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Team effort key in successful Endeavour landing

  • Published
  • By Airman First Class Natasha Dowridge
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Rescue Wing Airmen from the Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing here, put the finishing touches on a successful launch of space shuttle Endeavour as they ventured into the dark during the early morning hours of June 1 to serve as guardians of the astronauts upon its final return from space.

Accumulating more than 6.5 million miles in 16 days, the crew of six astronauts signaled they were nearby when two sonic booms reverberated throughout the Space Coast just prior to them landing safely at nearby Kennedy Space Center at 2:34 a.m. EDT.

"We are very proud of Endeavour's legacy, and this penultimate flight of the space shuttle program once again demonstrated the amazing skill and dedication of our astronauts and the entire workforce," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

The Guardian Angel Airmen kept a watchful eye during the entire descent.

"They are extensively and specially trained for major contingencies to make a rescue during any potential accident - launch through landing," said Lt. Col Kurt Matthews on the Rescue Wing Airmen. "This maximizes the chance of saving the astronauts."

Specialized training for NASA'S shuttle program is unique to the 920th RQW and includes: dealing with the psychological and physical changes in the astronauts; specialized medical equipment; the uniqueness of the orbiter upon its re-entry to Earth and dealing with the gasses and pressure that may be present.

Coinciding with the specialized training for the shuttle program, Rescue Reservists train extensively for combat and contingencies to rescue survivors of major events, but even with the most extensive training, and the fastest mode of transportation, the nature of the job presents major challenges.

Challenges that these Rescue Airmen are always prepared to face.

With deployment and launch preparations taking place simultaneously, Team Rescue trains constantly to respond instantly and efficiently to manned spaceflight efforts and are prepared to proved the best care in the world to the astronauts in case of a shuttle emergency - but hope they never have to put that training to use.

Similar to launch preparations, these GA are positioned close enough to save the astronauts' lives if they encountered trouble while the astronauts land the orbiter.

In addition to the Rescue Airmen, "we have three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters (Jollys) on scene for every landing," said Lt. Col. Robert Haston, Pave Hawk helicopter pilot and wing chief of safety.

Prior to the launch, two of the helos are used to clear the launch danger zone of boaters and ships, said Colonel Haston.

On each Jolly is the standard crew of four - the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and aerial gunner - with the addition of two GAs and one flight doctor equipped to take care of two critically injured astronauts and get them to the nearest hospital, Colonel Haston explains.

Also on the scene are threeHC-130P/N King refueling aircraft.

Like the Jollys, there is one designated HC-130 pilot who acts as the "air boss" managing the King assets from the air during the launch. The aircraft crew compliment: a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer and two loadmasters, are the standard, however, for shuttle launches, there are six GAs on board. They are suited up with parachutes and mobile medical equipment to get to an astronaut in the water if that's where they ended up.

The King is also equipped with a Rigging Alternate Method Zodiac or RAMZ inflatable, motorized boat, which is packaged on the aircraft, and deployed during a response to speed transport of the GAs to the survivor in the water. It can also serve as a staging spot to perform medical treatment if necessary, prior to a litter hoist aboard the Jollys for further transport to a medical facility.

During shuttle lift off, the Kings scan 100 miles off shore and would initiate a search and rescue first for an emergency - PJs would parachute out of backend, then the life raft would follow," explained Lt. Col. Michael Ammirati, HC-130P/N King pilot and the King assistant operations officer.

The other two Kings are there to provide mid-air refueling during pre- launch operations to the helicopters ensuring they have full tanks of gas if a search and rescue was called for.

The Jolly crews clear a one-million-square-mile area over the Atlantic Ocean east of Kennedy Space Center.

Team Rescue maintenance Airmen set the bar high keeping the aircraft rescue ready: HC-130 King refueling aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters are used to transport the Guardian Angel Weapons System (GAWS) - a team of the world's most elite personal recovery specialists in the world. The GA Airmen are among the most highly trained emergency trauma specialists, expert parachutists, mountaineers, combat divers and swimmers.

Training and preparation is a team effort in the success of Endeavour's launch.

STS-134 was the 134th shuttle flight and the 36th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. It was also the last mission for the youngest of NASA'S space shuttle fleet.

With their unique combat search-and-rescue skill set and rescue assets, the Rescue Airmen of the 920th will continue to provide rescue support as the launch of shuttle Atlantis is being prepared for its STS-135 mission, slated for July 8.

For more information on the 920th RQW, please visit the web site and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.