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Air Force reservists support 50 years of space discovery

  • Published
  • By By Capt. Cathleen Snow
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Flying in the prone position atop a modified jumbo jet, NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery paraded down Space Coast beaches this morning, making a u-turn over Patrick Air Force Base, before heading north to its new home as a static display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.

The paired air and spacecraft historic flight drew more beachgoers than a good surf and sun day at the beach.

Among them was Air Force Reservist Lt. Col. Phillip Kennedy, HH-60G Pave Hawk pilot and 301st Rescue Squadron director of operations, 920th Rescue Wing here. Wearing a green Air Force flight suit, his squadron's shoulder patch tells a story of a long history supporting manned spaceflight--a medical pack attached to a parachute floats toward a space capsule on a globe cradled by the words "Guardian Wings."

"I'm proud to have been part of a rescue community that supported manned spaceflight and the shuttle program since its inception," said Kennedy, who caught a glimpse of the flight  over Patrick.

Manned spaceflight is something the 920th RQW has been doing since the early 60s. In 1961, the unit which began as the 301st Air Rescue Squadron in Miami provided rescue-contingency operations for the first Mercury launch, beginning its longstanding relationship with NASA.

Now situated at Patrick AFB and expanded into a wing, Rescue Wing Airmen are celebrating 50 years of manned spaceflight support as they were the primary rescue unit charged as guardians of the astronauts during NASA space shuttle missions into near Earth orbit until the space transportation system ended in July 2011.

Air Force Reserve history unfolds successful search-and-rescue support, notably on the first recorded real-life astronaut rescue. When NASA launched the Aurora 7 capsule on May 24, 1962, as part of the Project Mercury program, the capsule missed its intended landing area by approximately 250 miles and landed in the Atlantic Ocean, just east of Puerto Rico. Staff Sgt. Ray E. McClure and Airman 1st Class John F. Heitsch, pararescuemen from the 41st Air Rescue Squadron--then located at Hamilton Air Force Base, Calif.--jumped from an Air Sea Rescue SC-54 aircraft and attached an auxiliary flotation collar to the Aurora 7 to keep it from sinking. They stayed with the craft and its only passenger, astronaut Scott Carpenter, until a U.S. Navy helicopter picked them up and transported them to safety.

For every manned space mission thereafter, Air Force rescue personnel have been present to clear the range and stand by in the event of a mishap.

Rescue Wing Airmen pilot HC-130 King refueling aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters to transport their highly-trained and effective rescue teams, called Guardian Angels. Their unique combat search-and-rescue skills and equipment make them the most qualified in the world to respond to any emergency scenario, the worst being one that would cause the astronauts to bail out over the Atlantic Ocean during liftoff. To best prepare for this scenario, 920th RQW regularly performed what they called Mode VIII exercises with NASA astronauts.

Located 11 miles south of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the 920th RQW has been conducting search-and-rescue and range-clearing missions for the shuttle program since the first launch, STS-1 on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.

Although the space shuttle program has ended, Rescue Wing Airmen continue to work closely with the 45th Space Wing, NASA, the Naval Ordinance Test Unit and civilian space agencies providing safety and security on the Eastern Range during all Space Coast rocket launches.

Rescue Wing Airmen will be on hand to clear the Eastern Launch Range for the upcoming historic SpaceX launch April 30. The first civilian rocket to carry supplies to the International Space Station.

Click here to see historic and current photos of the 920th's ongoing support - slideshow.

Click to see the 920th RQW in action supporting a submarine missile launch - slideshow.

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