Back to Space continues development

Development on a space park north of town that promises to have something for everyone continues.

Developer Mike Gorton with Back to Space spoke to the Jacksboro Lions Club Nov. 25 about how things are progressing. A 60,000 square foot lunar landscape will allow the public to compare lunar sites via virtual and augmented reality with how things looked on the moon.

Teams will be able to host rocket launching competitions there and aim for certain sports on the moon

There will be other things to do that aren’t space related, including concerts and other events. Gorton said that casinos in Oklahoma will be considered “dumpy” compared to this facility.

“It will have a huge stage that can host any band playing in the world today,” Gorton explained.

It will have the world’s largest painting of not only the moon but also in the form of a trail around the structure which will represent the circumference of the earth.

The development of the whole project will have software that looks like a top notch video game, Gorton said that will be fun but educational at the same time. Fun but educational is what Gorton and his team, which includes astronauts, science experts and other want when the facility opens sometime in 2021. “We’re hoping to start building in February 2021 and be done in April,” Gorton said. “We want to be done before the heat hits.”

Gorton wants the first event of the new facility to be the JHS 2021 Prom if it can be arranged.

“If it’s not completely 100 percent done, I would really like to get the Iron in there,” Gorton said.

Earlier in November a Moon tree with seeds that had been on the moon was planted.. The tree will be the focus oa a park which will have paver stones all around the tree itself. The park will consist of 1,000 bricks which can be purchased from the public in the near future,Gorton said.

One of the hopes of construction of the facility will be the growth of the town including including movies, hotels, restaurants and more.

A five-story tall restaurant will also be a feature of the facility. The restaurant will allow how things looked inside