Vandenberg aids in Discovery landing

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The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely Aug. 9 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., partly because of the efforts of Airmen at the 30th Space Wing here.

Airmen in Western Range operations and the 76th Helicopter Flight supported the re-entry and landing of the shuttle at Edwards after it was unable to land in Florida because of weather conditions.

Poised and ready to support a shuttle landing at a moment’s notice, the 2nd Range Operations Squadron sprang into action when the shuttle was diverted to Edwards, said Maj. Pell Thompson, 2nd ROPS operations officer.

“This was an important return-to-flight mission,” he said. “It was important things proceeded smoothly. We wanted to ensure we provided the support that NASA requested.”

That support included radar and optical tracking instrumentation to track the shuttle as it re-entered the atmosphere, Major Thompson said.

“Manned space flight is a priority for the nation,” he said, “and it is a privilege to be a part of it. Lots of people provided support.”

More than 50 people from here were involved in operations such as tracking the shuttle at the different sites along the Central Coast, processing the data coming in from those sites, and transmitting the data to NASA.

First Lt. David Rodriguez, a 2nd ROPS range control officer, pulled his second all-nighter at the range control facility supporting the Discovery’s return.

“We watched over our instrumentation to ensure public safety,” he said. “The outcome was flawless; all instrumentation was green.”

Also weary after his second night spent in the control center was mission control supervisor, Wesley Fleming, but he was extremely pleased with the outcome.

“Everybody was enthralled that the space shuttle landed at Edwards,” he said. “I’m honored and proud of the part we played in making sure the shuttle returned.”

Major Thompson said he was pleased with the cooperation involved in the return of the shuttle.

“This operation demonstrates a big part of the way we operate at Vandenberg,” he said. “Range operations is a mix of blue suiters, civilians and contractors who work together to ensure the success of the mission.”

Support was also provided by the 76th HF.

“A crew from the 76th Helicopter Flight went to Edwards to provide security and be on standby to lend support in case a contingency arose,” Major Thompson said.

The helicopter and its three crewmembers provided primary security for the shuttle, said Maj. Ronald Frantz, 76th HF commander.

“Our crew flew out the day before,” Major Frantz said. “Before dawn they flew a support mission to secure the landing range and area within the restricted zone, which encompassed a huge space. They used forward-looking infrared to sweep the area.”

If the shuttle could not land at Edwards, the flightline here was also on standby to receive it.”

Discovery's crew included two seasoned Air Force astronauts. Retired Col. Eileen Collins served as mission commander while Col. James Kelly acted as Discovery's pilot.

In 1995, Colonel Collins was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle -- Discovery STS-63 -- on the first joint American-Russian mission, and included a rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir. In 1999, she was the first woman to command a shuttle mission.

She has logged more than 6,280 hours in 30 different types of aircraft, with more than 537 hours in space.

Colonel Kelly was a member of the March 2001 resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Colonel Kelly has logged more than 3,000 hours in more than 35 different aircraft. In 2001, he flew the eighth shuttle mission to visit the ISS aboard Discovery, NASA reported.