Test Site beckons to space shuttle

The U.S. Department of Energy should know by the end of the year whether the Nevada Test Site will rise from the demise of nuclear-weapons experiments to become a new home to the space shuttle.

Tim Carlson, executive director of the NTS Development Corp., a nonprofit company formed to promote the Test Site as an alternative for industries looking to relocate, said proposals such as turning the facility into a space shuttle launch and landing pad are under review.

"Whether we become Spaceport, Nev., we'll know before the end of the year," Carlson told the NTS Development Corp. board on Wednesday.

A handful of sites will be considered for the space shuttle. The NTS proposal was announced Tuesday by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in Washington, D.C.

Fifteen states have expressed an interest in landing the new home base for the spacecraft replacing the current shuttle. The other states Nevada is competing against include Utah, California, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas.

Two different sites will be chosen in the final round.

If the Test Site enters the finals, Carlson said the NTS Development Corp. will recruit the governor's office, state business leaders and other interested parties to put the finishing touches on the race to win the project.

The project could provide Nevada up to 2,000 new jobs, including support businesses, and inject $3 billion a year into the state's economy.

The Test Site, larger than the state of Rhode Island, is ideal for launching space vehicles, said Carl Gertz, DOE's assistant manager for environmental management.

The proposed launch site is 45 miles east of U.S. 95 at 5,600 feet above sea level. The site is west of another space venture, Kistler Aerospace Corp., which first came to the Test Site offering commercial satellite launches on retrievable craft.

Lockheed Martin's VentureStar uses an X-33 vehicle and would also leap into the commercial space market.

"Right now, Bechtel Nevada (which manages the Test Site) and Lockheed Martin are our current partners," Carlson said.

That does not preclude other commercial space companies from jumping on board, he added.

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