Sensitivity: CONFIDENTIAL

Project: REDLIFE

NASA Research Facility Feasibility

PAF 400

April 18th 2021

Research Team 3:

Taylor Schaub, Timothy Williams, Craig Cusick, Monty Burich

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 Table of Contents:

Page 3 – Introduction

Page 3 – Yakima, Washington

Page 5 – Colorado, Springs

Page 7 – Killeen, Texas

Page 10 – Bisbee, Arizona

Page 12 – Conclusion and Next Steps

Page 14 – References

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 Introduction

On a project such as searching for a new location to install a facility to perform

research on a potentially new microorganism, the research team faced quite a challenge.

The research team had 4 areas in which to research Bisbee, Arizona, Colorado Springs,

Colorado, Killeen, Texas, and Yakima, Washington. The researchers evaluated and discussed

University access and specialties, Benefits to NASA, Benefits to the community, community

attitude, political attributes, and location. Overall, the decision was a tough exercise, but the

team came up with a key location after reviewing each of the areas. The team researched

each of the locations exhaustively and found that they all could provide benefits to NASA in

different forms, however, one location that seemingly provided enough benefits to move it

to the top of the team’s recommendation list was Yakima, Washington.

Research Top Recommendation: Yakima, Washington

Yakima, Washington is a unique setting for a new facility. The area provides NASA

access to several benefits. A primary consideration was access to three major Universities:

Central Washington University (CWU), Washington State University (WSU), University of

Washington (UW), as well as a host of Community Colleges and Trade Schools spread across

the state.

Each of the Universities has extensive research capability and access to scientists in

the field of Chemistry, Agriculture, Biology, Marine Biology, and a host of other critical areas

for NASA. These would likely prove to be assets for the NASA community. NASA would also

benefit from investing back into local schools and universities as well since many of the

students could be prospective employees. This would ensure a stable workforce for NASA

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and school funding for the community which would be viewed as a substantial investment

into the community and would likely be welcome by local and state officials.

In addition to educational and research facility access, the proposed area gives NASA

access to some significant “green” power infrastructure options such as hydroelectric, wind,

solar, and soon a modern XE-100 nuclear plant power option in which a partnership

agreement was just signed in the State (Cary, 2021). Since Washington is looking towards a

carbon-free energy supply by 2045, early integration into the community would give NASA

access to this green energy program. Working with the state to tap into green energy would

also demonstrate to the world that NASA is interested in green options which the public is

very focused on in today’s age.

Yakima also provides plenty of recreation, sightseeing, and leisure activities for

families and employees that provide vacations while also limiting how often they would

need to travel out of the area for paid time off or PTO (Yakima Parks, 2021). With a stable

climate and predictable weather patterns, outdoor activities would be accessible all year

round (Weatherbase, 2021). This would also allow for outdoor research to occur all year

round.

Some of the critical challenges that will need to be addressed for the Yakima site will

include Tribal relations. The area will be positioned near a tribal fishing waterway. It would

behoove NASA to invest in and support the cleanup of the polluted waterway to help

strengthen tribal relations and show that the administration is concerned with its well-being

(Cuffney, 2000). NASA would also have to contend with the obesity health problem and

corresponding insurance costs in the area but could do so with some preventative education

and recreational facilities for employees (Liu, 2014). Finally, NASA would need to help the

area with infrastructure rebuilding. The state department of transportation estimates that

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45% of the roads in the Yakima area need refurbishing (McCoy, 2021). NASA will likely need

to utilize these roads as well so an initial investment will be needed here and budgets based

on the states estimates for rebuilding costs. Overall, the initial investments to shore up the

areas of opportunity will have profound long-lasting benefits to NASA as well as the

community which set it apart from the other proposed locations.

Second Choice: Colorado Springs Colorado

Colorado Springs, while an excellent choice, was not able to ultimately take the rank

of number one for a variety of reasons. Before discussing those factors, it is important to

establish what positive aspects the community brings to the table. Colorado Springs has

mild temperatures year-round and a lack of major natural disasters (Colorado Springs

Climate, 2020), providing an ideal location for a NASA facility in comparison to Texas or

Arizona. Based on the climate alone there are no obvious downsides to Colorado Springs.

The transportation systems used in Colorado Springs are well equipped and provide

enough mobility if a NASA facility was built in the area. Colorado Springs also has access to

multiple major airports and numerous forms of public transport that would give new

employees commuting options. Unfortunately, Colorado Springs is prone to vehicular

accidents (Demont, 2019) that impact the safety of employees commuting to work.

Road conditions within Colorado Springs are good. One major initiative taken on by

the local government has been reinvesting into refurbishing older roadways across city

limits (McDaniel, 2021). Colorado Springs is built over major natural gas lines that provide

power to the city; there are no nuclear power plants in the area, minimizing the chances of

a nuclear catastrophe impacting the proposed NASA facility. Much like NASA, Colorado

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Springs focuses on green energy, providing an opportunity for NASA to potentially

collaborate with the city on renewable options.

Colorado Springs has a large, non-partisan government (Murdock, 2021). which

allows ample opportunity for NASA to represent itself within the community. Additionally,

with multiple boards and commissions within Colorado Springs, even if NASA was unable to

find themselves on the city council, it is likely they would be able to create a board that

works to advise both council members and citizens alike.

Colorado Springs also has a large community budget in comparison to Killen and

Bisbee, which is why it ranks higher than the aforementioned communities. From the

budget alone, Colorado Springs has the capacity to invest in research projects with NASA,

work to provide safer infrastructure with the facility, as well as collaborate with the agency

to promote a cleaner environment, all things that a substantially smaller community would

be unable to afford.

Colorado Springs is a well-educated community, with access to multiple highly

ranked universities (Charts, 2021) that can provide NASA research facilities. NASA will be

looking for educated individuals to employ, and Colorado Springs would be able to provide

such candidates. All of this being said, there are two main reasons why Colorado Springs is

not ranked number one. First, the population of the city is concerning for a facility of this

size. Out of every city discussed in this report, Colorado Springs is by far the largest with a

population of 464,871 (Census, 2021), and is the most densely populated. Colorado Springs

is considered one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, which causes the cost of living

to spike in the area. Many of the employees that will be traveling to this NASA facility will be

unable to afford the high cost of living and may struggle to find adequate housing nearby.

The increased amount of foot traffic that would be brought in by a NASA facility being put in

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the area could have a potentially harmful impact on the environment, and the densely

packed population may drive off future employees from relocating.

The second, and arguably most important reason, why Colorado Springs is ranked

second, is because the community will not benefit from a NASA facility being built in the

area. NASA would have access to many of the resources Colorado Springs has to offer, yet

the relationship would not be mutually beneficial. Its presence in the community would not

provide an influx in much-needed jobs, significantly boost the economy, or provide an

experience that the city doesn’t already have to offer. Furthermore, it's plausible to expect

that the affluent pockets within the community would not take well to change of this size.

Yakima has the capacity to provide NASA with all of the same resources that Colorado

Springs can, yet would measurably benefit from a facility being built there. For these main

reasons, Colorado Springs is best placed as a runner up to Yakima.

In order to improve the ranking for Colorado Springs, one of three things would need

to occur. First, the cost of living would have to decrease to accommodate for the influx of

individuals that would be moving to the community. Second, the NASA facility would have

to be built on the outskirts of the community to potentially benefit lower-income areas,

avoiding the larger affluent bubbles closer to the downtown region. Third, the population

would need to show trends of decreasing rather than rising, in order to avoid the concerns

mentioned above. Unfortunately, the concerns mentioned are largely tied to the fact that

Colorado Springs is already a well-established powerhouse city, that truly doesn’t need the

attention a NASA facility would bring. It is difficult to reconcile these issues or create plans

to solve them, as they are the fundamental aspects of the community itself.

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 Third Choice: Killeen, Texas

In NASA’s search for the ideal location to place a new state-of-the-art research

facility that will be tasked with the observation of an extraterrestrial microbe recovered

from space, the city of Killeen, Texas, participated in a selection process to become a

potential destination for the new site. Killeen was ranked as the third option for NASA.

Many factors went into the decision-making process, based on the following Killeen either

ranked higher or lower compared to the second place, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and

fourth position, Bisbee, Arizona. The recorded observations that placed the City of Killeen

above the City of Bisbee are population, transportation, and water. Each of these specific

areas was identified as a priority concern that NASA must consider as an opportunity if

Killeen would have been ranked higher in the process.

The first area in which Killeen was determined to be a better fit was the community's

population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (Census), 5,522 people currently live in

Bisbee, with a reduction of an estimated 6% over the last ten years (Census Bureau, 2019).

Killeen now has an estimated 151,666 population since the 2010 Census by an estimated

18.7%, according to the 2010 Census data reports (Census Bureau, 2019). The increase in

population in Killeen shows that the city is growing and resulting in more tax revenue for the

city to reinvest into the community. Additionally, NASA would have a larger pool of potential

employees to select from.

Next, transportation in Killeen is far more robust in comparison to Bisbee. According

to reports by TripAdvisor, the City of Bisbee has very little direct transportation to the city or

within the town (TripAdvisor, n.d.). When it comes to public transportation within Bisbee,

there is only one bus line available for the tourist industry (TripAdvisor, n.d.). Killeen has

citizen transportation services available as well. Currently, the city maintains a bus service

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providing urban, rural, and paratransit services locally and their neighboring city. Finally,

there are two airports in the local area, the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport, Skylark Field

Airport. The Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport currently supports American Airlines and

United Airlines, with flights routed initially through Dallas/Fort Worth or Houston

Intercontinental Airport then on to their destination (City of Killeen, 2021).

Finally, the provision of sustainable water has been identified as a critical issue that

Killeen can support and appears that Bisbee cannot. According to the Nature Conservancy,

the City of Bisbee’s water source has areas that are no longer flowing seasonally and

because of the community and local agriculture (Nature Conservancy, n.d.). The City of

Killeen currently utilizes a contract with a neighboring community to provide their water

service. Bell County Water Control and Improvement District #1 is the exclusive water

provider to the City of Killeen (City of Killeen, 2021). Lake Belton is where the water is

sourced from; it maintains a generous amount of water year-round.

Progressing on to the areas in which Killeen did not fare and Colorado Springs, the

criterion areas are education, emergency services, and local policy environment. Colorado

Springs outperformed Killeen in all of these areas, which resulted in Colorado Springs being

placed into a higher ranking for NASA to select as a finalist.

Education is the cornerstone for employment in a world-renowned organization like

NASA, and for that, Colorado Springs has the advantage. In a report of the Colorado Springs

Education Data, an estimated 74% of the population in Colorado Springs have an Associate’s

degree, Bachelor's degree, or higher. According to the Census Bureau, the City of Killeen

only has an estimated 20.2% rate of bachelor’s degree or higher (Census, 2019). NASA

would be best served by selecting a location with the highest level of education to provide

the best opportunity to identify qualified candidates to work in the facility.

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 Next, the provision of emergency services will be essential in supporting a highly

secure facility with biological material from another planet. Colorado Springs boasts a

robust five military installations, 25 fire departments, and over 700 sworn police officers

(Colorado, 2021). Killeen does support one of the largest bases in the United States.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the emergency services falls far short of those available in

Colorado Springs. For example, the city maintains eight fire stations and 258 sworn officers

(City of Killeen Fire Department, Fire Department 2020) (City of Killeen, Killeen Police 2020).

In the event of a large-scale incident, NASA in Killeen would be required to be self-sufficient.

There would be a smaller contingency of emergency providers to assist, unlike in Colorado

Springs.

Finally, the local policy environment of Colorado Springs takes the front stage. The

policies developed and implemented, such as the “clean water and stormwater initiative,”

have garnered the community's support and provide $825 million to ensure the supply of

clean water for the Colorado Springs area (Gradisar, 2020). The City of Killeen utilizes an

estimated 58.1% of the city’s General Fund for its public safety program (City of Killeen,

Finance 2021). Despite the importance of the public safety program, there is no return on

investment to allow the city to make other substantial improvements to the infrastructure

that NASA may utilize.

Fourth Choice: Bisbee, Arizona

There are three major reasons that Bisbee, Arizona was placed at number four on

the list when considering areas for a new NASA station. The first being the lack of Colleges in

the immediate area that could feed the new station potential researchers and allow for

collaboration between other organizations on different research projects. When looking to

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higher education options, the City of Bisbee does not directly offer a college option. One city

over in Sierra Vista, Arizona residents can access classes through Cochise College. The

College offers various programs including technical trade classes for automotive, aviation,

welding (Cochise College, n.d.). In nearby Tucson, Arizona there is the University of Arizona

which would provide the best support when it comes to research activities. So, to better

improve the city’s rankings, creating more direct access to U of A resources would be

important. This could be done through a satellite campus that catered to science students.

In addition to educational connections in the area, and perhaps the most important

reason why Bisbee is ranked as it is, is the city’s location. The city is located approximately

20 minutes or 12 miles from the Mexico border (Google, n.d.). With that and the recent

national discussions surrounding immigration, Bisbee inadvertently is involved. There are

also Native lands that surround Bisbee and along the Mexico border that would be impacted

by the construction of the border wall (Mendoza-Moyers, 2017). In particular, the Tohono

O’odham Nation, which is about the side of the size of the state of Connecticut, spans that

southern region surrounding Bisbee (Tohono O’odham Nation, n.d.). The tribal land is the

second largest in the state in both population and geographical size (Tohono O’odham

Nation, n.d.). This could result in some issues in selecting the City of Bisbee as the location

for the new NASA site. Given the location of the tribal lands, the specific placement of the

NASA station would have to be carefully selected to ensure it does not encroach on

reservation lands.

Lastly, the population of the city of Bisbee, which is tied to its history, could present

some challenges in selecting the area for the new NASA station. Estimates by the U.S.

Census in 2019 show approximately 5,522 people call Bisbee, Arizona home (United States

Census Bureau, n.d.). Data shows the population dropping about 6 percent in the last ten
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years, making the small town even smaller (United States Census Bureau, n.d.). The new

station is expected to bring between 1,000 and 1,500 jobs to the area. So, when looking at

just workers that’s a fifth of the population being added to the area at once. That does not

even account for family members who would be joining those employees in the area.

As mentioned, the population of the area is tied to the city’s history and what draws

people there to visit this day. The City of Bisbee – while it holds a vibrant history centered

on mining- has turned into a center for art, music, outdoor activity, and dining. The city is

supported by tourism and the money non-residents bring to the area. According to the

Discover Bisbee site (n.d.), when the mines closed there was a shift in what the city had to

offer that are now cultural attractions. The town has several dozen locally-owned shops

offering unique wares just in Old Bisbee’s center (Discover Bisbee, n.d.). Unlike the mining

days, Bisbee is not centered on companies bringing in revenue, it is a collective effort by

small locally owned businesses (Discover Bisbee, n.d.). The new NASA station could

drastically impact that dynamic and cause tension with the full-time residents who call

Bisbee home.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Each Community Council and State Governor that was in the running should be

issued a copy of their respective report so they can review the facts and findings from the

findings of the researchers. This report will also include the final decision as well and what

the process is for any decision appeals. The research team recommends that each of these

reports is issued within 30 days of the issuance of this report to the review commission.

After the commission reviews the final choice, a meeting should be called with the

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respective State Governor, County, and local leaders to deliver the congratulatory message,

next steps, and timelines as well as finalize any other needs going forward.

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 Reference List by Area

Bisbee Arizona References:

Cochise College (n.d.) Academics. Retrieved From: https://www.cochise.edu/academic-

programs

Discover Bisbee (n.d.) Annual Events. Retrieved from:

https://www.discoverbisbee.com/annual-events

Google (n.d.). Bisbee, AZ to Naco, Mexico Directions. Retrieved from:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/bisbee/Naco,+Sonora,+Mexico/@31.389132,-
109.9485154,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!
1s0x86d0b4b81ce1d82f:0x65ccff4c7c366b1a!2m2!1d-109.9284084!2d31.4481547!
1m5!1m1!1s0x86d0b8645c9eac5d:0x34f1855f746f1693!2m2!1d-109.9470019!
2d31.3260273

Mendoza-Moyers, D. (February 15, 2017). Political ideologies of the past still resonate with
residents of Bisbee. Retrieved from:
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2017/02/15/bisbee-political-ideologies-resonate/

Tohono O’odham Nation (n.d.). About. Retrieved from: http://www.tonation-

nsn.gov/about-tohono-oodham-nation/

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.) Quick Facts: Bisbee City, Arizona. Retrieved from:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bisbeecityarizona/AGE295219

Colorado Springs References:

Colorado Springs Climate. (2020). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from

https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/colorado/colorado_springs

Charts, T. (2020). Colorado springs education data. Retrieved April 06, 2021, from
https://www.towncharts.com/Colorado/Education/Colorado-Springs-city-CO-
Education-data.html#:~:text=Colorado%20Springs%20shows%20it%20has%20a
%20Total%20Enrolled%20of%20120%2C783,the%20greater%20Colorado%20Springs
%20region.

Census. (2021). U.S. census bureau QuickFacts: Colorado Springs city, colorado. Retrieved
March 22, 2021, from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/coloradospringscitycolorado

Demont, C. (2019). Colorado Department of Transportation 2019 Problem Identification

Report. Retrieved from https://www.codot.gov/safety/safetydata/colorado-
problem-identification-id-reports/2019-problem-id-report

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McDaniel, C. (2021). Colorado Springs Annual Budget 2021. Retrieved from
https://coloradosprings.gov/sites/default/files/2021fbudgetfulldocument.pdf

Murdock, C. (2021). Colorado Springs City Council Election. The Gazette.

https://gazette.com/woodmenedition/colorado-springs-city-council-election-
results/article_311bcc98-9a08-11eb-8e8d-0fcfcec44988.html

Killeen Texas References:

Charts, T. (2020). Colorado Springs education data. Retrieved April 06, 2021. From
https://www.towncharts.com/Colorado/Education/Colorado- Springs-city-CO-
Education-data.html

City of Killeen. (2020). Annual Report 2019 Killeen Police Department. Killeen TX.
https://www.killeentexas.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/425

City of Killeen. (2021). Killeen, TX: Official Website. Killeen, TX | Official Website.
http://www.killeentexas.gov/

City of Killeen Fire Department. (2020). 2019 Killeen Fire Department Summary. Killeen TX.
https://www.killeentexas.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2176/2019-Summary-PDF.

City of Killeen. (2021). Finance. Finance | Killeen, TX.

http://www.killeentexas.gov/318/Finance#:~:text=The%20City%20levies%20a
%201.506.25%25%20State%20of%20Texas

Cochise College (n.d.) Academics. Retrieved From:

https://www.cochise.edu/academicprograms

Colorado, V. (2021). Parks & Trails. Retrieved from https://www.visitcos.com/things-to

do/outdoors/parks-trails/

EDC, C. &. (2021, March 03). Small business & entrepreneurship. Retrieved March 22, 2021,
from: https://coloradospringschamberedc.com/doing-business/small-business/

Gradisar, N. (2020, September 16). 2019 State of the City. Colorado Springs.
https://coloradosprings.gov/stateofthecity19

Nature Conservancy (n.d.). Places we protect: San Pedro River Arizona.

https://www.nature.org/enus/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/san-
pedro-river/

Swan, L. (April 8, 2021). Bisbee Observer Headlines 04-08-2021. Retrieved from:

https://thebisbeeobserver.com/

Tripadvisor (n.d.) Bisbee: Getting Around. Retrieved

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 From: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travelg31171-
s302/Bisbee:Arizona:Getting.Around.html

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.) Quick Facts: Bisbee City, Arizona. Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bisbeecityarizona/AGE295219

Yakima References:

Cary, A. (2021) Nation’s 1st advanced nuclear reactor could operator near Tri-Cities under
new agreement. Excerpt taken from Tri City Herald. Link: https://www.tri-
cityherald.com/news/local/article250356926.html

Central Washington University (2021) Quick Facts. Central Washington University Website.
Link: http://www.cwu.edu/about/quick-factsd

Cuffney, Thomas F et al.(2000) Responses of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Indicators of

Water Quality to a Gradient of Agricultural Land Use in the Yakima River Basin,
Washington. Environmental monitoring and assessment 64.1 259–270. Web.

Liu, L., Colman, C. (2014) Guest: Why Yakima is one of the most obese cities and why is
Bellingham so thin? Link: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/guest-why-yakima-
is-one-of-the-most-obese-cities-and-why-bellingham-is-thin/

McCoy, D. (2021) WSDOT report shows that 45% of Yakima county roadways need
rehabilitations. From KIMA News Website. Link:
https://kimatv.com/news/local/wsdot-report-shows-45-of-yakima-county-roadways-
need-rehabilitation

NASA (2021) Symbols of NASA. NASA Website. Link:

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/symbols-of-nasa.html

Washington State University (2021) Academics. Washington State University Website. Link:
https://wsu.edu/academics/

Weather base Website (2021) https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-

summary.php3?s=18727&cityname=Yakima,+Washington,+United+States+of+America
Yakima Parks (2021) Main Page. Yakima Parks Web Page. Link: https://yakimaparks.com

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