Business Facilities - November 2007 - (Page 21)

Rendering of the entrance at Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial space terminal, which will be built starting next year near Las Cruces, NM want to be part of our ever-evolving creativity,” says Phillips. “The island is small enough to have a real sense of community—people want to help others to achieve success.” Two notable Isle of Wight companies breaking new ground are GKN Aerospace and Radiation Watch. With over 50 years experience in aerospace products, GKN specializes in the design, development, manufacture, and support of turboprop and turbofan nacelles, large composite structures, and primary structures. Radiation Watch provides innovative technological solutions for radiological detection and measurement. From its Isle of Wight base, the company’s scientists have developed technology known as Direct Dose Detection, or D3, aimed at solving many of the problems normally encountered in today’s radiological instruments, and enabling real-time isotopic measurement in handheld instruments. The business serves a diverse range of customers worldwide in the health, defense, homeland security, and nuclear markets. Part of the Isle of Wight’s appeal, says Phillips, beyond its 60 miles of beach and coastline and the countryside’s beauty, is the fact that it is only a 20-minute ferry ride from the international ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, and two hours from London. Also, there are two major universities just 40 minutes away. NEW HEIGHTS IN S PAC E TRA VE L Back in the U.S., technology is being taken to new heights—quite literally—in New Mexico, where the nascent space tourism industry is being created. Ideal flying weather and wide open spaces have contributed to an expanding aerospace industry that dates to 1929, when Robert Goddard relocated to Roswell, NM to build experimental rockets. Through the decades, the area continued to draw rocket scientists, and in the 1980s and ‘90s, the White Sands Missile Range was the site of many NASA missions. The plans for Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial space terminal, promise a new chapter in New Mexico’s aerospace history. The spaceport, a partnership between the state and Virgin Galactic, will be built starting next year near Las Cruces, NM, located just east of the Rio Grande and home to New Mexico State University. In September, a team of U.S. and British architects and designers unveiled the design of Spaceport America, which will use passive energy for heating and cooling, with photovoltaic panels for electricity PHOTO CREDITS: SPACEPORT AMERICA Rendering of a flight at dawn at the Spaceport BUSINESS FACILITIES 21

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Business Facilities - November 2007

Business Facilities - November 2007 Contents First Words Snapshots Metro Spotlight: Indianapolis Region, Indiana Georgia's Pursuit of Industry Extreme Technology Sites A Tennessee Trifecta A Watershed Moment for Philly Metro Spotlight: Mexico-Texas Border Region High Tech and Aerospace Heat up in Arizona Meeting the Information Technology Challenge IEDC Announces 2007 Winners Corporate Moves: Alabama Northeast Arkansas Scores Major Investments Corporate Moves: Virginia Metro Spotlight: Martinsville-Henry County, VA Renewable Michigan Advertiser Index Ask the Expert

Business Facilities - November 2007

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