An illustration of the Boeing Commercial Space Transport Starliner capsule as it would prepare for docking at the International Space Station. The capsule has be designed to transport up the seven crew members, or a combination of crew and cargo, an...

Students listen and ask questions during the Boeing Commercial Space Transport-100 Starliner crew spacecraft school assembly Jan. 28 at the Dugway K to 12 grade school at U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The Starliner capsule will be tested at ...

Vincent Liddiard a project director at U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground warms up the student audience with a few astronaut jokes prior to the Boeing Commercial Space Transport-100 Starliner capsule presentation Jan. 28. The program highlighted testing...

Did you say a ticket to space? More than 140 students, teachers and community members attended the Jan. 28 Boeing Commercial Space Transport -100 Starliner presentation at Dugway High School. In the future, the Starliner capsule may be the first caps...

"How much is a ticket to space?" shouted a small, impatient Luke Skywalker hopeful, his hand waving in the air, bouncing in his school auditorium seat.

Who hasn't wondered what it would be like to travel in space? Will it ever be more than a possibility for a few, select and highly trained people?

Waiting for the answer were more than 140 Dugway K-12 school students from energy-fueled kindergarteners to unruffled but interested high school students during a Boeing Crew Space Transport (CST-100) Starliner outreach program January 28. The program gave them a first look at a space capsule project coming this spring to U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah for testing.

"A space capsule really will be tested at Dugway," said Anders Wiborg, Special Program Division's program manager. "We're here to share what Dugway will do to get it ready to launch."

The Starliner, which looks similar to the Apollo space craft's gumdrop shape, has been designed to carry NASA astronauts in low-Earth orbit to and from the International Space Station. It will transport seven astronauts or a combination of crew and cargo. The capsule is a contender for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

According to Boeing's website the company will partner with American private industry to fly safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation systems and eventually sell seats to space tourists.

Wiborg said Boeing selected Dugway for its 1,252 square miles of wide open, sparse desert area, and its restricted airspace.

The Starliner is designed to remain "on-orbit" for up to seven months and will be reusable for up to ten missions. At least two, and as many as six, crewed missions to the space station will be scheduled--once NASA certifies the space craft.

"This feels like we are seeing part of the future," said Jeff Wyatt, the Dugway school principal. "We are really excited to learn about the capsule. Every student here has an assignment on this program."

The presentation at the school is just one part of a larger three-pronged effort to share Dugway testing information with the public. This effort includes a good neighbor program, environmental scoping meetings and science and technology outreach to a variety of schools.

Outreach meetings were also conducted in Salt Lake City, Tooele, Wendover, Utah, Dugway and West Desert High School in Trout Creek.

The good neighbor program maintains relations with Dugway's nearest communities. It offers the commander and his representatives, a large variety of subject matter experts, to share information about its programs.

"These programs are a terrific way for us to share the remarkable test programs Dugway offers," said Col. Sean Kirschner, Dugway Proving Ground commander. "We are excited to advance the STEM programing to our school and hope to extend these outreach efforts to more communities."

As a sound environmental practice, the test center holds public meetings before preparing an Environmental Assessment. The assessment is an essential planning document for all major test programs at Dugway.

"When an EA is required, a public participation plan is conducted to encourage comments related to the Army action," said Michael Robinson, the environmental officer for Dugway's West Desert Test Center. "It addresses the environmental concerns for a potential test, training event, or construction project before the decision is made to move forward."

Robinson said there has been "alot of excitement exhibited by our neighbors and Utah citizens" generated by the Boeing Starliner meetings.

Finally, a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, outreach encourages students from primary grades, high schools and at college and university levels to take interest in Dugway's science programs and its related technologies.

"We have a wealth of experience in chemistry, biology, environmental studies, engineering, mathematics, geosciences and land management," Wiborg explained.

He noted Dugway is essentially light-free, electronically quiet and has an impressive meteorological test support team, making it ideal for the advanced kind of testing companies like Boeing require.

But collecting meteorological data is just one part of what Boeing is interested in gathering. Two additional tests called the Drop Rig and Balloon Drop will collect parachute data about landing trajectories, attitudes and the rate of descent at touchdown.

"These tests will take place over the summer and winter of 2016," Wiborg said.

But when do the space tickets go on sale?

"I don't exactly know," Wiborg said with a chuckle. "But I'd start saving your pennies now."