Military Provides Security, SAR Capability At The Cape
As Discovery was prepared for to lift off from Kennedy Space
Center Wednesday, North American Aerospace Defense Command and US
Northern Command were on duty, prepared to support the "Return to
Flight" mission.
Military air, land and sea assets were in place to support two
distinct missions: providing security and standing ready to provide
search-and-rescue assistance, if needed, according to Mike
Kucharek, media chief for NORAD and NORTHCOM.
DoD has a long history of supporting the space program, dating
back to Project Mercury in the 1950s. The department's unique
capabilities, from surveillance assets to space systems to
search-and-rescue units, make it a valuable partner to NASA,
Kucharek said.
Speaking from the Kennedy Space Center, Kucharek said NORAD,
which is responsible for air defense of the North American
airspace, was enforcing the temporary flight restrictions over the
shuttle and its path. Six Air Force F-15 aircraft were enforcing
the temporary no-fly zone, centered on Kennedy Space Center's
Launch Pad 39B.
In addition to ensuring Discovery's safety and security for the
launch and landing, NORAD was also prepared to respond to any
shuttle emergency, he said.
Meanwhile, NORTHCOM was prepared to provide a wide range of
support in the event of an emergency -- from locating and
retrieving astronauts to recovering the orbiter, Kucharek said.
Numerous Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft
and Navy and Coast Guard ships were pre-positioned or on standby to
quickly launch to conduct search-and-rescue operations.
Twenty Air Force pararescue members
from Moody Air force Base, GA; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ;
and Nellis Air Force Base, NV, were on site.
In addition, aircraft supporting the mission include an Air
Force Reserve/Air National Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft and four
Air Force Reserve HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters from Patrick Air
Force Base, FL; an Air National Guard HC-130 from F.S. Gabreski
Airport, NY; a Marine KC-130 tanker from Marine Corps Air Station
Cherry Point, NC; two Navy P-3 Orion aircraft from Naval Air
Station Brunswick, ME, and NAS Jacksonville, FL; and two Navy E-2C
Hawkeye warning and control aircraft from NAS Norfolk, VA.
The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, sailing out of Cape
Canaveral, FL, will provide command and control for any rescue
operations, with an SH-60 Seahawk helicopter aboard.
Military units at seven sites along the intended flight path
were on alert to support an emergency landing during the launch,
and NASA has designated emergency landing sites at 15 US military
facilities, as well as other locations around the world, Kucharek
said.
The Spanish military and French Air Force were on alert to
provide support at transatlantic abort landing, if needed.
Although the shuttle was scheduled to return to Kennedy Space
Center, alternate landing sites can quickly be readied to support a
shuttle landing at Edwards Air Force Base, CA; or Holloman Air
Force Base/White Sands Space Harbor, NM.
DoD personnel and assets made valuable contributions following
the Columbia disaster in February 2003.
National Guard Civil Support Teams from Texas, Arkansas and
Oklahoma helped identify and handle debris from the shuttle. The
Texas Guard provided 118 other personnel, two OH-58D Kiowa
helicopters, five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, four AH-64 Apache
choppers and a C-130 Hercules aircraft.
In Louisiana, the Guard helped man the State Emergency
Operations Center and provided vehicles and helicopters.
Immediately following the disaster, numerous active-duty
military aircraft conducted searches. Helicopters from Fort Hood,
Texas, aided in finding and protecting debris. Air Force planes and
helicopters searched the area and helped pinpoint the debris field.
Other aircraft transported personnel and equipment to the area, and
a Coast Guard cutter searched the Gulf of Mexico.
Debris from the strewn wreckage was sent to Barksdale Air Force
Base, LA, for storage and further review. The then-National Imagery
and Mapping Agency aided US Strategic Command and NASA in analyzing
the debris.
(ANN editor-in-chief Jim Campbell is at KSC and will provide
real-time coverage of the Dicsovery launch. Stay tuned!
--ed.)