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“SPACE SHUTTLE LANDING APPROACH—A Space Shuttle Orbiter approaches a landing field following a flight in space. The Orbiter will be able to land on a conventional runway similar to that used by present-day jet aircraft. The development and integration of the Space Shuttle system is the responsibility of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Rockwell International Space Division, Downey, California, is building the Orbiter under contract to NASA.”
The above is per the caption associated with the 1974/75 predecessor lithograph of this image. Although I fully understand the required vagueness/generality of a lithograph description, I unfortunately also wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘composer’ of the above had absolutely no idea that...
the orbiter is approaching Vandenberg Air Field, Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). Further, Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6), approved as the DoD Space Shuttle launch complex in 1975, is depicted immediately ‘behind’ (obscured actually) by the orbiter’s main engines.
No signature. However, based on the identical appearance of the background of an earlier variant (NASA-S-74-5334), I’m sure this is by Manuel E. Alvarez.
An excellent depiction of an orbiter on its Launch Mount at Space Launch Complex (SLC-6)/Vandenberg Launch Site (VLS), Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). The ca. 1981 work is by Rockwell International artist M. Alvarez.
The signature of Mr. Alvarez is in cursive, possibly indicative of the time period (early 80’s?)…or merely on a whim.
A scene not to be. Not for real, that is.
As you might expect, photographs & articles - although few artist’s concepts - abound regarding this future never realized.
Interestingly/oddly, probably the most conspicuous structure, featuring the gigantic block "USAF" lettering vertically down its side, is missing from the depiction. That being the Shuttle Assembly Building.
“Space Shuttle Discovery, atop Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 905, flies over Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 6 during November 1984. Discovery is at Vandenberg for testing of the Mate-Demate Device, which allows a shuttle to be affixed to, or removed from, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.”
Above & image at:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Shuttle_Discovery_a...
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Possibly the closest a flight-capable orbiter ever came to SLC-6.
THE ABOVE CITES THE WRONG YEAR. THIS IS FROM NOVEMBER 1983. CARELESS FAT-FINGER MISTAKE, WITH OF COURSE, PER USUAL, NO QC TO CATCH IT. UGH.
Sentinel SLC6/30 with Associated Coach Builders "Coronation Landcruiser" bodywork (Photo From My Collection)
A unicorn, not only being the emblem for an obscure (at least to me) program, but also in that it doesn’t quite match up with the other ‘more prevalent’ version of it. Maybe it’s an “oops” printing, since “Manned Spaceflight Program” (MSP?), which is not an actual/recognized term/acronym ≠ MSE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The design is a variation of the NASA Astronaut pin/device. See forthcoming linked image below.
Lengthy, but interesting:
“Blue Shuttle: The Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program
The Manned Spaceflight Engineer (MSE) Program was an attempt to train American military personnel as payload specialists for Department of Defense (DoD) Space Shuttle missions. Only two of the thirty-two MSE's selected flew in space in the nine years the program was active.
Since its official beginning in 1969, the US Air Force (USAF) and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) participated in the development of the Space Shuttle. The most prominent military influence on the vehicle is the size of the orbiter's payload bay. Still retaining the desire to fly all-military space missions, like with the previous decade's Man In Space, X-20 Dynamic Soarer, and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs, the DoD wanted its own Shuttles flown by its own crews. When this so-called "Blue Shuttle" was not granted, the Air Force settled with their own astronauts hitching rides with NASA missions to handle highly classified payloads, thus beginning the MSE Program.
The DoD required the MSE program to consist of officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each officer would remain at NASA for four to six years during which he or she would fly at least one Space Shuttle mission before returning to their respective branch. The requirements for the first group of candidates were the following:
- Have at least three to ten years of service as an officer on active duty
- Hold rank from First Lieutenant to Major
- Be able to pass the NASA Class III physical exam (required for all NASA payload specialists)
- Hold a Bachelor of Science in engineering, science, or space operations
- Have a minimum of two years of experience in program acquisition or testing and launch support of flight and missile operations
Flight backgrounds were not required but candidates also needed appropriate security clearances to be able to work on specific classified payloads. Originally, twelve Air Force and two Navy officers were chosen but one from each branch declined. The naval officer was not replaced but the Air Force officer was replaced by Gary Payton. The thirteen MSE's were selected in 1979. All officers could anticipate flying at least once and some twice.
- 1st Lt. Frank Casserino, USAF
- 1st Lt. Jeffrey Detroye, USAF
- Capt. Michael Halem, USAF
- Capt. Terry Higbee, USAF
- Capt. Daryl Joseph, USAF
- Capt. Malcolm Lydon, USAF
- Capt. Gary Payton, USAF
- Capt. Jerry Rij, USAF
- Maj. Paul Sefchek, USAF
- Maj. Eric Sundberg, USAF
- Lt. Cmdr. David Vidrine, USN
- Capt. Keith Wright, USAF
- Capt. Brett Watterson, USAF
At the time, NASA had yet to define its own payload specialist training program so the agency was not sure how to train the new MSE's. The Air Force did not want the MSE's to go through standard NASA astronaut training because they were supposed to enter back into the service after their Shuttle flights— most military officers who became NASA astronauts never returned. When the Air Force refused to put its own astronaut candidates through general NASA training, the agency refused to provide any assistance: It was NASA's belief that since it did not select the MSE's, it did not have control over them. This led to persistent tension between NASA and the visiting MSE's. The DoD came up with its own training program, consisting of underwater EVA and manned maneuvering unit simulations at NASA Marshall and Martin Marietta [1], Shuttle mission simulations at Rockwell [2], and T-38 training at Edwards Air Force Base for those with previous flight experience. In late 1981, the first cadre of MSE's completed training.
The second class of MSE's, this time consisting of fourteen Air Force officers, was selected in August 1982 and began training the following May. Selection criteria were the same but did not emphasize science, engineering, and space operations backgrounds. For example, Captains James Armor and Craig Puz were commanders of Minuteman missile crews while Captain Randy Odle was a bio-environmental researcher at RAF Alconbury in the United Kingdom. This cadre included two women, 1st Lieutenant Maureen LaComb and Captain Katherine Roberts, and one African American, Captain Livingston Holder. Captain Charles Jones was killed in the September 11 hijacking in 2001 [3]. Due to the size of the MSE corps, the second class was told only half of them might fly in space.
- Capt. James Armor
- 1st Lt. Michael Booen
- Capt. Livingston Holder
- Capt. Larry James
- Capt. Charles Jones
- 1st Lt. Maureen LaComb
- Capt. Michael Mantz
- Capt. Randy Odle
- Capt. William Pailes
- Capt. Craig Puz
- Capt. Katherine Roberts
- Capt. Jess Sponable
- Capt. W. Davis Thompson
- Capt. Glenn Yeakel
MSE's Sefchek and Watterson worked on the STS-4 payload, the P-80-1 experiment package, while Casserino, Detroye, and Payton were "paycoms" (payload communicators) at the Air Force Satellite Control Facility in Sunnydale, California. In early 1982, seven MSE's were chosen as prime and backup candidates for three Shuttle missions scheduled for 1983 and '84. These flights were delayed due to issues with their payloads [4], which were developed by TRW, Hughes, Martin Marietta, and Lockheed under the direction of the NRO. Setbacks in the program reignited the decades-old debate inside the Air Force on the usefulness and feasibility of manned spaceflight. It also resulted in the DoD developing a new unmanned rocket capable of launching Shuttle payload bay-sized payloads into geosynchronous orbit, an orbit frequently occupied by military satellites. This vehicle became the Titan IV and flew from 1989 to 2005. Vidrine was a candidate for a payload specialist "observer" on STS-41-C (originally STS-13) and participated in flight simulations with commander Bob Crippen. One month before the scheduled April launch the Space Division refused to authorize Vidrine's flight because it had "no value" to the Air Force and he was removed from the crew. In late 1985 three officers from the Air Weather Service were selected for the Weather Officer in Space Experiment flight which never took place [5].
In late 1984, Brett Watterson was assigned as payload specialist to STS-62A, the planned first Shuttle mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Two successful DoD-dedicated Shuttle missions flew Gary Payton and William Pailes of the second class in 1985. This resulted in an additional five DoD missions scheduled for 1986 and '87 along with STS-62A and two launches of the Navstar GPS satellites. A third cadre of five more MSE's rounded out the program's astronaut corps in 1985.
- Capt. Joseph Caretto
- Capt. Robert Crombie
- Capt. Frank DeArmond
- Capt. David Staib
- 1st Lt. Teresa Stevens
After the Challenger disaster in early 1986, however, NASA was more concerned with making it safe to fly again than it was with the MSE's. Administrator James Fletcher expressed the desire to fly five-member crews and potentially eliminate the position of "payload specialist". By the end of 1987, only ten officers remained active. The Manned Spaceflight Engineer program ended in 1988 primarily due to lack of need for crewed DoD missions now that an uncrewed heavy-lift launch vehicle was available [6]. The DoD, yet again, had lost manned space capability.
Black and Blue: The Real DoD Shuttle Missions
Despite the unsuccessfulness of the Manned Spaceflight Engineer program, a total of eleven Shuttle flights flew with classified payloads and required a higher level of secrecy than regular NASA flights. Although the DoD requested the media not disclose flight details to maintain confidentiality, the press nonetheless reported whatever they could using open-source intelligence. An example of this is correlating the direction of the Shuttle after liftoff with orbital inclination— different payloads require different orbits to operate properly. Unlike with other Shuttle missions, NASA began public countdowns for DoD launches only a few minutes before liftoff, did not distribute press kits, and did not broadcast Shuttle-to-ground communications. With two exceptions, only active-duty military NASA astronauts flew these missions [7]. Below are those missions:
- STS-4
- STS-51C
- STS-51J
- STS-27
- STS-28
- STS-33
- STS-36
- STS-38
- STS-39
- STS-44
- STS-53
In 1993, after the final DoD mission flew, all crew members of classified flights were awarded the National Intelligence Achievement Medal. Some details of these missions are still classified three or four decades later.
California Dreamin': Vandenberg and the Space Shuttle
The DoD was also interested in flying polar-orbital Shuttle missions. These flights could not launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida because they would have flown over populated areas along the southeastern United States. Additionally, the external fuel tank would have traveled over not only Canada but Soviet Russia and possibly China. Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6 or "Slick Six") was constructed at Vandenberg Air Force Base (now Space Force Base) in California in the mid-1960s to support Titan III launches for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program. It was refurbished and upgraded in the '80s for the Space Shuttle. The planned inaugural flight was to be STS-62A Discovery launching in the summer of 1986. Its primary objective was to deploy Teal Ruby, an experimental early warning satellite. The mission also would have performed a series of Earth atmospheric observations using telescopes and instruments in the orbiter's payload bay. Payload specialist no. 2 was Brett Watterson, an MSE from the first class of DoD astronauts. Due to the poor relationship between NASA astronauts and MSE's, Under Secretary of the Air Force and NRO Director Pete Aldridge was named payload specialist no. 1. After the mission was cancelled post-Challenger, STS-62A's pilot and two mission specialists (Guy Gardner, Mike Mullane, and Jerry Ross, respectively) flew STS-27 in 1988. Aldridge was promoted to Secretary of the Air Force.
Although STS-62-A was the only mission with a full crew planned before Californian operations ceased, two more missions were in the early planning stages. STS-62B, set to launch in late 1986 [8], would have included Kathrine Roberts as a payload specialist and would have deployed the KH-12 Advanced Kennan reconnaissance satellite. STS-82B would have deployed the Cosmic Background Explorer observatory, which later launched on a Delta rocket in 1989. Aldridge directed the Air Force to transfer all Shuttle assets from Vandenberg to the Kennedy Space Center and the Vandenberg extension of the Shuttle program was terminated on December 26, 1989. SLC-6 and its sister pads on the west coast are still active, though, and the most recent launch from SLC-6 was a Delta IV Heavy on April 26, 2021.
[1] Martin Marietta was responsible for the Manned Maneuvering Unit, a "jetpack" that allowed astronauts to perform untethered EVAs.
[2] Space Shuttle orbiters were assembled at Rockwell's facility in Palmdale, California.
[3] He is memorialized at the North Pool on Panel N-74 at the National 9/11 Memorial
[4] These missions are difficult to describe because they are listed by their original designations, such as STS-16. STS-16 was later designated STS-41-H. However, no mission called STS-41-H ever took place. The original STS-16 may have taken place in 1985 instead, giving it a new designation such as STS-51-[letter].
[5] I was unable to find any further information about the Weather Officer in Space Experiment but what I included in this post came from the reference with the asterisk (*)
[6] Similarly, twenty years earlier a more reliable unmanned reconnaissance satellite caused the cancellation of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program.
[7] The exceptions are former Marine Story Musgrave and former DoD scientist Kathryn Thornton, both of whom flew on STS-33.
[8] Discovery was the only Shuttle planned to launch from SLC-6. However, it was found that turnaround time at Vandenberg was not fast enough to have STS-62B launch in 1986 so it likely would have launched in the first half of 1987.”
The above, slightly paraphrased, at/from:
www.spaceflighthistories.com/post/blue-shuttle
Credit: Aeryn Avilla/”SPACEFLIGHT HISTORIES” website
The above individual I believe gleaned much/most of her content from the following 1989 article written by Michael Cassutt. Click at your own risk, even though it looks (or is made to look?) like it’s no longer maintained, it’s a Godless Russian website nonetheless, so anything nefarious is possible/to be expected:
epizodsspace.narod.ru/bibl/spaceflight/31/mse.html
Multiple other sites are available regarding the MSE Program, although it’s mostly circular reporting.
Another view of the ‘more prevalent’ version of the emblem:
www.spacepatchdatabase.com/patches/space-shuttle/manned-s...
Credit: “Space Patch Database” website
Interesting:
www.losangeles.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Articl...
Credit: LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE website
Who knew???
Did you!?!
I didn't!!!
SHT468 was an unusual Sentinel SLC6/30 with a Plaxton coach body that started life with the Bristol Co-Op, but is seen here in later life with A.M. & S. Coaches at Abberley in September 1969, where it seems to have been relegated to school bus duties.
Space Shuttle Enterprise & full stack during fit checks/tests at Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6), aka 'Slick 6', Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California, ca. 1985, in preparation for future polar orbit capable DoD flights. The Challenger disaster brought all Space Transportation System (STS) efforts at VAFB to a permanent halt.
No shortage of information regarding the planned shuttle operations out of VAFB ; however, the following is particularly well written; succinct & informative:
spaceflightnow.com/2016/02/08/astronaut-interview-30-year...
Credit: Spaceflight Now website
Other interesting reading, some regarding the termination of Dod STS/SLC-6:
www.thespacereview.com/article/2599/2
Credit: The Space Review website
8" x 12". The photo does have a white border along the bottom. Although the scanner bed accommodates the full photo, it apparently doesn’t/can’t scan the bottom 1".
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched at 11:10 a.m. PST, Saturday, 19 Jan 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
If information within the below cited article is to be believed – do so at your own risk – this is OV-103 either on November 6, 1983, prior to touchdown at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), which is in the background, arriving from Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB); or, it’s OV-103 departing VAFB on November 8, 1983 embarking on its leg to Carswell Air Force Base, as part of the initial delivery of Discovery to KSC on November 9, 1983.
The Orbiter/Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) combination stopped at VAFB to test the Orbiter Lifting Fixture (OLF) there, a scaled-down version of the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) used at EAFB. At the time, NASA and the Department of Defense planned to fly space shuttles, with Discovery as the designated orbiter, from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) on military polar orbital missions, beginning with STS-62A in 1986.
Article referenced:
www.nasa.gov/history/40-years-ago-space-shuttle-discovery...
For context, Honda Point, aka Point Pedernales, is immediately out of the frame to the left. What a tragedy, of which I was totally unaware:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Point_disaster
www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Articl...
A little over two kilometers out of frame to the right, slightly inland, is SLC-6.
Note the white color of the SCA, with a single blue stripe. The original American Airlines livery was repainted to this before flying to the May 1983 Paris Air Show.
This is a unique shot in that it’s one of the few I’ve seen of the Orbiter/SCA combo in a bank. Usually, the view is either in level flight, from above, or shortly before/after landing/taking off.
And check out the stark color/shade demarcation in the water. I initially thought it was a shadow cast by the nearby mountains, but I quickly ruled that out based on the other things visible. Maybe a cloud shadow? Algae? Water density differences? Changes in depth? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
oregonmarinereserves.com/2019/05/08/watergradients/
Credit: Oregon Marine Reserves website
The Delta IV Heavy, launched on 19 Jan 2011, is the largest rocket ever launched from Vandenberg AFB. It weighs up to 1.6 M pounds, and is 235 foot tall, about the size of a 24 story building.
The Delta IV Heavy, launched on 19 Jan 2011, is the largest rocket ever launched from Vandenberg AFB. It weighs up to 1.6 M pounds, and is 235 foot tall, about the size of a 24 story building.
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched at 11:10 a.m. PST, Saturday, 19 Jan 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched at 11:10 a.m. PST, Saturday, 19 Jan 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched at 11:10 a.m. PST, Saturday, 19 Jan 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
The Space Shuttle test orbiter Enterprise is used for a fit check at SLC-6, the almost completed STS launch facility at Vandenberg AFB, November 1984. This was a complete reconstruction of the former and cancelled "Manned Orbiting Laboratory". Alas, the Space Shuttle project at VAFB was cancelled as well. USAF Photo.
As the Delta IV rises into clear blue skies, also visible just down the hill and to the right is SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle on the pad at SLC-4E.
United Launch Alliance launched a Delta 4 rocket at 1411 PST (2211 GMT) Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Delta 4 launched with a top secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.
It launched right into the sun so it was a bit hard to see what I was shooting. The sun did leave a nice shadow from the contrail.
A Delta IV Medium Launch Vehicle launched a classified payload from Vandenberg AFB, Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6,) at 4:12 PM PDT, 3 Apr 2012. It's always fun to watch these. There were probably several hundred people at Surf Beach to watch.
The Delta IV Heavy, launched on 19 Jan 2011, is the largest rocket ever launched from Vandenberg AFB. It weighs up to 1.6 M pounds, and is 235 foot tall, about the size of a 24 story building.
YRF734 was one of a quartet of Sentinel STC6/44s new to Green Bus of Rugeley, Staffordshire in 1953. Three were new (YRF732, YRF733 and YRF734) and the fourth was a former demonstrator, HUJ619. Green Bus (C.J. & M.A. Whieldon) also purchased another Sentinel demonstrator, STC4/40 GNT190 at the same time. In 1954, Green Bus acquired a sixth Sentinel, the Burlingham bodied SLC6/30 775ERF. All six were disposed of in 1957, going to new owners in Kent, Cornwall and Yorkshire. The four STC6/44s were purchased by Hearle of Mylor Bridge (Riviera Services Ltd). YRF734 is seen here at Falmouth bus terminus in August of 1964 in the ownership of Riviera and displaying the name Lewis in the route number box. Riviera acquired the Lewis business in 1957.
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched at 11:10 a.m. PST, Saturday, 19 Jan 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Sentinel were quick off the mark in the early post-Second World War years introducing underfloor-engined, forward-entrance single deck buses into a market still dominated by rear-entrance, half-cab designs. This layout was eventually adopted by the major manufacturers and later further encouraged by the government's support for one-man-operated vehicles. The STC4s were exhibited at the 1948 Commercial Motor Show and Sentinel had a great initial success with an order for six buses from Ribble, followed by fourteen of the STC6s. The first was delivered in 1949 and the rest during 1950 and 1951. Unfortunately there were major difficulties with the engines and engine mountings. Sentinel gained an unenviable reputation for the unreliability of its indirect injection diesel engine which was also perceived as old technology and was heavy on fuel. By the time these problems were at least partially addressed, the moment had passed and fewer than one hundred and fifty Sentinel passenger vehicles were built before production at Shrewsbury ended. Both the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder designs had been available in chassis form, designated SLC4 and SLC6 respectively, and one or two were built and fitted with Burlingham bodies, for example. Most were of integral construction, however, with Sentinel assembling the bodies from Beadle-designed parts.
United Launch Alliance launched a Delta 4 rocket at 1411 PST (2211 GMT) Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Delta 4 launched with a top secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.
It launched right into the sun so it was a bit hard to see what I was shooting. The sun did leave a nice shadow from the contrail.
Due to the lack of solid rocket motors and the type of fuel used by the Heavy, it doesn't begin to contrail until around 30,000-35,000 feet or so. Here, the contrail just becomes visible.
United Launch Alliance launched a Delta 4 rocket at 1411 PST (2211 GMT) Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Delta 4 launched with a top secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.
It launched right into the sun so it was a bit hard to see what I was shooting. The sun did leave a nice shadow from the contrail.
1955 Sentinel SLC6/30/16 Duple C41C
Sentinels were not uncommon in some parts of the country, particularly around their Shrewsbury home, but they were rarely seen in the South so I was please to capture this one.
Launch viewers at Vandenberg Air Force Base watch as the Delta IV Heavy rocket rises over the hill carrying a classified National Reconnaissance payload.
The massive 230 ft. tall beast heads downrange, leaving it's contrail behind as it climbs up into the upper atmosphere.
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched at 11:10 a.m. PST, Saturday, 19 Jan 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Out of this world public domain images from NASA. All original images and many more can be found from the NASA Image Library
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: www.rawpixel.com/board/418580/nasa