NASA runway effort renewed

PERKINS TWP. — Local officials and area supporters hope a renewed effort to build a runway at Erie County's space station takes off in a big way. "Constructing a runway that can accept planes, carrying oversized payloads, would make the (Neil A.) Armstrong Test Facility an even more powerful resource for our country's space programs," according to a letter Larry Fletcher sent to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Fletcher serves as the president of Lake Erie Shores & Islands, Erie County's tourism bureau, and Brown has long been a supporter of this station. "I like coming to (Armstrong) because I like talking about the importance of (Armstrong)," Brown told the Register in an exclusive one-on-one interview in 2017. "Unfortunately, it's still not known well enough. It's known among people that know aeronautics. It's not known well enough by the public in Ohio." The hurdle Funding, however, still remains the largest and most obvious obstacle in building a 9,000-foot-long airstrip specifically for testing purposes only. Officials stressed the runway isn't intended for and won't become an airport of any sorts. Officials previously pegged the cost between $40 million and $90 million for planes to deliver spacecraft and related equipment for testing purposes to or from Armstrong, formerly known as NASA Plum Brook. NASA administrators have repeatedly insisted they can't, and won't, spend public tax dollars from their already-limited space budget to create one. So where could the money come from? Fletcher and others believe the federal budget, aside from NASA's share, represents a good first option. It's among the reasons why he made a pitch to Brown in an official letter. "The Armstrong facility is truly unique and (an) invaluable research center that has helped make Ohio a leader in the aerospace industry," wrote Fletcher, referencing projects like Artemis 1 — also known as Orion, it involves taking astronauts into deep space and maybe even Mars — occurring at Armstrong. The advantages Building a runway at Armstrong, according to Fletcher's claims, would also: • Welcome additional testing, especially fragile and military cargo, which, today, is getting tested elsewhere or nowhere at all • Spark new local business and economic development opportunities • Enhance the desirability of thousands of unused acres of land "While the Armstrong Test Facility is not directly related to our region's robust tourism industry, this one-of-a-kind aerospace center that is playing a vital role in the future of our country's space program certainly focuses significant attention on our region," Fletcher wrote. "This can result in more people choosing to live and work here and, also of course, visit." Jeff Huber agrees with the points raised by Fletcher. He's expressed a runway's importance countless times through his role as a charter member of the Armstrong Advocacy Coalition. Formerly known as the Friends of NASA Plum Brook, it's an advocacy group that supports the station. This ranges from lobbying politicians to promoting the station. "The runway is, once again, one of our legislative priorities," Huber said. "We knew (this) would be a long process. (But) with the recent Department of Defense's interest in the Hypersonic Test Facility, it appears the time may be right for construction of a runway." The interest The Department of Defense coordinates and supervises all agencies and government functions related to national security. And the department's interest in Armstrong's Hypersonic Test Facility revolves around its ability to test equipment at upward of seven times the speed of sound at a specific altitude and air chemistry levels for 5 minutes long. That's useful to check the proper functioning of hypersonic engines, sensor systems and communications. In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that can reach and exceed 5 times the speed of sound. Due to funding reasons, Armstrong's facility hasn't been used since 2008. But, given the increase in Department of Defense hypersonic programs, officials noted there's a corresponding need to properly and promptly test these systems — and Armstrong represents a perfect place to do that, they said. With the renewed effort and apparent federal interest, bringing a runway to Armstrong seems like a slam dunk and a complete game changer for the area, Erie County commissioner Pat Shenigo said. Throughout his political tenure, dating back to 2009, Shenigo has served as a leading voice for Armstrong. "A thriving Armstrong test facility would be not only good for our area, with increased employment opportunities, but firmly puts the Armstrong testing facility on the world state of defense space testing," Shenigo said. "Sometimes persistence can pay off, and we certainly have been persistent."