By Juan Montoya
That quote, from an Associated Press story about the Monday launch of a Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule should make all those who have been cheerleading the coming of the SpaceX commercial vertical launch to Boca Chica Beach take a good hard look at their support for this project.
SpaceX mogul Elon Musk has already been given $25 million in incentives to bring his rocket show to the lomas of Boca Chica. And – as is his trademark for these projects – the flights he predicted would begin in 2013, have not materialized. Yet, the restrictions on local residents to use the beach have been passed into law. When and if the launches start, the company would virtually own the public beaches and even spectators would have to crane their necks from as far as 10 miles away to see the takeoffs. That would happen 12 times a year, or once a month. SpaceX would have full control of access to the beach days before and after the launch.
After the announcement, we took the liberty of measuring the distance from the Kennedy Space Center NASA press site and the Vehicle Assembly building. They are both approximately three miles from the launch site.Measuring the distance from the proposed SpaceX site to Koepernick Shores, it is just about a quarter of a mile.
It is just a little over five miles to the nearest town, Port Isabel.
That's why statements like Brownsville Economic Development Vice President (and former Herald reporter) Gilbert Salinas who blithely stated that the fuel that the Falcon and Falcon Heavy launch rockets used was kerosene, the same, he said, that "you would use in your campfire" sound ludicrous in retrospect.
In fact, the Falcon launchers use 119,100 Kilograms (262,570 pounds) of Rocket Propellant 1 (RP1) and 276,600kg (276,600 pounds) of Liquid Oxygen.
RP-1 is significantly more powerful than Liquid Hydrogen 2 by volume. RP-1 also has a fraction of the toxicity and carcinogenic hazards of hydrazine, another room-temperature liquid fuel.
But, experts say, any hydrocarbon-based fuel (like RP1) when burned produces more air pollution than hydrogen. RP1 combustion produces carbon dioxide (CO2), toxic carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) emissions, and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), while hydrogen (H2) reacts with oxygen (O2) to produce only water (H2O), with some unreacted H2 also released.
Now, would you feel safe if you lived in Port Isabel knowing that you are a mere five miles downwind from the SpaceX launch site? Mexico, to the south, is less than three miles away.
Also, the SpaceX launch site lies within the Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area, adjacent to the South Bay of the Laguna Madre, the spawning waters of gulf shrimp, redfish, and other aquatic species native to South Texas and of immense economic importance to tourism and commercial fishing.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife sates in its website that:
"With much of the upper and lower Laguna Madre shorelines protected from development by large ranches on the west and Padre Island National Seashore on the east, these bays are as remote and pristine as any in Texas. Their clear shallow waters promote the growth of extensive sea grass beds. In fact, about 80 percent of the remaining sea grass habitat in Texas is located in the Laguna Madre system.
These sea grass meadows provide protective nursery areas for larval and juvenile fish, shrimp and crabs as well as cover and feeding areas for adult fish including spotted sea trout and red drum.
Because of low fresh water inflow, little rainfall, and high evaporation, the salinity of the Laguna Madre often exceeds that of seawater. The Laguna Madre system is the only hyper-saline coastal lagoon in North America and one of only five in the world. Despite harsh conditions imposed by high salinities, the Laguna Madre is an extremely productive bay system and is renowned among anglers for its world class fisheries."
And, "Oyster reefs are common in most other bay systems along the Texas coast. Because of the Laguna Madre’s high salinity, they are found only in South Bay at the southern end of the lower Laguna Madre where salinities are more moderate. Rock reefs represent another natural hard substrate found in the Laguna Madre. There are two types of rock reefs found in the Laguna, both of which provide habitat for a variety of plants and animals."
Now, imagine that what happened to the Spacex Falcon rocket last June was to happen over this aquatic nursery and the toxic gases are carried by the traditional southeast trade winds over the South Bay, to Port Isabel and to the Laguna Madre. Would Musk have enough money to pay for the ecological damage that would result from all those toxic gases and sludge falling into the water and over the people there?
Oh, and remember those 600 jobs at a minimum of $55,000 that BEDC's Salinas was using to sell SpaceX?
This is what SpaceX actually promised the FAA in its Environmental Impact Statement.
Table 2.1-2. Personnel for Proposed SpaceX Texas Launch Site Operations
Year Full-time SpaceX Full-time SpaceX Employees/Contractors Employees/Contractors plus
Working On-Site Additional Local/Transient Workers
during Launch Campaigns
Year Full time Local/Transient
2013 30 130
2014 75 175
2015 100 200
2016 100 200
2017 110 210
2018 130 230
2019 150 250
2020 150 250
2021 150 250
2022 150 250
We're in the middle of 2016 and so far there is only a mound of dirt out on Boca Chica and none of the 100 full-time jobs and 200 part-time jobs Musk promised. And we hope Salinas doesn't use RP1 to light his campfire when he is allowed to go fishing in Boca Chica.
His credibility (and BEDC's) couldn't take any more burning.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife sates in its website that:
"With much of the upper and lower Laguna Madre shorelines protected from development by large ranches on the west and Padre Island National Seashore on the east, these bays are as remote and pristine as any in Texas. Their clear shallow waters promote the growth of extensive sea grass beds. In fact, about 80 percent of the remaining sea grass habitat in Texas is located in the Laguna Madre system. These sea grass meadows provide protective nursery areas for larval and juvenile fish, shrimp and crabs as well as cover and feeding areas for adult fish including spotted sea trout and red drum.
Because of low fresh water inflow, little rainfall, and high evaporation, the salinity of the Laguna Madre often exceeds that of seawater. The Laguna Madre system is the only hyper-saline coastal lagoon in North America and one of only five in the world. Despite harsh conditions imposed by high salinities, the Laguna Madre is an extremely productive bay system and is renowned among anglers for its world class fisheries."
And, "Oyster reefs are common in most other bay systems along the Texas coast. Because of the Laguna Madre’s high salinity, they are found only in South Bay at the southern end of the lower Laguna Madre where salinities are more moderate. Rock reefs represent another natural hard substrate found in the Laguna Madre. There are two types of rock reefs found in the Laguna, both of which provide habitat for a variety of plants and animals."
Now, imagine that what happened to the Spacex Falcon rocket last June was to happen over this aquatic nursery and the toxic gases are carried by the traditional southeast trade winds over the South Bay, to Port Isabel and to the Laguna Madre. Would Musk have enough money to pay for the ecological damage that would result from all those toxic gases and sludge falling into the water and over the people there?Oh, and remember those 600 jobs at a minimum of $55,000 that BEDC's Salinas was using to sell SpaceX?
This is what SpaceX actually promised the FAA in its Environmental Impact Statement.
Table 2.1-2. Personnel for Proposed SpaceX Texas Launch Site Operations
Year Full-time SpaceX Full-time SpaceX Employees/Contractors Employees/Contractors plus
Working On-Site Additional Local/Transient Workers
during Launch Campaigns
Year Full time Local/Transient
2013 30 130
2014 75 175
2015 100 200
2016 100 200
2017 110 210
2018 130 230
2019 150 250
2020 150 250
2021 150 250
2022 150 250
We're in the middle of 2016 and so far there is only a mound of dirt out on Boca Chica and none of the 100 full-time jobs and 200 part-time jobs Musk promised. And we hope Salinas doesn't use RP1 to light his campfire when he is allowed to go fishing in Boca Chica.
His credibility (and BEDC's) couldn't take any more burning.
15 comments:
Don't forget that the proposed site for the LNG facilities are just a few miles down wind from the launch site. What will happen if a dragon capsule parachutes into one of them. It could get pretty exciting.
Brownsville is so desperate for the Big Time that it trades its soul for pipedreams, the bigger the better. Some moron could sell the city on a Woodstock-like rock 'n' roll festival and City leaders would believe John Lennon and Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix and Mama Cass would be coming to town. This goofball Gilbert Salinas is as clueless about rocketry as is 99 % of the local population. Sub-orbital tacos they know about; telemetry they do not.
We are a little late into this project. What time is it, 2016. Delayed until 2018, no meaningful upward count in BEDC-promised jobs yet. We ask that Gilbert Salinas provide an update. His salary comes from taxes, I figure it's a reasonable request, no?
Facts:
1) Boca Chica Beach will be closed for up to 15 hours on launch days (not days).
2) Launches aren't allowed on weekends or holidays.
3) SpaceX is optimistic on schedules, but they usually deliver what they say.
4) Fumes from burning RP-1 (purified kerosene) are less harmful that car exhaust.
5) The EIS has thoroughly evaluated impact to local wildlife, and found no significant issues. Note that local wildlife thrives at Cape Kennedy.
If you don't believe me, read the EIS:
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/launch/spacex_texas_launch_site_environmental_impact_statement/media/FEIS_SpaceX_Texas_Launch_Site_Vol_I.pdf
Finally, some are staringt to seriously question the feasibility. I was not completely sold on this project, but with lack of information the doubts weighed more against than for. For me was the development of one of 7 beaches in the country that would lose its natural state and the boundaries of land to the site. Florida has the entire Atlantic to absorb a launch failure, we do not have the same safety net. We have Mexico to the south, our city to the west, PI/SPI to the north and to the east is Florida, which is within 900 nautical miles. The margin for error and a catastrophic situation is real, but again, I don't have all the facts or consider myself an expert in this matter, but I do and would have questioned the risks before giving away the store. Elon Musk to me appears to have found the secret of wealth that Carlos Marin & Company have found through United Brownsville and that is to make grandeur promises, network with the gullible to create a wave for others not to question and milk taxpayers out of their money. After all the gullible shirk it off as good intentions and blame it on something or other, just as they did with the Tenaska and Port Bridge to nowhere
It's always something or someone fault. I believe Elon Musk is floating on air and sooner, rather than later his bubble will burst, resulting on taxpayers left with empty promises, grandeur expectations and finger pointing. Remember and keep an eye on the ball..
"Pat Ahumada is right." - Jim Barton
Do SPACEX and LNG make good bedfellows in Cameron County???????? Whoop, there she goes!!!!!
County leaders have suspended critical thinking and just drooled at the bait Musk trolled in front of them. The took the bait and now the entire county is on the hook.
I know one local businessman who actually believes that Space-X will cause a migration of gringos to Brownsville, causing a social change and bringing great riches to him. That dude has drank the Kool-Aid.
Pat Ahumada is right.
If you were still mayor, the only opportunity our children would have for their future would be walking dogs and cleaning shit in cages at the dog pound.
The Pied Piper effect. Fly-by-nite get rich quick schemes served up by con artists - Playa del Rio, Titan, Space-X, and LNG, and our local "leaders," both elected and non-elected (anointed) roll over like teenage groupies for a rock star following them into oblivion.
PAT AUMADA IS A PENDEJO...PUNTO! HE SAYS "ITS ALWAYS SOMEONE'S OR SOMETHINGS FAULT" THATS WHAT EVERYONE GETS OUT OF YOUR PENDEJADAS PAT....ITS ALWAYS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING DOING WRONG...NEVER YOU. AORA SALISTE EXPERT EN SPACE....MAMON!!
Lol!
At July 19, 2016 at 10:43 AM
Pat is just stating his his thoughts. If you disagree with him, refute his statements, don't just attack him with profanities.
Don't pay him any attention . It's the dumb-ass Cris Valadez ,right hand man of Carlos Cascos . Valadez has always had vulgar comments for anything Pat will post, he's demented like that.
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