Florida's Exploration Park keeps state ahead
Florida has long been at the forefront of space travel internationally, it is here, at Cape Canaveral, that NASA’s shuttles take to the skies headed for the moon, or, more commonly, the International Space Station.
When NASA announced that its fleet of shuttles would be retired and that the shuttle program would be disbanded, many saw it as a step backwards for the United States and the state of Florida, but NASA’s new Space Life Sciences Lab and the adjacent Exploration Park, which is still under development, are testaments to Florida’s ongoing leadership in the exploration and understanding of space travel and the world beyond Earth’s stratosphere.
The Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL) describes itself as a hub of the world’s “most preeminent scientists” and is kitted out with facilities designed for the sole purpose of discovering more about space, space travel and the effects and challenges of living beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
The centre is approximately 100,000 square feet in total and has a permanent staff of 130 scientists and around 78 visiting researchers at any given time. There are 25 science laboratories, 6 facilities for the housing of animals and 8 hardware laboratories. These facilities also consist of 15 environment controlled chambers and investigate everything from genetic identification to shuttle design and experimentation with unmanned drones.
The entire facility is part of the famous and huge Kennedy Space Centre, the heart of NASA’s space program. Kennedy Space Centre was exploring the possibility of space travel long before Neil Armstrong uttered his famous words and captured the attention and the imagination of an entire planet.
Many other developed and developing countries have now developed their own space programs, Japan, Russia, India and China have all contributed to the International Space Station, a leader of research in its own right as a scientific lab, but the development of the Space Life Sciences Lab will ensure that the US doesn’t fall behind in leading the charge.
The recent commencement of construction of the one-of-a-kind Exploration Park, which will form part of SLSL, was another example of Florida’s place in America as a technology and science hub, especially when it comes to space.
According to Florida news reports, the new Exploration Park will be completed in 2012 and will continue the research and development being done at SLSL but with a broader range of stakeholders. The park will essentially be a commercial centre where interested companies, private and public, can take up residence and utilize specialized services and infrastructure for aerospace-related research and development.
It is expected that the tenants will come from a diverse range of sectors, military, civil, private and public and already more than six companies have signed letters of intent for tenancy contracts in Phase 1 of the park.
Not all of these tenants have their eyes on space; among these companies is an electricity provider interested in the research and development of renewable energy.
The space industry in Florida is estimated to contribute around $8 billion to the state’s economy, while the global industry is worth around $250 billion, which shows just how much room for expansion there is within Florida.
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Florida Focus
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Florida's Exploration Park keeps state ahead
NASA’s new Space Life Sciences Lab and the adjacent Exploration Park, which is still under development, are testaments to Florida’s ongoing leadership in the exploration and understanding of space travel and the world beyond Earth’s stratosphere.
Florida has long been at the forefront of space travel internationally, it is here, at Cape Canaveral, that NASA’s shuttles take to the skies headed for the moon, or, more commonly, the International Space Station. Read more
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