How space travel is set to transform a sleepy desert town into a 'spaceopolis'

The town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, is tiny. The population barely reaches 7,000, and the smattering of tourists it attracts throughout the year are undoubtedly lured by its rustic, small-town charm. Its handful of attractions include some vintage hot spring resorts (pre-World War II, the town was a hotspot for wellness tourism), some nearby ghost towns and roaming buffalo. "Here, you're in the middle of what I consider to be the real West," says John Mulcahy, mayor of Truth or Consequences (or T or C, as it's known locally). Not surprisingly, T or C lacks the name recognition of, say, Santa Fe or Albuquerque. That is set to change in the next couple of years however, as the town is on the brink of becoming the epicenter for space tourism. Spaceport America -- which next year is slated to send a troupe of multi-millionaires up into the stratosphere when Virgin Galactic moves in -- is a mere 30 miles to the northeast. "Spaceport America employs 1,300 people across New Mexico, and we're looking to add another 1,800 jobs by 2018," says Christine Anderson, executive director of Spaceport America and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.  With an additional 200,000 yearly visitors projected once Virgin moves in -- and the Spaceport completes its Welcome Center (which Anderson estimates will take another 16 months to finish) -- T or C is likely to experience a serious uptick. In fact, experts estimate the population is likely to double.  "The number that I've seen that scares me the most is 3,000 people in our downtown on a Saturday," admits Mulcahy. Currently, the potential of space tourism has everyone in the area on high alert. Virgin are meeting with local tourism suppliers next month to help ready them for the supposed onslaught, while T or C has embarked on a mission to spruce up ahead of its visitors...more