New Space Port for North Coast Scotland...

[Ships and Stars]

North Uist was one of the short-listed sites for this spaceport. I have to say I'm very relieved it's not going there for a number of reasons, but now it's well on its way to being fully approved for a remote part of Sutherland. Mixed feelings and probably more than a few arguments from the 59 crofters who own the entire peninsula as a single managed estate I believe. The for camp says money is needed and the population is dwindling, the against camp is obviously concerned about the permanent and substantial change to the landscape and way of life, 

Probably the last of their current concerns, but the location is bang in the middle of the darkest area of night skies in mainland Britain... I hope they switch the lights off between launches. The proposed maximum is 12 launches a year.

A pristine area, and I often get the distinct feeling we're running out of space here on terra firma.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/09/remote-scottish-peninsula-could-be-host-to-spaceport-two-years-mhoine-peninsula-in-sutherland

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[scarp15]

I have also read, largely concerning accounts for the impact this scheme will have on that environment, its wildlife and the people that inhabit this region, would not personally be in favour for it.

[Ships and Stars]

4 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

I have also read, largely concerning accounts for the impact this scheme will have on that environment, its wildlife and the people that inhabit this region, would not personally be in favour for it.

I can see the financial side is alluring to some, but places like this in the world are rapidly disappearing. Hope the development is minimal, but I rather doubt it! Reminds me of 'space mountain' on South Uist. That was built before I frequented these parts, but am sure the older locals are still divided. Maybe this will be a low-impact space centre, if such a thing is not a contradiction in terms...

Edited October 9, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[saac]

On 09/10/2020 at 15:18, Ships and Stars said:

North Uist was one of the short-listed sites for this spaceport. I have to say I'm very relieved it's not going there for a number of reasons, but now it's well on its way to being fully approved for a remote part of Sutherland. Mixed feelings and probably more than a few arguments from the 59 crofters who own the entire peninsula as a single managed estate I believe. The for camp says money is needed and the population is dwindling, the against camp is obviously concerned about the permanent and substantial change to the landscape and way of life, 

Probably the last of their current concerns, but the location is bang in the middle of the darkest area of night skies in mainland Britain... I hope they switch the lights off between launches. The proposed maximum is 12 launches a year.

A pristine area, and I often get the distinct feeling we're running out of space here on terra firma.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/09/remote-scottish-peninsula-could-be-host-to-spaceport-two-years-mhoine-peninsula-in-sutherland

 

 

 

"Money is needed and the population is dwindling"   I always find these arguments somewhat specious - if the population is dwindling then exactly who is needing the money and who will benefit !  The same arguments were used when they build the funicular on Cairngorm giving casual access to what was then one of the few  truly "wilderness " areas in Europe - the Cairngorm plateau.  We really are ripping up wilderness at an astonishing rate , the planet has given us enough warnings.   This need for year on year capital growth as the number one metric for measuring success has to stop.   I am with the no camp if you hadn't guessed.  Where is Joni Mitchell and her big yellow taxi when you need her . 

Jim 

Edited October 10, 2020 by saac

[omo]

Going to need some major redevelopment of the roads to get moderately sized rockets up there, a lot of it is gnarley single track

[scarp15]

50 minutes ago, saac said:

"Money is needed and the population is dwindling"   I always find these argument somewhat specious - if the population is dwindling then exactly who is needing the money and who will benefit !  The same arguments were used when they build the funicular on Cairngorm giving casual access to what was then one of the few  truly "wilderness " areas in Europe - the Cairngorm plateau.  We really are ripping up wilderness at an astonishing rate , the planet has given us enough warnings.   This need for year on year capital growth as the number one metric for measuring success has to stop.   I am with the no camp if you hadn't guessed.  Where is Joni Mitchell and her big yellow taxi when you need her . 

Jim 

That is true and the Scottish Environment Minister has conjured up and is to throw £20 million to repair the defunct controversial funicular, the spaceport will be yet more environmentally harmful and unnecessary, the wrong approach for Scotland.

[saac]

57 minutes ago, omo said:

Going to need some major redevelopment of the roads to get moderately sized rockets up there, a lot of it is gnarley single track

Then its the tourists that will follow for the monthly launches.  Look what has happened to Skye, Loch Lomond, North Coast 500 route  which all now suffer from massive over tourism. To build the infrastructure to properly cope with the volume of people they encourage simply destroys the thing they came to see in the first place. Scotland is too small and the environment to precious to be played around with like this.  But hey I suppose humanity simply cannot survive without more geo mapping sats and wifi on the go so we need low earth orbit cube sats launched every month.  Why cant they launch them from a barge out in the Atlantic!  

Jim 

Edited October 10, 2020 by saac

[Cyril]

Some parts of the road have been grid locked with tourists, caravans and campervans recently,  the bright idea labelling it the NC500 was one persons marketing ploy, chaos ensued, as for a space port!!!!! It would take millions to upgrade the roads, then there are places for those involved to live. It's remote, very remote with not much real infrastructure for modern man, the nearest big hospital is in Inverness! about 100 miles away.

 But they'll  have company for part of the year, next door is  Cape Wrath, good name,  a military range, rockets. big guns, in fact anything that goes bang and destroys things.

As for moving anything by road up there!!!! even moving wind turbine tower sections cause untold problems and annoyance, especially the  overtime police escorting them, dukes or hazard must be their training film and with the Scottish Governments push to remove any carbon fuelled vehicle off the road in the near future it's not really inviting.

Perhaps the UK government could kick the Americans off  Diego Garcia, and build a space port there, be nice and warm, really remote and even better no tourists or midges..

 

 

 

 

 

[omo]

A spaceport up there is as much an unrealisitc pipe dream as building a bridge to Ireland, have to be careful could get political real easy

 

[scarp15]

This could become an interesting new development. This couple own other estates in Scotland such as Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms and are undertaking excellent environmental restoration projects and protecting native wildlife. They are strongly directly opposed to the development of Space Port going ahead, which would be close to one of their estates. One to watch!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-54825109