Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review 8-7-15
P. 6
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CZ3FCFDDB"NCFS wing. This year’s barbecue was their
Special to Aerotech News
third and each one has been an encour-
PALMDALE, Calif.—As the rain
poured down July 30 at Hacienda Lane agement to the family.
Ranch in Palmdale, members of the
$QWHORSH9DOOH\DQG(GZDUGV$LU)RUFH “It’s awesome to see the patriotic
Base communities gathered under aw- IRONVWKDWZHKDYHLQ6RXWKHUQ&DOLIRU-
nings and fellowship.
nia; to know that this is really a team
Just 30 minutes later the skies
cleared, they dried all the tables and sport,” said Schaefer. “They under-
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Military Support Group Barbecue. our military members and their family
³7KHEDUEHFXHLVMXVWRQHPRUHVRFLDO members make day to day and this is
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a great connection point for them and
“It’s awesome to see
the military.”
the patriotic folks that &LY0LOLVUXQE\GLUHFWRUVWKDW
we have in Southern PHHWRQWKHVHFRQG7KXUVGD\RIHYHU\
month. They ask base leadership about
the wants and needs of the Airmen and
then do their best to raise funds and
meet those needs.
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port to Higher Grounds, Airman’s Attic,
Hearts Apart and the Chiefs Group, to
name a few. When possible, they also
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California; them what the Antelope Valley has to
to know that this is
really a team sport.” offer.
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maintain the Flag Park on Rosamond
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wards AFB in some way; in the interim, VRWKH\QHHGWREHUHSODFHGHYHU\IHZ 7KHWK$QQXDO(GZDUGV$LU)RUFH%DVH&LYLOLDQ0LOLWDU\6XSSRUW*URXS%DUEHFXHZDVKHOG-XO\DW+DFLHQGD/DQH
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do some social things,” said John Fer- 6XSSRUW*URXSH[LVWVWRFUHDWHDIULHQGO\DVVRFLDWLRQEHWZHHQFLYLFOHDGHUVDQGPLOLWDU\SHUVRQQHODW(GZDUGV$)%&LY
JLRQH(GZDUGV$)%&LY0LOSUHVLGHQW enough money to purchase the next 0LODFWVDVDKRVWJURXSZKHQQHHGHGDQG¿QGVDQQXDOVHUYLFHSURMHFWVWRLPSURYHWKHJHQHUDOTXDOLW\RIOLIHRQEDVH
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While there is some modest fundrais- DVDJXHVWRIWKHH[HFXWLYHERDUG$ Force Test Center commander retired lished in 1989 in response to the Base
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ing at the barbecue, the main purpose is Realignment Closure Commission’s
IRUWKH&LY0LOPHPEHUVDQGOHDGHUV was that age, we needed the help and ery year as a thank you for hosting the ³(GZDUGV$LU)RUFH%DVHHQMR\VLQ GHWHUPLQDWLRQWRFORVHEDVHVDOORYHU
DQGWKHQHZFRPPDQGHUVDW(GZDUGV MXVWEHLQJUHFRJQL]HGLVVRPHWLPHVDOO WKHFRXQWU\DQGZRUOG7RGD\WKH(G-
LWWDNHV´VDLG)HUJLRQHD1DY\YHWHUDQ barbecue at her ranch for the last 26 my humble opinion, the best relation- ZDUGV$)%&LYLOLDQ0LOLWDU\6XSSRUW
to get to know each other. ZKRÀHZ$(VRIIWKH866Forrestal. VKLSZLWKWKHFRPPXQLW\WKDW,¶YHHYHU
0DM*HQ'DYLG+DUULV$LU)RUFH years. Group exists to create a friendly asso-
³2XUUHODWLRQVKLSZLWK(GZDUGVLVDV seen at any base,” said Schaefer. FLDWLRQEHWZHHQFLYLFOHDGHUVDQGPLOL-
Test Center commander, and his wife JRRGDVLW¶VHYHUEHHQDQGZHZRUNDW Attendees also included U.S. Con- (GZDUGV&LY0LOZDVILUVWHVWDE- WDU\SHUVRQQHODW(GZDUGV&LY0LODFWV
NHHSLQJLWJRRG&LY0LOLVPHP- JUHVVPDQ6WHYH.QLJKWDQGIRUPHU$LU DVDKRVWJURXSZKHQQHHGHGDQG¿QGV
Valene, were in attendance along with EHUVVWURQJULJKWQRZDQGZH¶YHJRW DQQXDOVHUYLFHSURMHFWVWRLPSURYHWKH
“Our relationship with Edwards is as good as it’s
Brig. Gen. Carl Schaefer, 412th Test more applications that we hope to ap- general quality of life on base.
SURYHQH[WPRQWK´ ever been and we work at keeping it good.”
Wing commander, and his wife Pauline.
$WWKHHQGRIWKHQLJKW&LY0LOLQ-
The Schaefers were stationed at YLWHG)UDQFLV/DQHWRGLQHDWWKH2G\V-
(GZDUGVVHYHUDOWLPHVEHIRUHUHWXUQ-
sey Restaurant in North Los Angeles
ing as the command team of the test
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NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center JLQHHUDQGDQDYLJDWRUDQGW\SLFDOO\ÀLHVPLVVLRQV ries instruments that measure trace gases, carbon DYLRQLFVWHFKQLFLDQVVKRSVDQGIDEULFDWLRQ%HUU\
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NASA’s DC-8 Flying Laboratory recently of about six to eight hours. Some missions that GLR[LGHFDUERQPRQR[LGHPHWKDQHZDWHUYDSRU
UHDFKHGLWVWKLUGGHFDGHRIGHOLYHULQJJURXQG- UHTXLUHORQJHUÀLJKWVWRUHDFKWKHREMHFWRILQWHU- and ozone. ground crews.
breaking science. $GLYHUVHJURXSRIVHQVRUVÀ\RQWKHDLUFUDIWDQG
est can stretch to 12 hours, he explained. Some examples include the tracking and ob-
$VDZD\WRFHOHEUDWHWKHSURMHFW¶VPLOHVWRQH it is his responsibility to ensure the instrumentation
and update the community about the aircraft, Matt Missions tend to be at lower altitudes — some- VHUYDWLRQRIWKHUHHQWU\RIWKH(XURSHDQ6SDFH
Berry, DC-8 lead operations engineer, explained racks are strong enough to hold the new tools. Lasers
WKHSURMHFW¶VFDSDELOLWLHVDQGPLVVLRQVWRDWWHQGHHV times as low as 500 feet — to collect information Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-1)
of a special presentation. RQDWPRVSKHULFSDUWLFOHV%HUU\VDLG+RZHYHU Space Vehicle in 2009 and hurricane studies require extra care to protect the people working with
Berry spoke at Thursday Night on the Square, WKHDLUFUDIWLVFDSDEOHRIÀ\LQJDWDOWLWXGHVRIXS VXFKDV+XUULFDQH(DUOLQ6HSWHPEHU2WKHU them. He also checks with the DC-8 ground crew
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presentation was at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Re- to 41,000 feet for missions such as calibrating VFLHQFHPLVVLRQVKDYHIRFXVHGRQDWPRVSKHULF LVLQRUGHUDQGHVVHQWLDOO\³RQÀLJKWGD\PDNHVXUH
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LQWKH$HURVSDFH(GXFDWLRQ5HVHDUFKDQG2SHUD- NASA satellites. chemistry, ozone studies and weather tracking
WLRQV$(52,QVWLWXWH “It’s also like a testbed for new equipment,” he
A mission can include as many as 42 experi- OLNHWKHUHFHQW3ODLQV(OHYDWHG&RQYHFWLRQDW
7KHDLUFUDIWQRZXVHGDVDYHUVDWLOHDLUERUQH added. “The science teams bring a lot of different
laboratory for science, began as an Alitalia Air- menters on board at one time to use some of the 1LJKW3(&$1PLVVLRQ7KDWPLVVLRQLQFOXGHG H[SHULPHQWV(DFKFDPSDLJQKDVLWVRZQXQLTXH
lines DC-8-62 series manufactured in 1969, Berry
explained. In 1986, NASA’s Ames Research Cen- NH\PRGL¿FDWLRQVWRWKHDLUFUDIWWKDWSURYLGHD the study of thunderstorms where, “storms were item that it is searching.”
ter at Moffett Field, Calif., purchased the aircraft 7KHÀ\LQJODERUDWRU\WUDYHOVWRGHVWLQDWLRQVDOO
IRUWKH$LUERUQH6FLHQFHSURJUDPDQGFRQYHUWHG multitude of science experimentation possibilities. DOORYHUWKHSODFHDQGZHKDGWRDGMXVWLQÀLJKWWR
it for research into the DC-8-72 series. On Jan. '&PLVVLRQVVXSSRUWWKH(DUWKVFLHQFHFRP- track the storm,” Berry said. RYHUWKHJOREHDQGDJUDSKLFPDSGLVSOD\VGR]HQV
1, 1998, the DC-8 was transferred to the Dryden
Flight Research Center (now Armstrong). From PXQLW\ LQFOXGLQJ DFDGHPLD JRYHUQPHQW DQG :KHQHYHU\WKLQJJRHVDFFRUGLQJWRWKHSODQ of dots to represent areas the DC-8 has completed
WR WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 1RUWK 'DNRWD
PDQDJHGWKHSURMHFWDQGWKH'&UHWXUQHGWR LQWHUQDWLRQDOLQYHVWLJDWRUVIRUPLVVLRQVVXFKDV LWLVVPRRWK+RZHYHUOLNHRQWKH3(&$1PLV- missions. Some of those locations included the
Armstrong in 2008. VHQVRUGHYHORSPHQWVDWHOOLWHVHQVRUYHUL¿FDWLRQ VLRQWKHUHDUHPDQ\LQÀLJKWDGMXVWPHQWVDQGFR-
North and South poles, Kansas, Spain, Alaska,
6 and geophysical research using in-situ instru- RUGLQDWLRQZLWKDLUWUDI¿FFRQWUROOHUVWRFRPSOHWH 6LQJDSRUH(DVWHU,VODQG*UHHQODQG&RVWD5LFD
ments and remote sensing instruments. Research what looked like a squiggly line on a graphic map Australia, Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Ta-
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topics include atmospheric chemistry, biofuels, %HUU\VKRZHGUHSUHVHQWLQJWKHÀLJKW
Chile.
meteorology, hydrology, climatology, geology, Missions are usually four to six weeks in length ³,WUXO\ORYHP\MRE7KHUHLVQHYHUDGXOOPR-
YROFDQRORJ\HFRORJ\DUFKDHRORJLFDOVXUYH\V DQGWDNHXSWRWZRZHHNVWRUHFRQ¿JXUHWKHDLU- ment. It’s always going to be something different
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social science and biology. craft to conduct the science. Three to four mis-
August 7, 2015
,QVWUXPHQWYHUVDWLOLW\DQGYDULHW\LQFOXGHV sions a year are routine for the aircraft, Berry said.
lasers and lidars (which essentially are remote %HUU\DOVRGLVFXVVHGWKHFRPSOH[LW\RIKLVMRE
sensors that illuminate a target with a laser to de- +HFRRUGLQDWHVWKHYDULRXVDVSHFWVRIWKHPLVVLRQ
termine distance) that measure chemicals in the and communication with the science teams, all
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