Endeavor, left, and Discovery travel to museums for display following the close of the shuttle program in 2011. WORLD [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 69]
which automatically recorded the geo-location of any target photo- graphed. “We used the cameras to look at things like land formations and ocean eddies, and rather than a scientist having to look at an image and analyze it to determine where the
subject was located, the geo-location system on the camera shortcut that whole effort,” Bolden says. “That’s an example of how NASA benefited from a military payload.”
ers traveled a combined 513.7 million miles.
DoD mission support The shuttle program relied heavily on DoD for mission support throughout its 30-year history, includ- ing such tasks as weather monitoring and overseas abort site management. “The shuttle program had a very close collabora- tion with the 45th Space Wing, which is headquar- tered at Cape Canaveral,” Bolden notes. “It’s the 45th Space Wing that controls the Eastern Test Range, which encompasses the launch airspace and sea space.” With the remaining space shuttles on their
The five orbit-
The Air Force 45th Space Wing (above) supports the final launch of Atlantis. (top) NASA Administrator Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden Jr., USMC- Ret., left, walks in front of Atlantis after its final landing in 2011.
ways to various museums, NASA has turned to the Russian Federal Space Agency for transportation to the ISS until a new American space transpor- tation system can be developed. Ac- cording to Bolden, commercial space companies will play an integral role in this plan. “There are things we’re trying to hand over to private enterprise
PHOTOS: FROM TOP, FRANKIE MARTIN/NASA; BILL INGALLS/NASA; MATTHEW JURGENS/USAF
as we speak,” Bolden says. “For ex- ample, starting early next year, the transportation of cargo to the space station will be done by two American companies already under contract with NASA: Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., and SpaceX in Haw- thorne, Calif. They will take military payloads, scientific payloads, and commercial payloads. “And within months, we’re going to put out a request for companies to submit their proposals on how they are going to take American astro- nauts and our partners into space on American-made rockets using Amer- ican innovation and expertise. If all goes well, that should become avail- able in the next four to five years. So the future of human space flight in America is bright.”
MO
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Has the U.S. abandoned an integral part of its space program? Click on Shuttle at
www.moaa.org/discussion or mail MOAA, Attn: Editor, 201 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314, to share your thoughts.
— Don Vaughan is a freelance writer based in North Carolina. His last feature article for Military Officer was “The Val- iant Ones,” September 2011.
JANUARY 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 81
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92