Unrestricted Aerospace

Pappalardo, Joe. Unrestricted Aerospace. Popular mechanics. Aug 2008.
In the Mojave desert a private company, XCOR Aerospace is hoping to build a space craft to take paying customers into space. Other companies also are working in the desert. Scaled Composites is the company that invented the first aircraft that flew around the world without having to refuel. SpaceShipOne became the first private craft to take a pilot into outer space. This ship won the Ansari prize of 10 million dollars!

Aerospace history takes place in secert areas where designs can be tested without people spying and where if a mistake happens the craft will not crash into a shopping mall.The US Air force base was at Groom Lake Nevada; here is where they tested planes for defense contractors. Some tenants work on 'black' projects, this means they are top secret.Mojave is called the New Area 51 - the old Area 51 is where our government is supposedly hiding alien aircraft they captured.

Mojave's first airport was built in 1935. The government took it over in WW II to use as a Marine air station. In 2004 the FAA certified Mojave as a spaceport. This means private companies can launch people into space from here. New Mexico is also building a spaceport.Plenty of jobs exist here from both military and private contractors.