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Brig. Gen. Edward Bolton explains the cooperative relationship between the Air Force and NASA. General Bolton is the commander of the 45th Space Wing. Tech. Sgt. Bobby Chrum, left, oversees preparation of a Global Positioning System satellite. Sergeant Chrum works with NASA contractors to make certain a satellite is fully operational prior to launch. Mission Assurance Technicians, Tech. Sgt. Marshall McBride, left, Tech. Sgt. Tony Lamb, center, and Staff Sgt. Clement Blackmon conduct a walk-around operations check of a Delta IV rocket being prepared for flight. Also working with NASA are officials from the Det. 3, 45th Operations Group at Patrick AFB, the only full-time office coordi- nating Defense Department support for human space flight pro- grams. The staff supports NASA’s Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, Russian Soyuz missions and the upcoming Constellation Program missions. Prior to each Space Shuttle mission, Det. 3 members coordinate the launch with personnel in the U.S. Strategic Command Joint Functional Component Command for Space, which includes Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard assets at Kennedy Space Center. Members of Det. 3 also are staged during launches at trans-Atlantic Ocean landing sites in Spain and France to coordi- nate DOD forces’ efforts. Whenever a Space Shuttle is in the air, the unit operates the DOD Support Operations Center at Patrick AFB that serves as the focal point for coordinating the DOD response for a Space Shuttle emergency. Leading the Air Force support for the Space Shuttle program is Mr. Mike Gawel, the Space Shuttle program support manager for the 45th SW. In this position for 10 years, he is the central contact for the Air Force and has supported 30 shuttle missions, including the latest Space Shuttle Discovery mission that lifted off March 15 at Kennedy Space Center and returned to Florida March 28. “We work with NASA to refine all their requirements and meet every- thing they need for a successful Space Shuttle mission,” he said. With the Space Shuttle scheduled to retire in 2010, Gawel next will become the Constellation program support manager as NASA transitions from human space flight in shuttles to the Ares rockets with the Orion crew vehicle scheduled to take humans to the moon and later to Mars. “We are currently working with NASA to build all the require- ments to safely launch the Ares 1-X this summer,” said Gawel. “We pay attention to all details for all missions because one wrong thing can be catastrophic.” www.AirmAnonline.af.mil 32