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Spaceport in the desert

Nearby in the California desert, Popular Mechanics pays a visit to the site where the next leg of the space race is happening: 

The sign at the entrance to the Mojave Air and Space Port says "imagination flies here." The motto fits this collection of World War II–era hangars and outbuildings with two control towers and four airstrips in the middle of the California Desert. In 2004, the airport became a spaceport when a three-seat rocket-powered airplane built by a company called Scaled Composites and designed by its founder and CEO Burt Rutan became the first civilian-built craft to leave Earth's atmosphere. But Rutan and his ilk put themselves on the aerospace map long before SpaceShipOne took flight, and now they're trying to make Mojave one of the most important points in the growing commercial space industry.

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As a longtime journalist in Southern Nevada, native Las Vegan Andrew Kiraly has served as a reporter covering topics as diverse as health, sports, politics, the gaming industry and conservation. He joined Desert Companion in 2010, where he has helped steward the magazine to become a vibrant monthly publication that has won numerous honors for its journalism, photography and design, including several Maggie Awards.