I mentioned the otherday that I find the prospect living in Singapore very exciting as this little island becomes a world leader in bioscience and life-extension technologies. I like the idea of these medical techniques becoming common here, before they hit the streets in the rest of the world.
I was reading Wired News earlier and one article caught my eye: 
Space Tours for Taikonauts. China, it seems, wants to build up a space tourism industry. No doubt they will, but it seems premature when they have only had two successful space shots – and that in Soyuz-based capsules, which might be OK for millionaire mavericks, but not for mass travel.
Anyway, that got me thinking – didn’t I read something a while back about Singapore developing a spaceport? I didn’t recall hearing anything about it since, so it seems to be very low-key. Still, a quick Google search established that the plan is very much alive and well, and the Singapore space port should be active at Changi in 2009!
- Wikipedia article: Singapore spaceport
- Official site: Welcome to Singapore Spaceport
This is so cool. Advanced bioscience and cheap space travel, in a Garden City with great food and loads of kung fu schools. I realize that this is a highly personal view of an ideal place to live but, you know…..
I should add: the thing is, I read the Straits Times every day. There is no end of talk about Biopolis, Fusionopolis, the casinos and IRs, and all the other things that the government hopes will boost the economy and keep Singapore relevant. There is /never/ any mention of the spaceport. Why not, I wonder. I can’t escape the nagging feeling that this is somehow an elaborate hoax…
Hmmm. The team behind it seem solid enough:
http://www.spaceportsingapore.com/spteam.html