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Pago 8THE STARS AND STRIPESffldoy, July 18, |lt;Ramstein Linked to HoustonMAKING1BAMSTEIN, Germany (Spe-clal) — “DOD Houstonl This is Ramstein Leader. We have activated ail down-rangc units and as of 1530 Zulu units are ready to support Apollo 11.”Such were tho words of Col. Saleem Aswad as ho activated the Ramstein Recovery Control Center (RCC) several days before the Apollo 11 launch.He was reporting to Mission Control Center that tho four 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing sub-RCCs were also ready to perform their job during the Apollo 11 mission.Back-up Force The Ramstein RCC, an integral part of the 40th, has been given tho responsibility of planning, preparing for, and executing plans for recovery of the command module should a decision be made to land in the secondary or contingency recovery areas of the East Atlantic or the Indian Ocean.The commander of the 40th wears a second hat during the space mission—-that of commander of the Ramstein RCC and all down-range contingency forces.Rescue recovery forces are from units of the 40th— either from the 67th ARR Sq, Moron, Spain, or the 57th ARR Sq, Lajes Field, Azores. The squadrons are augmented by personnel from the 40th Ramstein headquarters. Other forces involved include an Eastern Test Range ARIA (Apollo Range Instrumentation Aircraft) and crew at Mauritius and two U.S. STRIKE Command C130s, also at Mauritius.One of these is providing logistical support, tho other communications facilities in the area.A Team Effort Constantly reliable communications are, of course, necessary for the worldwide Apollo net of tracking stations, aircraft and ships to function smoothly, The Ramstein portion of the net involves more than a dozen different commands and units.The chief communication-elec-tronics coordinator at the 40th for Apollo mission is CM. Sgt. Frederick J. Alder. “The RCC network requires the talent of the Array, Navy and Air Force,” he said.Alder added, “The 2135th Cora Sq men at Ramstein—augmented by members of the 2nd Mobile Com Group—can easily be called 'old hands’ at their business.” Space Race Technology moves at a rapid pace in the area of space exploration and all those involved with America’s space effort must make a concerted effort to keep abreast of developments.Aircrews of the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service have witnessed a considerable change in their equipment and techniques since NASA’s early Discoverer and Mercury Programs.Experience, training and greatly improved equipment have made their job both more responsive and efficient. Instead of HC54 Rescuemasters, rescuemen have HC130H Hercules for recovery purposes.The 40th’s two squadrons are both equipped with the Hercules. The 57th. has one HC130H at Lajes Field committed to Apollo 11 support as well as two others deployed to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. The 67th has also deployed two Hercules — one to Mauritius and one on alert at Moron AB.Reducing Drift Each Hercules has an Air-Delivered Drift Reduction System which serves to reduce command module drift. It consists of two packages connected by 600 beet of buoyant line.One package is the flotation collar, the other contains survival equipment. Once the system is dropped across the drift line of a command module, the connecting lines catch and the parachutes act as a sea anchor, slowing the drift rate.Should pararescuemen aboard an Apollo-configured Hercules jump to the surface below, communications between them and the circling aircraft will be assured by their Apollo swimmer radio, a compact two-channel transceiver.lifePRACTICING FOR PERFECTION — Pararescuemen of the 40th ARR Wing practice attaching a flotation collar to a boilerplate madeof a Apollo capsule. During manned flights rescue crews and Aircraft are pr tioned to provide recovery, if needed. —AF
Newspaper Details
European Stars and Stripes
Darmstadt, Hesse, DE
Fri, Jul 18, 1969
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Marc H.
VA, USA 06 Oct 2024
Other Publications Near Darmstadt, Hesse
Allgemeine Kirchen Zeitung
European Stars and Stripes
