Sheboygan spaceport: real or fantasy?

We’ve previously discussed here the conflicting accounts of a planned “spaceport” in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which has been fueled by a bill passed by the state legislature earlier this year that creates a Wisconsin Aerospace Authority with the intent of establishing a spaceport in the city on the shores of Lake Michigan. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviews the situation in today’s issue, and continues to get conflicting accounts regarding whether a spaceport is really under serious consideration there. A spokesman for governor Jim Doyle called the legislation “unusual”, but one that did not harm state taxpayers: “It just allows the city and its private funders to explore a far-reaching, albeit long-shot, idea.” (City officials have previously said that their idea of a “spaceport” is as a science museum, not a literal launch site.) However, the bill does given the new aerospace authority the power of eminent domain should it desire to claim land for a spaceport, which worries some lawmakers. Said one state senator who voted for the bill but “confesses to some queasiness” about the prospect of rockets launching over Lake Michigan: “I’m optimistic that there will be enough pressure that if they did seek a permit (to build in the lake)… that the DNR [Department of Natural Resources] and the Legislature wouldn’t allow that to happen.”