Is the wide blue yonder shutting down the Space Coast?

Caption: A rendering of a Taurus II rocket at Wallops Island, Va. Florida suffered a blow in February, when Orbital Sciences Corp. announced that it would launch a Taurus II rocket from Wallops Island, bypassing Kennedy Space Center. [Rendering: Orbital Sciences]


Growing up on Florida's East coast gives you an interesting life view. A trip to the ocean is never far off and the sun sizzles year round- but more importantly there is a connection to something beyond-- and it's not just the horizon line over that sparkling ocean.

Being a part of the Space Coast brings you closer to the amazement of wonder of the space outside our sheltered blue home. At least for me, I know I make a point to watch every launch and hold my breath- keeping track of their journey through space, and even watching the NASA channel (which if you haven't before it is horribly boring) but just to watch the shuttle image slowly blip across the globe and here random radio feedback between the station and maybe even some words from the astronauts. (So cool!- serious dork alert I know).

With private enterprises (literally) launching into space and the imminent need for a new space craft (the shuttle has been around ohhh 30 years)surely NASA and KSC would be ahead of the curve and ensuring the stability of the Space Coast's continued launch site and expertise in the whole space exploration line o' work.

Not so. Like any government contract, it seems KSC may soon lose it's princely hold the space industry with the next U.S. issued fleet. How about the private sector? It seems that other sites around the world are less expensive and have less red tape guarding launch procedures. A list of other launch sites are found in the article.

This is worrisome for my home county because of how it can impact the economy. This month's Florida Trend has a feature addressing the future of the Space Coast in the space industry. "The state’s most immediate concern is the 3,600 jobs along Florida’s Space Coast that will be lost when NASA retires the shuttle fleet in a little over two years. NASA estimates its economic impact in Florida topped $3.6 billion in 2006; the average Kennedy Space Center salary is $72,000."

Florida has a chance to jump at the private business of space flight. The shuttle will stop flying in 2010 and the next craft won't be ready for launch until 2015. There is too much talent, dependency, and history on the Central Florida coastline dedicated to this industry to simply close shop.