Boosting the shuttle: as the space shuttle prepares to launch, airmen stand ready for rescues should disaster strike.

Even though he's constantly training to do his job, Master Sgt. Doug Huttenlocker dreads the day he'll have to use his skills.

That's because as a space shuttle rescue manager, it's his job to coordinate rescue efforts if the shuttle has a problem during launch. Huttlenlocker's tasked to enter a "hot zone," extract crew members and get them to a decontamination area.

"It's challenging to keep up the high intensity with something that has never happened and may never happen," he said.

He's one of two firefighters assigned to the Department of Defense manned space flight support office. For about half the year, Huttenlocker travels to geographically separated sites across the globe to prepare folks at the sites for the possibility of a shuttle landing in their backyards. They formulate and train each base -- more than 2,000 DOD people worldwide -- in shuttle landing procedures all the way down to a basic rescue.

"We train everybody from the on-scene commander to the hands-on rescueman," he said.

Huttenlocker knows the ascent is the most critical phase of a shuttle mission because everything is working together, which means that's when there's the greatest chance something could go wrong. He said the highest probability of something going wrong is if the shuttle loses an engine during launch. If the boosters -- which burn for roughly two and a half minutes -- don't get the vessel to 17,500 mph before falling off, the shuttle can't get into space. If that happens, the shuttle has to "abort once around" and return to one of the designated locations. Statistically, one in 100 launches might result in a transoceanic abort landing.

Even one is too many. So twice a year -- in March and October -- the firefighters conduct hands-on rescue training on mock-ups of the shuttle and the orbiter. From a launch abort site landing to a full-up bailout exercise where people are literally dumped into the ocean in astronaut suits, all players are involved. It's as close to a real emergency as you can get.

"Seven astronauts are sitting on 2.2 million pounds of high explosives, 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, and they're going from zero to 17,500 mph in eight minutes," Huttenlocker said. "Every one of them has seen the Challenger blow up. That's a lot to put on the line for your country and our world, so it's a small task for me to prepare people to rescue them, if it's ever needed."

Luckily, he's never had to use his skills.

As a space shuttle contingency officer, Lt. Col. Frank Rand, said the highlight of his job is watching a successful launch. As an eight-year-old, he sat on the family living room floor watching Neil Armstrong's moon landing on television. So when he arrived last year for his current assignment, he had reason to look forward to his new job -- a big change from flying C-9s and C-130s.

Space lift

Although the manned space flight support team "belongs" to the Air Force administratively, the team's mission is supporting NASA. Nine civilians, six reservists and 22 active duty members -- including firefighters, aviators and medical and administrative people, some wearing astronaut-blue jumpsuits -- are assigned to Patrick Air Force Base on Florida's Atlantic coast to rescue astronauts, if the need arises.

In 1959, a year after NASA was established, the office was formed as a conduit between NASA and the DOD to support the manned space flight effort -- getting astronauts into and back from space. Since those early years, the mission has expanded to include the rescue and recovery of astronauts and payloads, providing landing site support, medical support, public affairs, contingency communication, airlift, sealift, salvage and orbiter ferry flights. From Project Mercury to present-day shuttles, the office has been the silent shuttle enabler.

But it takes more to perform the mission on launch day, with NASA leading the way. While C-12 or C-21 aircraft perform on-scene weather reconnaissance, tankers, H-60 helicopters, Navy E-2 Hawkeye aircraft, ambulances and fire trucks are deployed and stocked with flight doctors, pararescuemen, air traffic controllers and firefighters. Even a Navy fast sealift ship in the area is dispatched to the Atlantic range as a floating command post, if needed.

The two primary shuttle landing sites are the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. There are four additional sites available in Spain and Africa if there's a transoceanic abort landing: Moron and Zaragoza Air Bases, Spain, Ben Guerir in Morocco and Gambia's Yundum International Airport in Banjul. Three of the sites activate with each shuttle launch, and the support forces at these sites support DOD and NASA members. The other 25 emergency landing sites are called on as needed and rely on the site visits from Huttenlocker and his training teams.

"It's literally rocket science -- and orbital mechanics," Huttenlocker said.

Countdown begins

The process starts long before the countdown. Approximately 45 days before launch, the operations order, outlining the details of the plan, is created and sent out. Thirty days prior, country clearances are begun for the overseas teams. Within one month of launch, status briefings prepare all members for what's ahead. The commander approves the plan and assigns participants around the 15- to 20-day point.

One week prior to launch, approximately 30 Air Force members deploy to the transoceanic abort landing sites around the world. At many overseas locations, DOD forces integrate with NASA security to protect the sites. Two days before launch, teams arrive at sites to ensure everyone's ready.

Twenty-four hours prior to launch, in a building several miles away from the launch pad, the support operations center stands up, and eight consoles are constantly monitored. Contingency response forces, frequencies and communications are managed and coordinated.

"The coordination is extensive -- all services, all the sites around the world -- there's so much involved," said Chris Malbon, the program commander's deputy. "If we didn't do it, the shuttle [launch] wouldn't happen."

Aftershock 

Once the orbiter returns to Earth, it's a hazardous environment. That's when the airmen firefighters test their mettle.

"We're the [contingency] landing experts for the entire shuttle program," Huttenlocker said.

Considering the conditions and manpower, that's a tall order for two airmen.

"When you get hold of a 200-pound astronaut who's wearing a 100-pound space suit in 105 degree weather, and you're trying to get him out safely, it's tough," Malbon said.

That's not the only issue the support agency faces. Malbon said the greatest challenge is understanding the space program.

The requirements of qualifying people are complicated. Just the acronym dictionary for NASA is more than an inch thick. And since NASA is always improving the process, keeping up with updates and changes can be difficult.

Despite the challenges, Huttenlocker thinks it's worth the work.

"The space program is probably the coolest thing we do as a human race. It transcends everything that happens on the ground and goes beyond the horrors of the world," he said. "When you're up in space, there are no borders -- you just see a beautiful Earth."

This keeps the mission in perspective despite the fact they're training for something they all hope never happens.

"You can say that what we do is just a large insurance policy," Huttenlocker said. "But the one time it's needed and lives are saved, that's what it all boils down to."

RELATED ARTICLE: Sergeants trade stripes for bars

Two members of the 920th Rescue Group made history recently when they earned gold bars and became Air Force Reserve Command's first combat rescue officers.

Chief Master Sgt. Gregory Lowdermilk and Senior Master Sgt. Raymond "Rusty" Bradshaw, who had been selected for promotion to chief, wanted to become commissioned officers. But their career field -- combat rescue -- was closed to officers.

However, a change in Air Force policy gave them a shot at gold bars.

In February, at an Academy of Military Sciences ceremony at McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn., the two were commissioned after completing the academy's officer training program.

"Over the past 10 years, the Air Force began to recognize pararescuemen as a separate weapon system," Lowdermilk said. "And just like any other weapon system, they saw the need for specially trained officers to lead it."

While Lowdermilk and Bradshaw were happy that the Air Force opened their career field to officers, they had mixed emotions concerning their change in rank. After all, they went from the top enlisted ranks to the lowest echelon of the officer corps.

"I've always wanted to be an officer, but I didn't want to leave pararescue," Lowdermilk said. "Now I don't have to. I'll spend less time in the field and more at a desk working to fix problems. But it'll give me a chance to make. pararescue even better."

Initially, once the new squadron is activated, Lowdermilk, who is serving in a full-time Reserve position, will be its acting commander. Before being commissioned, he was a traditional reservist. In his civilian job, he worked as a medical program analyst for the Department of Defense manned space flight office traveling around the world supporting space shuttle flights.

"I didn't have a problem leaving my civilian job because 1 qualified for a civil service retirement," he said. "Besides, this is what I want. I wanted to be a pararescueman full time."

For Bradshaw, who was scheduled to sew on chief master sergeant stripes April 1, the decision to accept a commission wasn't quite so easy.

"It was a tough decision," Bradshaw said. "Making chief is huge. I considered waiting on the commission so I could get both, but the opportunity to get in on the ground floor as one of the first Reserve pararescue officers was just too good."

Bradshaw will serve as the director of operations for the new squadron. Although he will still be a traditional reservist, he has been activated for a one-year active duty tour. As a civilian, he works as a firefighter at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla.

Other members of their team said they look forward to having Lowdermilk and Bradshaw at the helm of the new squadron.

"As officers, they'll be able to focus more on the management side and act as liaisons between the pararescue team and our customers," said Tech. Sgt. Justin Ivie, a pararescueman in the 920th. "Giving up their high enlisted rank shows character. It shows they're very focused on enhancing the career field. They began making good changes their first week back."

Lowdermilk said although he sees changes coming in the future, the primary aspect of search and rescue -- saving lives -- will remain unchanged.

"Pararescue is the best job in the world," he said. "What could be better than to go out and save someone's life? At the end of my own life, I'll know I've accomplished something good."

-- Tech. Sgt. David Byron

920th Rescue Group