While I applaud Gov. Mike DeWine's recent announcement that Ohio should be considered for the proposed U.S. Space Academy's new home, I cannot in good conscience support this proposal, as it would be a strategic mistake.
While Ohio is certainly a strategic location for advanced manufacturing of jet engines and other engineered equipment destined for outer space, it is not even close to being our nation's best location for the U.S. Space Academy. If you've ever visited Florida's Space Coast to witness a rocket launch near the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, you likely appreciate why I believe that our Space Academy should be built there.
I served in Orlando as a naval officer early in my career and had the opportunity
to watch rockets launch from the Space Coast, and I also visited there on several occasions. Experiencing a rocket launch is difficult to put into words, but to this day it is an experience I cannot forget and remember with awe and exhilaration.
I support our nation in building the U.S. Space Academy and believe it belongs on Florida's Space Coast so that academy students can witness on a daily basis why they are committing their lives and taking enormous risks to explore outer space in service to our great nation.
Brian Frank, Mount Adams
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: US Space Academy belongs in Florida, not Ohio | Letter
