Air Force Reservists serve as astronauts' Guardian Angels for one final launch

Published July 8, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Anna-Marie Wyant
920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Despite threatening weather, Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off Launch Pad 39A at 11:29 a.m. at Kennedy Space Center and disappeared into the clouds over Florida's east coast for the last time July 8, marking the end of an era for NASA, the space shuttle program, and the 920th Rescue Wing's astronaut search-and-rescue mission.

The 920th RQW--the Air Force Reserve's only rescue wing--cleared the range before this final launch known as Space Transportation System (STS) -135, NASA's 135th shuttle flight, ensuring people and boats were a safe distance from the shuttle launch path. The final launch carried a four-person crew, the smallest crew since STS-6 in 1983, and marked the 33rd mission for Atlantis. The 920th RQW, located at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., 11 miles south of here, 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, but its history with NASA goes back even farther.

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

"Manned spaceflight is something the 920th Rescue Wing has been doing really since the early 60s, participating in one way or another," said Col. Robert Ament, vice wing commander, 920th RQW.

The 920th RQW, which was originally the 301st Rescue Squadron, was activated in 1956 at Miami International Airport and relocated to Patrick years later. In 1961, the unit provided rescue-contingency operations for the first Mercury launch, beginning its longstanding relationship with NASA.

Since then, Air Force Reserve and active-duty rescue units have successfully provided 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. The 920th RQW uses HC-130 King refueling aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters to transport their highly-trained and effective rescue teams, often 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.

NASA astronaut Richard R. Arnold II said he trained on a Mode VIII exercise with 920th RQW personnel approximately five years ago for search, rescue and recovery training.

"I was one of the dummies they dropped off in the ocean and pretended I was incapacitated," Arnold said. "They took good care of us. It's an amazing operation."

Arnold, who flew on the STS-119 Discovery launch in March 2009, said he is thankful for the support the 920th RWQ has given him and his fellow astronauts over the years.

"It's one of those things where you hope you never ever see those guys, but you're really glad they're there," Arnold said of the Guardian Angels. "It's kind of a nice security blanket knowing they are there taking care of us."

With the shuttle program coming to an end, Arnold said he is proud to have been part of such an amazing program. While many people focus on the astronauts, he said the program's end signifies so much more.

"It's an unusual day," Arnold said. "But to me, it's kind of a celebration of all the folks around the country who've made it all possible, including the 920th Rescue Wing. I don't think most people understand how much coordination and how many people are involved around the county to make this whole thing work, and how we get each shuttle to fly safely. Today is all about them."

Ament also voiced his feelings over the last shuttle launch and what it means for the wing.

"It's a bittersweet day; we had a wonderful launch, but we also had the last launch of the space shuttle program," said Ament, who has been on approximately six NASA search-and-rescue training missions and fifteen range-clearing missions. "Our training that we've done, our equipment we provided for the space shuttle, the specific equipment that we built ourselves, that we developed within the 920th, that we used to rescue astronauts, is significant, and it was a huge contribution to the overall space effort. But, with that going away, much of what we developed will in fact go away as well because we have no follow-on program identified."

So what's next for NASA and the 920th RQW?

"We still have the rocket range clearing mission, so we'll still keep that at least for the near-term," Ament said. "But that is a much simpler mission in the fact that there is no rescue. If there is a situation where rocket does explode, we don't have a recovery portion of that mission."

After 30 years of supporting shuttle launches, the 920th RQW will continue to focus more on its primary mission.

"Our number one priority has to be to maintain mission-ready status for all personnel recovery forces," Ament said.

With their highly trained rescue personnel, the 920th RQW stands ready to support the next era of manned spaceflight, willing to meet the needs of NASA's unique, evolving missions.