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Future Spaceport America visitor centers take shape [Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.](Las Cruces Sun-News (NM) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 28--LAS CRUCES -- How about Spaceport America Yes, there's even an app for that -- or at least there will be soon. State officials in recent days unveiled more detail about plans for a 6,000 net square-foot visitor center in Truth or Consequences and a 23,000 net square-foot tourist center at the remote spaceport location just north of Dona Ana County. The two facilities -- which could see up to 200,000 tourists per year -- will make heavy use of smart phones and tablets to dish out in-depth information about the spaceport, space history and other New Mexico tourism sites, said Aaron Prescott, business operations manager for the state spaceport authority. A showcase mural, for instance, within the on-site spaceport tourist center will depict the "progression of man's journey into the heavens," Prescott said. But the image also will feature an interactive layer. "It's embedded and viewed with smart code tags that can be activated by your mobile device and get material about all this stuff," Prescott said. "You can get as much information as you'd possibly want." Since mid-2011, the Florida-based Arts & Technology, Inc. -- a.k.a. IDEAS -- has been contracted to design the spaceport visitors centers and the exhibits and attractions that will go in them. The plans are crystallizing, and spaceport officials are in the midst of seeking a developer to build the facilities. Spaceport officials said the centers are aimed to cater to the hundreds of thousands of people who want to see the spaceport close-up, but aren't necessarily passengers aboard the $200,000 per-seat Virgin Galactic flights bound for suborbital space. Prescott said it's likely family members of space tourists also will use the visitor centers. Starting a tour A typical tour will start at the spaceport visitor center to be built off Exit 79 in Truth or Consequences. Drivers will park their vehicles and go inside to wait for their shuttle bus to the spaceport site, Prescott said. It will feature a small gift shop, light food sales and displays. There won't be a cost to get into to the visitor center, he said. It will offer a lot of information about the Spaceport America and other regional attractions and businesses -- part of what's being called the New Mexico True Trailhead, he said. The state tourism department is involved. "It is sort of a take on the idea that this is a trailhead to many different experiences throughout the state," he said. While the visitor center is free, anyone wanting to go on a tour of the spaceport must buy a ticket. Prescott said tourists can choose to download a Spaceport America multi-functional smartphone app. They'll get alerts, possibly play scavenger hunts or other games and maybe get coupons, he said. "When the time has come, your app, if you've downloaded it, will let you know: 'Hey, your shuttle is about to leave,'" he said. "You'll get on board." The shuttle will then depart for the spaceport. Passengers will be shown video giving "the context of what it means for space exploration to be occurring here in New Mexico -- all the things that led up to why we built Spaceport America, why New Mexico is really at the forefront of this industry and giving you some background to frame your experience," Prescott said. While it's possible to drive to a point near the spaceport via a public road, officials have said the only way visitors will be allowed onto the site is if they're part of guided tours. Pricing for the future tours hasn't been decided yet, according to Prescott. He said it will be up to an eventual operations company -- who'll be selected through an upcoming bid process -- to set the prices. Prescott said there are currently some tours of spaceport that cost $59 per person, and the aim is to make the final tour price affordable. "We suspect it's going to be the same or less than the current tours," he said. "I suspect it will wind up being less." Twin themes Architecturally, both the Truth or Consequences center and the on-site center play upon the theme of an airline hangar, with arched rooftops. Colors and materials are similar in appearance to the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space building -- the terminal-hangar for the spaceport, Prescott said. "They're meant to be evocative of some of the design language that already exists on-site, while being functional, very practical," he said. The on-site center, dubbed "Spaceport Central," will be hidden behind a large earthen berm, Prescott said. That's to mitigate the visual disturbance to the historic El Camino Real trail located west of the spaceport, he said. "It will entirely disguise the building," he said. 'Broccoli ice cream' Prescott said more design emphasis was placed upon the content of the building and the displays than the building exteriors. He said IDEAS aim is to dish out education, but in a fun way. "They like to call it 'broccoli ice cream,'" Prescott said. "You don't know that it's good for you because it tastes like ice cream." Last week, state spaceport authority board member Sid Gutierrez, a former astronaut, said he was at NASA's space center in Houston, when it created a visitor center years ago. He said he visited with his family in recent years, and, "unfortunately it has degenerated into ... pretty much a giant McDonald's play activity room and a whole bunch of video games -- not necessarily related to space." "It's certainly an opportunity for us to stand out as the organization that offers more of an educational experience," he said, of the proposed Spaceport America facilities. Spaceport authority executive Director Christine Anderson said the goal is to keep the experience up-to-date. "It will fall on us to make sure this is kept current and exciting," she said. "Virgin (Galactic) signed a 20-year lease; hopefully we'll be around a long time." As part of the educational aspect, the IDEAS firm is tying each kiosk and tidbit of information to a specific student lesson plan, which in turn will be linked to the national science educational standards released earlier this year, Prescott said. The material will be accessible even to teachers and students who don't tour the spaceport, he said. "We're going to make it available through a concept we're developing," he said. "Right now, it's called Spaceport America Academy." Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Stan Rounds said the school district has boosted its math and science programs with extra funding that stems from the schools' portion of a spaceport sales tax that was implemented several years ago. It's slightly early to be thinking about field trips, given that spaceport operations haven't started and there's not yet a southern road built to the site, he said. Still, "we certainly want to come up with programs that articulate for (students) -- give them a chance to see the facility, a chance to see Virgin Galactic's programs," he said. "We do that with White Sands (Missile Range), too." Inside Spaceport Central Once inside the on-site spaceport visitor center, tourists will pass through a security screening. They'll see a guest services kiosk, where they can get a loaner smart phone or tablet, if they don't have their own, Prescott said. The center will feature a gift shop and 3-D theater. Visitors will pass through "Cosmos Hall," which features the interactive mural and touch-screen kiosks and educational games, Prescott said. In the next area, tourists will have access to hands-on activities, including a training device that gives people the feel of g-forces. The center's restaurant will be "the only place to eat on-site," Prescott said. That means spaceport staff members, called "crew members," will be eating there alongside visitors, he said. Another area in Spaceport Central will be dedicated to large object displays. "By the time it's all said and done, this is going to be unlike any place in the country, or the world for that matter," Prescott said. To cap it off, visitors will take a tour of a portion of the terminal-hangar building, where they'll be able to see some of Virgin Galactic's operations. The facility is expected to take in between 500 and 1,000 people on an average day, and up to 1,900 people on peak days, such as holidays, Prescott said. Timeline To avoid having to pay the upfront capital cost of the visitor centers, the spaceport authority is seeking a developer to finance and build the facilities. The state will then lease them back and become a tenant. The likely cost of both buildings will be "somewhere north of $15 million or more," Prescott said. The winner of a bid process that closes May 17 will determine the monthly lease-back rate paid by the state. If there's a qualified bidder selected and a developer is in place by June, the centers should be built by June 2014, Prescott said. "Grand opening would take place sometime that summer," he said. "Our goal is to open first -- before human spaceflights of Virgin Galactic." Diana Alba Soular can be reached at (575) 541-5443; follow her on Twitter @AlbaSoular. On the Web Spaceport America: http://spaceportamerica.com ___ (c)2013 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) 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