Spaceport Sheboygan
Encyclopedia
Launch site
Sheboygan was first used as a site for launching suborbital rockets in 1995. More than 300 students from Wisconsin and neighboring states developed and ran experiments using eight foot rockets as part of a local Rockets for Schools program. 20 foot rocket were also launched with assistance from specialists. The maximum altitude of these rockets are usually in the range of 4900 feet (1500 meters). However some of these rockets, equipped with engines of M and N type reached altitudes of 9800 feet (3000 meters). Sheboygan's location west of a restricted airspace over a large lake is ideal for launching rockets and spaceships. An area of Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
has been restricted since the 1940s, when the United States military had an anti-aircraft training range at Camp Haven. The camp has been closed since 1959, and the site has been redeveloped as Whistling Straits
Whistling Straits
Whistling Straits is one of two golfing destinations associated with The American Club, a luxury resort located in nearby Kohler, Wisconsin, and owned by a subsidiary of the Kohler Company. The other course is Blackwolf Run. The Whistling Straits complex is located in the unincorporated Sheboygan...
golf course.
On a number of occasions Super Loki sounding rockets were launched from Sheboygan by the Florida Space Institute, which reached maximum altitudes of 50 miles (80 kilometers).
Proposed spaceport
State Senator Joe LeibhamJoe Leibham
Joseph K. "Joe" Leibham is a Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 9th District since 2002. He previously served in the Wisconsin Assembly, representing the 26th district from 1998 through 2002....
and State Assembly
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
representative Steve Kestell
Steve Kestell
Steve Kestell is a Wisconsin politician, legislator, and business owner.Born in Lyndon, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, Kestell owned a hardware store. Kestell served in the Wisconsin State Assembly since 1999.-Notes:...
introduced legislation in the state legislature to create a Wisconsin Aerospace Authority in 2005. The proposed site has been endorsed by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronauts like Jim Lovell
Jim Lovell
James "Jim" Arthur Lovell, Jr., is a former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission...
. The bill was signed by Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
governor James Doyle
James Doyle
James Doyle may refer to:*Jim Doyle , former governor of Wisconsin*James Edward Doyle , United States federal judge in Wisconsin*James Edwin Doyle , nickname "Ned", advertising entrepreneur...
in April 2006. The authority was created to allow the proposed spaceport to use NASA funds. The proposal does not include using any public funds. The spaceport would become the only spaceport in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
if it gets developed.
Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center
A space education and experience museum is also under separate consideration called the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center. The center would be located at the current site of the Sheboygan Municipal Auditorium and ArmorySheboygan Municipal Auditorium and Armory
Sheboygan Municipal Auditorium and Armory is an indoor arena in Sheboygan, Wisconsin built in 1942 on the city's lakefront as a WPA project....
. As of July 31, 2007, a sign is affixed to the front of the Armory building reading "Future site of the Great Lakes Aerospace and Science Center."