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Poge 6THE STARS AND STRIPESMonday, March 10,Rescue Units Monitor Flight PathClobal Net to Aid Splashdown of Apollo 9 ________ »..... „,»vtA„ entry RCC at Norfolk. Vo., and Pacific RCC ■«'KAM.STEIN, Germany (Special) — Wilt'll Apollo 8 blasted off from Cape Kennedy 'Will* astronauts James Mc-Divitl David Scott and Russell sdiwekkavl, an aerial net was spread beneath its flight path.A major component of this global net is the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovering Wing, headquartered h e r e. whose rescue crews, support personnel and JIG 1301! Hercules aircraft provide coniJfigewr* recovery supporl for Apollo 9,The contingency landing area extends along the orbital ground track outside the launch site and secondary programed landing areas.Recovery forces p r o v 1 d c re-entry tracking, rapid location, positive flotation and retrieval of the command module, and recovery of the astronauts. Throughout the 10-day Apollo 9 mission the Ramsteln Recovery Control Center (RCC), commanded by Col. Saleem As-wad, who also commands the 40th Wing, operates around the clock, monitoring the flight and directing aerospace rescue and recovery activities.in following the progress of the Apollo 3 the center monitors voie# transmissions from the spacecraft snd has extensive direct line and radio communications channels wifh the Mission Control Center in Houston, the West AtlanticRCC af Norfolk, in Hawaii. „ ,The Hamsleln BCC controllers relay ah progress reports to Uieir four Suo-RCC at forward staging areas.Sub-RCCs at Mauritius Island In the Indian Ocean; Ascension Island in the South Atlantic; Moron Air Bose. Spam; and l.ajes Field, Azores, each perform communications services aid have strip alert rescue aircraft with three-man pararescue teams available to respond immediately to a contingency recovery operation in their area of responsibility.Using a boilerplate “spacecraft ’ in the open seas, crews test themselves under ibottt day and night conditions. The“spacecraft te starched for and Iocm* Pararescuemen (PJ») lump, Hti.t* . flotation collar IO the apacmun, J cover and do it again.Any PJ ads* has wrestled a bobt*,, 17,000 pound Apollo spnceerult in tam mm can (eatify In Uto cbaUmtgu it seats.Though th. Apollo l'i primary Jandj,, area is about 185 mile* south of B«. rauda. *h«Jid it be decided to land tL ' - “ - -mf.ispacecraft In the Ramstein RtVg oi contingency recovery respmisibigtj will be op to men of the 40th areA » track and iacate it, and the wing’s PJi to parachute to Si performing th((, recovery mission,Rescuemun S. Sgt H. Combs carries 179 pounds ti equipment.
Newspaper Details
European Stars and Stripes
Darmstadt, Hesse, DE
Mon, Mar 10, 1969
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Marc H.
VA, USA 06 Oct 2024
Other Publications Near Darmstadt, Hesse
Allgemeine Kirchen Zeitung
European Stars and Stripes
