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The Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center at Spaceport Sheboygan (GLASEC)has been conceived as a multi-faceted project that will: advance educational opportunity in Wisconsin specifically in the fields ofmath, science, engineering, and aerospace; expand the State of Wisconsin’s economic position in the field of aerospace technologyand commercial space travel; and develop further entertainment and tourism opportunity in Sheboygan. GLASEC components willinclude a combined large format theater and planetarium, an interactive mission control center, classrooms and learning labs,state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and active spaces, Astronauts of the Midwest exhibit, restaurant and retail store, a satelliteNASA Educator Resource Center and home of the Rockets for Schools program.

Excitement surrounding and strong support for the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center at Spaceport Sheboygan isalready evident at the national, state, and local level. Even at this early stage of development, GLASEC has outreached to andreceived broad-based written support from:

Former NASA astronauts James Lovell, Mark Lee, and Dan Brandenstein;

NASA Director of Informal Education James Stofan;

Director of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems Office Dr. Michael Francis;

Director of the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Dr. Aileen Yingst;

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle;

Wisconsin State Congressmen Joe Leibham, Glenn Grothman, Steve Kestell, Terry Van Akkeren, and Dan LeMahieu;

President and CEO of Bemis Manufacturing Company Richard Bemis;

Sheboygan Mayor Juan Perez; and Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce President Michael Leibham.

The GLASEC concept has also been presented to powerhouses in the aerospace and space science center industries and has beenmet with enthusiasm and willingness for ongoing collaboration. To date interested leaders from aerospace companies and development and research leaders include: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and OrbitalTechnologies (ORBITEC). Directors and program officers from the nation’s premier science centers believe the Midwest is in needof a regional space and science education center. Representatives from Kennedy Space Center and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame,Space Center Houston/NASA Johnson Space Center, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and the Challenger Science Center organiza-tion have offered their support, as experts in the industry, to GLASEC.

Sheboygan Development CorporationDevelopment of the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center at Spaceport Sheboygan is sponsored by the SheboyganDevelopment Corporation (SDC), a private nonprofit organization dedicated to economic development activities within the City ofSheboygan. The SDC is committed to increasing employment, enhancing the tax base, and making visual and aesthetic improvementsin cooperation with the private sector and all levels of government. The SDC recognizes the opportunity for GLASEC to provide aunique regional destination for all ages to access the wonders of space travel, exploration and the future of aerospace technology.

The SDC is the founding organization for GLASEC which will become a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity once the project has movedfurther along. GLASEC will be owned and operated by this nonprofit entity, governed by a Board of Directors who will formulate amission statement, file articles of incorporation, draft bylaws, develop a strategic plan, and adopt a long term business plan.

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The OpportunityWisconsin is home to the Midwest’s only proposed commercial spaceport and launch site.1 Nationwide, there are currently five U.S.federal spaceports, three commercially-licensed spaceports, and thirteen proposed spaceports. The FAA/MOA2 restricted air space R-6903 off of the Wisconsin shoreline from Manitowoc to Port Washington has historically been used for inert air-to-air and air-to-surface delivery, defensive countermeasures training, and sonar buoy drops. In 1996, Sheboygan’s South Pier became the first inlandsub-orbital launch site with the inaugural Rockets for School event which continues to annually draw thousands of students and visi-tors to Sheboygan from throughout the Midwest, as well as visiting astronauts and NASA officials for the two day event every spring.

Currently, the City of Sheboygan holds a certificate of site approval from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for thefuture construction of a public use spaceport - Spaceport Sheboygan. In early 2006, the WAA Bill passed in both the WisconsinHouse and Senate with bi-partisan support. On April 14, 2006, Governor Doyle signed the bill to create the Wisconsin AerospaceAuthority. This bill will help the SDC gain support for the GLASEC project at the federal and state levels.

The WAA intends to create a spaceport in Sheboygan to conduct aerospace services that promote, advance, and facilitate spaceexploration and space-related commercial, technological, and educational development. After successfully establishing SpaceportSheboygan with federal and private funds, WAA will analyze trends in the aerospace industry and recommend actions to be takenby the state to compete in the global aerospace industry. It would also coordinate efforts of government units and private partiesinterested in the promotion of space-related industry, as well as promote Wisconsin’s aerospace industry.

Just onshore from the restricted airspace, in close proximity to Sheboygan’s marinas and beaches is the City of Sheboygan’sMunicipal Auditorium and Armory which was designed by a local architect and built in 1941 as a Works Progress Administrationproject. The Armory was built to house the Army National Guard’s 32nd Division until the 1980s. In recent years, use of the Armory has been reduced to local basketball games and varied special events throughout the year.

The location of the restricted airspace or “portal to space” just off of Sheboygan’s lakeshore; the establishment of the WAA; the annualRockets for Schools event and ongoing educational programming; significant political and space education industry support; and thepresence and availability of an iconic Armory building within close proximity of the portal has set the stage for GLASEC development.

1 Formal designation pending, licensed by the Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation/ Federal Aviation Administration(AST/FAA). A growing part of the commercial space transportation industry in the United States is the development of private or state-operated launch, re-entry, and processing sites known as “spaceports” (see Appendix A: U.S. Spaceport Locations). Several states are developing commercial spaceportswithin their borders. These spaceports can provide space transportation service providers and their customers with an alternative to the traditional U.S. federal launch sites and ranges operated by either the U.S. Air Force or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

2 Federal Aviation Administration/Military Operations Area.

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Strategic FocusThe strategic focus of the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center at Spaceport Sheboygan is to advance Wisconsin’s economic position in the aerospace industry; develop informal educational opportunities in the fields of science, engineering and mathematics in Wisconsin; and develop additional opportunities for entertainment and tourism in Sheboygan.

GLASEC will become the Midwest’s resource for space travel and exploration, rocketry and science entertainment and education. It will offer opportunities for larger-than-life adventure with hands-on activities, theatrical entertainment, and learning labs.GLASEC will offer a unique, fun, and educational experience for people throughout the Midwest. Specific components of theCenter will include: combined planetarium/large format domed space theater; Astronauts of Wisconsin interactive exhibit; hands-on space experience exhibits including a mission control center, jet-pack simulator model, and robotics; experimentalspace and science labs and additional exhibit space; and a restaurant and retail store.

The Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center will be located in the Sheboygan Armory building, under a long-term leaseagreement from the City of Sheboygan. The Armory is a historic building in the community of Sheboygan with 42,000 square feet of floor space situated on a 2.5 acre parcel. The Armory will be converted and expanded to about 50,000 square feet and willinclude exhibit, administrative, learning lab space, and restaurant space. The addition to the existing building will provide theater and planetarium space as well as an entry vestibule and lobby, and retail space.

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Economic PositioningAerospace research and technology is an active, yet under-utilized industry in the Wisconsin economy. The convergence of aerospaceindustry experts, educational institutions, private and nonprofit organizations, specialists in the aerospace industry in Wisconsin, andthe proximity of the Midwest spaceport in Sheboygan provides a rare opportunity to create this compelling regional institution.

As commercial space travel has become more than just a futuristic notion, the tremendous economic opportunity of the industry hasbecome evident. As home to the Midwest’s only proposed commercial spaceport and launch site, Wisconsin has the ability to not onlypreserve the restricted airspace off of Sheboygan’s lakeshore but also to develop it as the region’s aerospace industry center.

Aerospace industry leaders in the Wisconsin have developed the organizational infrastructure to establish the WisconsinAerospace Authority (WAA) and have proposed use of the FAA restricted airspace in Lake Michigan for a commercial spaceport.Wisconsin is fortunate to have the only pending spaceport in the Midwest at this time. The WAA will anchor Wisconsin’s economicposition in the field of aerospace technology and allow the State, educational institutions, and private and nonprofit organiza-tions to secure funding, create jobs, and further statewide economic growth in the aerospace industry.

GLASEC will be positioned to highlight the future of space travel and research and emphasize the importance of the industry tothe national, regional, and local economy. GLASEC will assist the aerospace research and technology industry through:

Collaboration with the WAA and the development of Spaceport Sheboygan and the resulting spin-off economic development opportunities;

Collaboration between aerospace industry partners in the Midwest;

Creation of aerospace industry technology transfer industry in Sheboygan;

Collaboration with the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium;

Exhibition of technologies based on locally developed research; and

GLASEC focus on space travel, experimentation, and discovery, in addition to improving the quality of life in Sheboygan.

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Educational OpportunitySheboygan, Wisconsin is a nationally-ranked leader in education; in addition, the convergence of educational institutions (UW-Sheboygan, Lakeshore Technical College, UW-Green Bay, and Lakeland College), and private and nonprofit organizations(Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Space Education Initiatives, Rockets for Schools, Space Explorers, and Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium) provides the opportunity to coalesce math, science, and technology advancement at GLASEC.

GLASEC will provide educational programs for both students and teachers to stimulate academic interest in science, math and technology as well as the aerospace industry in general with the development of a Space Science Learning Lab potentiallythrough the successful Challenger Science Center program, and a NASA Educator Resource Center (ERC) satellite at the Center.Location of a NASA ERC satellite at GLASEC will provide an important link with NASA in Wisconsin.

GLASEC will also house the successful Rockets for Schools program for students in grades 4 through 12 from communities throughoutthe Midwest which provides students from different social and economic backgrounds with an opportunity to learn firsthandabout aerospace technology, rocket launches, and team building.

An additional component will be a Space Experience Summer Camp for families, students, and educators to participate in spacecamp experiences with specialized curriculum designed for each of these groups. Representatives from Space Education Initiativesare interested in holding the summer camp program (currently held on the UW-Green Bay campus) at GLASEC.

Advancing TourismSheboygan is situated along an important tourism corridor in Wisconsin, easily accessible to travelers heading north to Door Countyand the Green Bay area, and to those heading south to Milwaukee and Chicago. The positioning of this attraction along the shore of Lake Michigan in Sheboygan would add a tourist destination for families, students, teachers, and groups traveling throughoutthe region; and complement the attractions near Sheboygan including popular destinations in Kohler and Elkhart Lake.

Today, Sheboygan itself is a tourist destination with many attractions; including the Weill Center for the Performing Arts, theJohn Michael Kohler Arts Center, the Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center, the Harbor Centre Marina, as well as regionalparks, and a downtown district with local shops and restaurants. GLASEC will be a key project, one that provides the community with an opportunity to tie together the planning and economic development progress that has occurred in Sheboygan over thepast 15 years. GLASEC will complete the critical mass that is needed to sustain Sheboygan as a tourist destination.

Development of GLASEC as a long-term economically viable project will meet varied needs in the local and regional economy. The attraction will provide an exciting aerospace travel and technology experience for families, students, and educators. Whileproviding the opportunity for entertainment, GLASEC will educate visitors with interactive learning stations and educational programs for people of all ages. A spin-off component of the Center could be the creation of an activity node within the Center for Wisconsin’s aerospace research and technology industry.

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Project FinancingThe following table provides the estimated total project costfor the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center atSpaceport Sheboygan based on the March 2006 PreliminaryBusiness Plan.

Nearly $100,000 in monetary and in-kind private contributionshas been raised for development of the GLASEC concept andproject promotion. GLASEC has also already received a commit-ment $1.5 million from the City of Sheboygan represented bytheir in-kind lease of the Armory building and site. In addition,a $3.5 million request for Federal FY2007 funding is pendingfor the adaptive reuse of, and addition to, the Armory building.Participation in this project from the private and public sectors will encourage further private investment and allowthe economic and educational impacts of the project to be felt in Sheboygan as well as statewide.

The following table illustrates the percent of total budget byfinancing source.

Project PhasingThe operational plan of the preliminary business plan for theproject envisions development over a year and a half period. Thecurrent phase of the GLASEC project includes refinement of thefeasibility study and GLASEC “experience” development in orderto increase communication with the public, facilitate fundraising,and develop more concrete funding sources and cost estimates,as well as architectural and engineering schematic design.

The “Detailed Design” phase will begin with the hiring of theCenter’s executive director and administrative assistant. A committee will be developed to create a prospectus of the GreatLakes Aerospace Science & Education Center experience and thesite and building designs will be further developed in this phase.At the end of this phase design development cost estimates willbe prepared and the SDC will need to make final decisions on theproject, and design details.

The “Design-Build” phase will take the project to construction.This five month phase will begin with construction and bid document preparation and exhibit design and constructionfinalization. Project cost estimates will be finalized andfundraising will continue. At the sixth month of the phase construction will commence. The construction timeframe isestimated at 14-months, with an approximate grand openingdate for the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center occurring in mid-2008.

GLASEC Preliminary Start-Up BudgetCapital Expenditure & Initial Operations Requirement CostArmory Adaptive Reuse $ 2,000,000

New Construction $ 1,250,000

Site & Right of Way Improvements $ 750,000

Theater/Planetarium Development $ 3,000,000

Exhibits, Classrooms, Lab Development $ 4,000,000

Design, Engineering, Architecture, Administrative $ 1,500,000

Contingency $ 1,000,000

Armory Building/Site Lease Value $ 1,500,000

Endowment $1,000,000

Start-Up Operations/Marketing (1st two years) $1,000,000

Total $ 17,000,000

GLASEC Funding Source by Type and Percent of Total Budget

Percent of Financing Source Estimated Amount Total Budget

Grants & Appropriations $3,700,000 22%

Foundations & Private Contributions $11,800,000 69%

City Equity Contribution $ 1,500,000 9%

Total Sources $17,000,000 100%