A spaceport in the city of Sheboygan could play host to space tourism under a bill that received wide-ranging support at a public hearing at the Capitol Monday.
The Senate Committee on Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer Affairs heard overwhelming support for Senate Bill 352, which would establish the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority'a group that would have the power to develop space facilities, spacecraft and spaceports.
Proponents of the bill, which included business leaders and academics, said the spaceport could spur interest in engineering and mathematics among Wisconsin students and encourage investment in the state.
George French is president and CEO of Rocketplane, Inc., a company dedicated to increasing commercial space flights around the country. He supports the bill and said Sheboygan is an ideal location for a spaceport because it has a large body of water, Lake Michigan, off its east coast. He said Wisconsin has the opportunity to tap the growing industry of commercial space travel.
'Wisconsin's role in this emerging industry can include a significant position as a regional spaceport provider,' French said. 'This will build on our current NASA-supported organizations composed of universities and businesses throughout the state.'
French's presentation also outlined the many uses a Sheboygan Spaceport could serve. These included civilian space tourism, space qualification, launching of satellites, trips to the International Space Station, settlements on the moon and using the moon as a source of energy for the earth.
Speakers at the hearing emphasized that Wisconsin already has a strong foundation in space-related sciences and the establishment of the WAA would strengthen the state's position in the region and the country.
'While this legislation will have significant educational and economic impact on the Lakeshore Region, the broader goals of this legislation will have a dramatic impact on the state's economy,' said state Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan, co-author of the bill.
Advocates of the bill also emphasized that it would draw high-tech industry and high-skilled employees to the state.
'Spaceport Sheboygan will offer opportunities to develop peoples' abilities and recruit skilled professionals to Wisconsin,' said Christina Paape, vice president of Space Explorers, Inc.
The committee also received testimony from two former astronauts who both supported the bill. Mark C. Lee, former U.S. Air Force colonel and astronaut, said a spaceport in Sheboygan would be 'a destination that draws people from around the world.'
