A cikin Spaceport America

Shin Spaceport America a shirye take ta zama sabuwar hanyar yawon buɗe ido ta New Mexico? Mmm, ba tukuna. Amma akwai faffadan sararin samaniya da yawa, dama mai yawa da kuma fata mai yawa cewa tashar jirgin za ta haifar da tasirin ci gaba da ayyukan yawon bude ido.

Idan tsare-tsaren sun yi nasara, Spaceport America da kewaye za su iya zama cibiyar biliyoyin daloli don yawon shakatawa da kuma jirgin sama - wani abu mai kama da Tekun Sararin Samaniya na Florida tare da karkatar da yammacin daji. Idan tsare-tsaren sun cika gaba ɗaya, yankin zai iya tashi a matsayin garin fatalwa na dala miliyan 198.

Ya rage ga Steve Landeene, babban darektan Hukumar tashar jiragen ruwa ta New Mexico, don tabbatar da cewa waɗannan tsare-tsaren ba su yi nasara ba. "Dole ne ku sami hangen nesa mai yawa a nan," in ji shi.

A ranar Juma'ar da ta gabata, Landeene ya kasance jagorar daraktan balaguron balaguron bas na yini wanda ya taso daga Las Cruces, NM, kuma ya yi taho-mu-gama da mil da mil na babbar hanyar jaha, shimfidar titin da datti zuwa wurin kaddamar da kadada 18,000 na New Mexico.

Mutane da yawa na iya yin taho-mu-gama a cikin watanni masu zuwa. A makon da ya gabata, hukumar kula da sararin samaniya ta sanar da cewa za ta fara gudanar da rangadin "hardhat" na wurin da kewaye a watan Disamba. (Kalli Gidan Yanar Gizo na Spaceport America don ƙarin bayani.)

Samun wurin yana da rabin abin jin daɗi - kuma fiye da rabin nisan mil. Motar bas ce mai tsawon mil 75 zuwa Gaskiya ko Sakamako, inda za a canza tashar kashe gobara ta zama cibiyar maraba. Sannan kuna cikin wasu mil 25 na wasu hanyoyi masu jujjuyawa, wucewa kusa da Rio Grande. Idan kun yi sa'a, za ku ga wasu ƴan kasuwa/masu ba da agaji Ted Turner bison bison suna kiwo a wani gefen shinge yayin da kuke wucewa ta kan iyakar.

Lokacin da blacktop ya tsaya a bakin kofofin sararin samaniya, wani nau'i na kasada ya fara.

"Yanzu mun shiga Area 52," Landeene ya yi murmushi.

Landeene ya sauka daga motar bas ya buɗe kofar da ke kaiwa filin tashar sararin samaniya. Bayan bas ɗin yawon buɗe ido ya birkice, sai ya sake tsalle ya nuna abin da ya kira "kambin kambi" na wurin - wata hanya mai ban mamaki mai fadi kamar filin kwallon kafa wanda ke tasowa zuwa sararin sama. Zuwa watan Agusta mai zuwa, wannan faffadan dattin jajayen za a rikide zuwa titin jirgin sama mai tsawon kafa 10,000.

Jirgin saukar dalar Amurka miliyan 30 na iya amfani da shi ta jiragen sama na karkashin kasa irin su SpaceShipTwo na Virgin Galactic - ko kuma ta jiragen soja marasa matuka irin su Predators da Reapers wadanda a halin yanzu suke tashi daga sansanin sojojin sama na Holloman da ke kusa. Yankin hamadar yankin, wanda yashi da sage, mesquite da cactus suka mamaye, shine dalili daya da yasa ya dace da gudanar da ayyukan yaki.

"Wannan yana da nau'i na musamman ga Gabas ta Tsakiya," in ji Landeene.

Babban barazanar a wannan rana, duk da haka, ba ta fito ne daga hare-haren jiragen sama ko fashewar roka ba, sai dai daga shanu da maciji. "Mun ga maciji a kan hanya mil biyar ko shida baya," Donna Brown, babban darektan wani asibitin Las Cruces wanda ke aiki a matsayin jagorar yawon shakatawa, ya gargade mu yayin da muka tashi daga bas.

Baya ga kayan aiki masu nauyi da manyan shimfidar ƙasa, an nuna mu masu yawon buɗe ido a kusa da faɗuwar faɗuwar rana, wanda aka gina don ƴan takara a gasar Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. Yadda al'amura suka kasance, ba a buƙatar pad ɗin saboda an yarda masu roka su gina nasu pad kusa da gida, a Texas ko California. Amma atisayen ba zai yi asara ba: Landeene ya ce a karshe za a yi amfani da pad na tashar jiragen ruwa don harba rokoki na Super Loki na soja-ragi na soja.

Kusan mil mil zuwa gangaren dattin, mun hau har zuwa wurin da ake harbawa a tsaye, tare da kafaffen dogo na jagora a lulluɓe a cikin ƙayayensa, tsari mai kama da tirela. Idan lokacin dagawa yayi, tirelar za a yi birgima daga layin dogo, a ɗaga layin dogo, a sanya roka a wuri ta hau sama idan ƙidayar ta kai sifili.

A farkon wannan watan, Lockheed Martin da UP Aerospace sun yi nasarar harba wani jirgin sama samfurin roka. Kuma a cikin watan Agusta, an harba wani jirgin mara matuki mai amfani da makamin roka ga kamfanin sararin samaniyar Moog-FTS.

"Wannan ya nuna wannan ba wasa ba ne a nan," in ji Landeene.

Tashar sararin samaniya ba wani abin dariya bane, tabbas. Sai dai wasu daga cikin mazauna yankin na fargabar cewa za a iya yin barkwanci a kansu, musamman a kananan hukumomin biyu da suka kada kuri'a kan karin haraji don taimakawa wajen biyan kudin tashar sararin samaniya. Baya ga waɗancan haraji na cikin gida, ana saka kuɗin jihohi da na tarayya zuwa dala miliyan 198 na kuɗin gini, a daidai lokacin da New Mexico ke ƙoƙarin daidaita kasafin kuɗinta.

"Na tabbata muna fata za mu samu koma baya kan wannan jarin," wani mazaunin Las Cruces ya gaya mani a keɓe.

Wasu damuwa sun mamaye sararin samaniya:

Makiyaya sun damu cewa tashar jirgin za ta kwashe ruwansu. (Wannan takaddamar ya kamata a shiga tsakani a wannan makon.)

Masana ilimin halitta sun damu cewa gine-ginen tashar jiragen ruwa za su lalata kyakkyawan “wajen kallo” na yankin tsaunuka. (Wanda shine dalili ɗaya da ya sa za a gina yawancin wuraren tashar jiragen ruwa a ƙasa.)

Mazauna cikin Gaskiya ko Sakamako suna tada jijiyar wuya game da yawan motocin tsakuwa da ke birgima a cikin garinsu. (A makon da ya gabata, an kama wani mai zanga-zangar da ya hana zirga-zirgar ababen hawa, ya tayar da mummuna arangama.)

Masana muhalli na gudanar da wani bincike don tantance ko wasu namun dajin yankin za su bukaci kariya ga nau'in. ("Wannan 'yar matsala ce," in ji Landeene.)

Ko da a lokacin da babban titin jirgin saman Amurka ya kasance, zai ɗauki aƙalla wata shekara kafin a mayar da wurin zuwa irin abubuwan jan hankali da aka kwatanta a cikin tsarin ƙirar "Star Trek". Tashar tashar jiragen ruwa ta ƙare ne a cikin 2011 - wanda ke kama da kusan farkon lokacin da Virgin Galactic zai iya fara ayyukan sararin samaniyar kasuwanci.

Gina tashar sararin samaniya kawai ba zai wadatar ba. Landeene yana banki a kan wasu abubuwan jan hankali, kamar filin wasan golf mai ramuka 18 a kusa da Turtleback Mountain Resort, don samar da masu yawon bude ido da ke sararin samaniya da wani abu da za su yi a kudancin New Mexico. Sauran zane-zane na yawon bude ido na iya haɗawa da wuraren dafa abinci-ranch, balaguron tarihi na Billy Kid da hawan dune-buggy.

Nasarar na iya dogara ne akan ko ci gaban ababen more rayuwa, abubuwan jan hankali na yawon bude ido da ayyukan jirgin sama sun girma akan jadawalin aiki tare. "Kwararrun gamayya ce ke ba mu damar yin aikin," in ji Landeene.

Landeene ya riga ya hango wani wasan kwaikwayo na amphitheater wanda za'a iya gina shi a cikin ɗan ƙaramin butte kuma yana ba da babban ra'ayi game da harba roka a tsaye… tsarin lantarki "carbon-negative" wanda ke samar da ƙarin ƙarfi fiye da yadda yake cinyewa… kuma yana ƙaddamar da kewayawa cikin shekaru 20. Wannan wani abu ne mai ban sha'awa, la'akari da cewa aikin gine-gine a tashar sararin samaniya yana ci gaba da tafiya. Amma kar a gwada gaya wa Landeene ba za a iya yi ba.

“Idan wani ya ce mini ba zan iya ba, sai in ce, ‘Zan nuna muku. … Zan yi,'” in ji shi.