WHAT'S UP

A List of Projects We are Supporting

The projects that we are supporting are:

• Rockets For Schools
• The NTES Facility Project
• Project Whaleback Island (Spaceport Wisconsin)

Rockets For Schools

 
    Since May 1995 there has been rockets launched from the shoreline 
     of Lake Michigan at Sheboygan, Wisconsin and some of those missles were
     clasified by NASA as being sub orbital flights making the area of the
     Sheboygan harbor a Space Port. It was designated as such by the Florida 
     Spaceport Authority, so on the day of the rocket launch, the area is 
     designated Spaceport Wisconsin. 
          The Rockets for Schools program has been organized to instruct 
     Students of grades 5-12 in the disciplines of rocket design operation.
     The students build their own rockets and bring them to Sheboygan
     on the two days of the exposition. Friday is taken up with
     instruction and briefing on the part that each student would take in 
     Saturday's launch schedule. Some were assigned as controllers in Mission
     Control, some were assigned to the Recovery Team and Range Safety Team. 
          Our participation was and is to help where we can as an organization.
     We have helped with the program since its inception, and have had a booth
     at the exposition every year of the program.
          I would be remiss if I were not to tell you of the feature launch of
     the program, which was the launch ot the LOKI sub orbital rocket that 
     was launched on Saturday afternoon.  It is a NASA sounding rocket that would
     attain an altitude of fifty (50) miles. Upon firing the missle would be
     out of sight in a matter of seconds, Bang, Woosh, and all you see is a 
     streak of smoke trail against the deep blue sky. 







     The  year 2002 RFS was fortunate to have Astronaut Frank Culbertson as
     guest spaeker With all the rockets that were fired the days were exiting as always. 

  
Astronaut Frank Culbertson

  The Astronaut that spoke for RFS 2003 was Michael Forman, he gave a 
detailed explanation of what he would be working on when he was on his 
mission to the International Space Station.                             



  For RFS 2004 the astronaut that spoke to the students Was Retired 
Astronaut Winston Scott, who gave great explanations of everyday operations
during his Shuttle missions.  This year there we Thirty-Nine teams that
launched their rockets and the Sheboygan Space Society display's theme 
Was the Saturn mission of the Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe. 



     The  year 2005 RFS was fortunate to have Astronaut Mark C. Lee (Colonel,USAF,RET.)
      as guest spaeker This was thee secons time that he was guest Astronaut, He was the
      guest speaker at thhe first RFS launch. With all the rockets that were fired the  
      days were exiting as always.                                                     


  
Astronaut Mark C. Lee (NASA, RET.) 

     The  year 2006 RFS was fortunate to have Astronaut Dr. John M. Grunsfeld as
     guest spaeker. All the rockets that were fired even though the Saturday was rainy   
     and wet.                                                                           
     

  

Astronaut John M. Grunfeld




     The year 2007 RFS Had the very good fortune to have a return vist by           
     Astronaut John M. Grunfeld. All rockets we fired.






The NTES Facility Project

Purpose:

     This project was began on March 11,1996. The name of the project is called
     Nuclear Thermal Engine Simulator (NTES). The Engine will be an electrically 
     heated expantion chamber. This will be used to test requirments for small 
     electrically heated engines and thrusters. 
        
Summary of Project:

      The project is to be a learning experience and the NTES is to be only one 
     in the body of a greater experiment. Other parts of this project is to 
     test the techniques of insitu building of Moon habitat type structures and 
     to set the foundation for the next step experiment, the Hybrid Ion Reactor 
     Engine (HIRE) which will be the next step in construction.
     
     The area should be used for other then the above mentioned projects and
     it is designed for other experimental use.  The test stand should be able
     to accommodate a motor with a thrust of two thousand pounds (2000 lb.).
    





 

Whaleback Shoal/Island
Spaceport Wisconsin
Feasibility Study




Possibilities:
There were three possible sights considered for the spaceport and the launch 
direction would be primarily to the north, and east. The second premise is that 
the launch vehicles would be of the Single Stage to Orbit, or Second Stage to Orbit
type. 
The three sights are as follows:
Shoreline off of Sheboygan, Wisconsin south of South Pier.
    A platform could be built similar to a oil rig platform used through out the 
    world, but much larger in area. 
    
The northern shoreline of Washington Island, Door County, Wisconsin 
    This location has adequate harbor adjacent to the area. 
    
Whaleback Shoal a submerged shoal twelve miles west of Washington Island,
 Door County,  Wisconsin. This is the most challenging and will require the 
 greater part of the study. The project would require the building of the Shoal
 into an island thereby creating a new island in the Bay of Green Bay, which
 would most likly be called "WhalebackIsland".
 This Island would be Two miles long from east to west and one half mile wide
 north to south.

This project Has been put on hold because of no responce to inquiries that were sent out. 
We hope to reactivate this study at a later date. 



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Wilbert G. Foerster willf@tcei.com
This page was updated 01/04/08