SuitSat BY RACHEL HOBSON
IN FEBRUARY 2006,
crew members of the
International Space Station
hand-launched a disembodied spacesuit into Earth
orbit during a spacewalk.
While the sight of a
human form floating away
into space untethered was
unsettling, the signals
emanating from the spacesuit satellite were meant to
captivate the imaginations
of people around the globe.
Spaceport Sheboygan
BY KEITH HAMMOND
Need to catch a flight to space? Virginia and Florida both have licensed spaceports, and the West is peppered with them. But if you live in the Midwest, then Spaceport Sheboygan may be your ticket — a proposed spaceplane hub nestled on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Wisconsin legislature created an aerospace authority in 2006 to promote a commercial space- port for suborbital flights, currently projected by 2015. Why here? Restricted airspace left over from an old Army base provides a window to outer space,
and the lake itself is handy in the event of a water
landing. And when wealthy space tourists want to
make a weekend of it, Sheboygan is a lovely town
with great amenities: golf, boating, fishing, an annual air show, even surfing. (You can’t say the same
for Mojave, Calif., for example.)
First they’ll need to extend a runway and apply
for FAA approval, but Spaceport Sheboygan (space
portsheboygan.org) is already home to amateur
rocket launches (they’ve sent Lokis to 300,000
feet), Rockets for Schools, and the Great Lakes
Aerospace Science and Education Center, featuring
hands-on exhibits and summer space camps. Until
the spaceplanes touch down, it’s a great place to fly
a shuttle simulator, check out astronaut gear that’s
flown in space, and watch the rockets streaking
skyward while you’re eating squeaky cheese curd.
Photography by NASA/ISS program (above); William Friend (below)
All about spaceports:
hobbyspace.com/
SpacePorts
76 Make: Volume 24
