This is the second article in a series about the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center (GLASEC) that is proposed for the Sheboygan Armory. The first article detailed why the mission of GLASEC is so important: American kids are falling behind the rest of the world in math and science scores, and the number of American scientists and engineers graduating from American universities is only about 10% of what China and India are graduating.

Space travel, the allure of taming the next great frontier, and the dream of colonizing other worlds have, since the dawn of man, tevmpted us. These dreams can also motivate us to take classes we might not otherwise take to involve ourselves in projects that we might think we’re not smart enough for and to join groups and meet people we may not have any other reason to associate with. GLASEC will provide children and youth with events that will motivate those dreams, explain why they are important and achievable, and give them tangible experiences and role models to keep those dreams alive. GLASEC will also provide teachers with complete lesson kits that will bring space science alive in their classrooms all over the upper Midwest.

Last year, Governor James Doyle signed a bill creating the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority (WAA). The WAA intends to create a spaceport in Sheboygan that will lead activities that "promote, advance, and facilitate space exploration, commercial space travel, space-sciences technology, and encourage space-related education." GLASEC is one element in a comprehensive plan to make Wisconsin a business leader in space technology, an operational leader in the commercialization of space, and a thought-leader by growing the American talent pool of future scientists and engineers.

A key element in Sheboygan’s selection as the epicenter of this future development is the availability of the Sheboygan Armory. According to GLASEC advisor and four-time space shuttle astronaut Mark Lee, the armory is "a natural fit for these types of exhibits. Everyone you bring there gets excited about the layout and look of the [armory] interior--especially those who have an aviation background. It is almost like it was designed to show airplanes and space exhibits." Lee, a Viroqua, Wisconsin native, was inspired to become an astronaut through black and white TV coverage of Alan Sheppard’s historic first flight during the Mercury program. He knows first-hand that young people from all backgrounds can achieve their dreams if they have somewhere to look to for guidance and inspiration. He had only the books in Viroqua’s local library, but he knows that the future engineers, physicists, chemists, and metallurgists that will help us colonize the moon, and eventually Mars, will walk through the doors of the Sheboygan Armory once it opens its doors as GLASEC.

There they will find tens of thousands of square feet of interactive space exhibits, hands-on experiments, a functioning “mission control” for simulated space missions, an "Astronauts of the Midwest" hall-of-fame, and a world-class planetarium that will also serve as a "space theater" and video-conference center with the International Space Station. And, in the spirit of exploration and off-the-Earth living, the intent is to create a "green" building that will create much of its own electricity and heating energy. By making the physical building itself part of the "science" of the attraction, GLASEC can highlight opportunities that will power the future and engage and enlighten visitors. As you can see in the attached graphic, GLASEC will be a crown jewel in the re-vitalization of the Sheboygan waterfront and downtown commerce district.

Sheboygan is great for GLASEC, too: The use of the armory is the perfect opportunity to "recycle" a building instead of demolishing another location or building anew somewhere else. And as Mark Lee said, "It’s like it was designed to show space exhibits." The high, curved ceiling and large open interior will be perfect for inspiring the next generation of inter-planetary explorers, and the scientists that will support them.