Work at spaceport halts for plan changes

From the Las Cruces Sun-News - By Diana M. Alba DALBA@LCSUN-NEWS.COM - LAS CRUCES - Spaceport America officials have halted construction of a building at the site, as they rework its architectural plans. A spaceport official said earlier this year that the 16,000 square-foot, dome-shaped aircraft rescue and firefighting building was slated for completion in December. But Rick Homans, executive director for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, recently halted construction in order to redesign its interior. Homans contended the problem is a minor one in the larger scheme of the $212 million spaceport construction. "We face challenges on the construction site every day, and this is just one of the many challenges," he said. "Quite frankly I'm surprised at the level of attention it's receiving because it's regarded as a minor issue internally that has no impact on our budget or timetable." Construction on the overall spaceport is slated to be finished in 2011. Homans said some additional expense could be incurred during the redesign, but it's expected to be small and will be drawn from contingency dollars. Read more

Work at spaceport halts for plan changes