orbit at any point and return to bases anywhere on the planet.

...PlanetSpace is currently entertaining bids from various possible U.S. facilities. Columbus is supposedly putting together an offer with the help of the Chamber of Commerce. PlanetSpace claims they will have 500 people employed at the facility within 3 years, and hope to begin flights as early as 2008.