Ascension Island Green Way

Mr. Damien Cuello performs a operational check of a rotating 900kW wind turbine brake disk at 45th Operations Group Detachment 2, Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF), South Atlantic Ocean on June 24, 2009. The unit sits atop a 110 foot tower that holds the power generation portion of this 900kW wind turbine. It takes only a few seconds for the disk brake to stop the three-bladed 182 foot rotor from turning in the wind. This is part of the self sufficient, power,water and waste infrastructure of the base. Mr. Cuello is a power house operator/ mechanical associate with Computer Sciences Raytheon, responsible for maintenance of the 6-wind turbine facility. The wind turbines works in parallel with low-load diesel generators powering the airfield, Space Command sites and facilities, and a royal air force airfield facility. Ascension AAF's award winning self-sufficiency solutions also includes drinking water production and waste water treatment. The mission of Det. 2 is support of eastern range space launches by collecting and disseminating radar, telemetry and tracking data. Ascension island is 35 square miles in a remote island location midway between Brazil and Angola. The nearest country is Liberia - 1000 miles away. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates)