World View gets new lease from Pima County
Because the original lease was ruled unconstitutional under the Arizona state constitution, Pima County yesterday approved a new lease for the high altitude balloon company World View.
The original deal had the county build the building. World View would lease it for 20 years, guarantee employment of 400 people, and then buy the facility for $10 at the end of the lease. This was ruled unconstitutional.
Lesher said [the new lease] will give the county more flexibility and a safeguard when it comes to those terms and they’ll be able to base the appraisal price on a percentage of the fair market value. Another big change – the employee benchmark has been significantly lowered. In the original contract, World View was required to hire 400 workers, now that’s down to 125.
Until more details are provided, it is unclear what has changed to make the new deal acceptable to the courts. I suspect the big change is that World View will not have an option to buy for $10.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Because the original lease was ruled unconstitutional under the Arizona state constitution, Pima County yesterday approved a new lease for the high altitude balloon company World View.
The original deal had the county build the building. World View would lease it for 20 years, guarantee employment of 400 people, and then buy the facility for $10 at the end of the lease. This was ruled unconstitutional.
Lesher said [the new lease] will give the county more flexibility and a safeguard when it comes to those terms and they’ll be able to base the appraisal price on a percentage of the fair market value. Another big change – the employee benchmark has been significantly lowered. In the original contract, World View was required to hire 400 workers, now that’s down to 125.
Until more details are provided, it is unclear what has changed to make the new deal acceptable to the courts. I suspect the big change is that World View will not have an option to buy for $10.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
“the county violated the state’s gift clause by building the $14 million headquarters for the company”
Seems to me all you need to launch a balloon is a vacant lot. I watched one launch from the parking lot of a pizza restaurant once.
It’s more than just a launch pad for a hot air balloon. It’s got the corporate offices – you know, finance, human relations (to help employees relate to humans, presumably), marketing etc. Plus it would have facilities for building and maintaining the balloons and gondolas (picture assembly area and one or more balloon hangers to store, inspect and maintain). Plus, I am sure the passengers expect a full scale reception area and lounge – not a shed or “stand over there” – to greet them once they arrive. Catering facilities to serve both the lounge and gondolas with potables and comestbles, of course You also need a base for the recovery equipment, vehicles and crew – methinks we’re not talking about the pick up truck my buddy, a hot air pilot used. And communication, flight prep and crew locker facilities. I am sure, I’ve left some items out. Think small airline and you’ll get the idea.
Just to emphasize – this is a hydrogen balloon, not a hot-air balloon. A hot-air balloon would have to be much larger to be capable of lifting such a weight to such an altitude.
I am not implying that commenters here are claiming it is a hot – air balloon, only reminding readers that there is an unfortunate tendency to assume that any modern balloon uses hot – air.
Hydrogen has been the lifting gas of choice for most of the history of ballooning. For applications such as this, only hydrogen or helium are feasible, and likely only hydrogen is affordable.
My impression is that the built-in parachute system would survive any hydrogen explosion, as it is located below the balloon.
Ray Van Dune: World View’s balloons use helium, not hydrogen. See:
https://worldview.space/technology-and-safety/
Apologies to all, but the reference I looked up specifically said hydrogen, but of course now I can’t find it!
No it wasn’t Wikipedia or ChatGPT.