If it were not for towns like Kindersley, in Saskatchewan province, Canada's heartland would be one immense and unbroken wheat field. Built as a railway stop between Saskatoon, in Saskatchewan, and Calgary in Alberta, Kindersley was named after a British lord. Its proudest new building is a multi-storey McDonald's, and the biggest event of the year is an indoor rodeo.
The 4,500 locals say it is a happy place to live, but Kindersley was never much of a tourist magnet. Five million people pass through every year, stopping only to buy fuel or a Big Mac. But that was all going to change on September 25. Kindersley would be stepping into the 21st century. Officials from the town were expecting 100,000 visitors. The motels were booked solid, and an army of volunteers was setting up tents, generators, lights and heaters.
'We've got a project with guts and excitement that the average person can relate to,' boasted Brian Feeney. His heart was beating rapidly. That is because Mr Feeney was about to launch Canada's first space shot, a black and somewhat dumpy-looking rocket named Wild Fire. The spaceship was Canada's entry in the US$10 million X Prize competition - an international race to be the first vehicle carrying three people to a height of 100km, then safely back to earth.
In an age of sleek rockets and space stations, Wild Fire seemed a little dubious. It was built on a shoestring - about US$337,000 - and it looked about as aerodynamic as an oversized water boiler. But Mr Feeney had stars in his eyes. 'It's a testament to the way Canada works,' he said.
Kindersley, meanwhile, saw a golden future. If the launch went well, who could deny the town a leading role in the burgeoning new industry of space tourism? It would become Cape Kindersley, gateway to the heavens.
But, as quickly as you can say 'hubris', the Canadian dream fell apart. There was a little problem of red tape. It seems that a government agency, Transport Canada, had not received the necessary paperwork. And some critical rocket parts were missing. The launch would have to be delayed.
