SHEBOYGAN - Move over bratwurst. Sheboygan is poised to become a gateway to the stars.

It's called Spaceport Sheboygan, and a group of determined business leaders is making it happen.

We visited the Great Lakes Aerospace Science and Education Center (GLASEC ) on Sheboygan's lakefront. It used to be an armory, but now holds a plethora of space stuff.

We checked out a booster rocket, mission control equipment, various rockets and a replica of a cosmonaut capsule.

So why is all the stuff here?

Jim Testwuide, a Sheboygan native, explained the thinking behind GLASEC.

"The dream plan is really to have an education center where kids can get excited about math and science through the space travel venue," he said. Also, Testwuide added, it's something positive and unique in Sheboygan, where the lakefront has already undergone a renaissance of sorts.

Inside the center, we found tons of cool stuff, including part of a giant rocket booster engine, real shuttle command equipment from mission control, space capsules, and more.

Huge murals depicting space travel by U.S. astronauts like Wisconsin native Mark Lee adorn the converted armory.

"We all dreamed a little bit about wanting to go into outer space and what it would be like on the moon," Testwuide told us.

The obvious question: why Sheboygan?

Here's why: the restricted airspace around the city. Back in the 40's, the United States government created a restricted airspace from Manitowoc to Port Washington, spanning nearly across Lake Michigan. That means the airspace is empty of commercial air traffic, and, GLASEC leaders reasoned, perfect for commercial space travel.

"We've sort of put our chip down that we want to be in the game at some point in the future and everybody in the space game knows we exist," Testwuide explained.

Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan, who is relatively new to his post, admits the idea took a little while to catch on, even with him.

"When somebody said we'll have an aerospace center in Sheboygan I laughed to tell you the truth-- but it looks like it's coming true to me," he admitted.

Thousands of kids visited the center this year for hands-on experience, and the spaceport has already launched nearly a dozen small rockets into space.

Mayor Ryan says that's just the beginning.

"This will be an education center and maybe someday you never know we may be sending people up to space from Sheboygan County," he speculated.

So what will it take to make this happen? New technology to allow easier commercial space travel. GLASEC leaders don't envision shuttle liftoffs. Rather, they're waiting for space vehicles that use runways much like aircraft today.

In the meantime-- the center will add a planetarium and more working classrooms to enhance the hands-on experience for visiting kids.