NRO leaves Blue Cube
- From: "thomsona@xxxxxxxxx" <thomsona@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 24 Apr 2007 06:41:21 -0700
http://www.schriever.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123050054
'Mission accomplished' for NRO at Onizuka AFS
by Capt. Tony Muro
Operating Division 4 Detachment 1
4/23/2007 - ONIZUKA AIR FORCE STATION, Calif. -- The National
Reconnaissance Office's mission here ended recently after 46 years of
service to the nation.
Dr. Donald Kerr, director of the NRO in Washington, D.C., presided
over a deactivation ceremony in March wherein he thanked the men and
women of the Blue Cube here for their dedicated service.
More than 800 guests attended the ceremony and open house, including
Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, vice commander of Air Force Space Command; Brig.
Gen. Larry James, director of the Signal Intelligence Systems
Acquisitions and Operations Directorate; and former NRO director Jeff
Harris.
The ceremony reflected upon the rich history and many contributions
that the Onizuka facility has made to the nation's space
reconnaissance efforts. The division's story dates back to the late
1950s and the beginning of Soviet and American efforts in space.
The space race began with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, after which a
small plot of land in Sunnyvale, Calif., became the hub of space
reconnaissance. At its peak in 1993, the Blue Cube housed more than
1,200 people and provided communications and infrastructure support to
a wide variety of organizations.
Onizuka AFS holds a legendary history of firsts that helped the NRO
become the leading-edge organization it is today, Dr. Kerr said.
Throughout the years, the facility has been a critical node in space
operations and has led the way during the nation's first steps in
groundbreaking reconnaissance from space.
At the dawn of imagery intelligence from space, Onizuka AFS was the
birthplace of the Corona program, the world's first photo
reconnaissance satellite. Included in this program was the first
mapping of Earth from space, the first midair recovery of a vehicle
returning from space and the first views of denied areas from space.
Dr. Kerr honored the men and women of Onizuka for their dedication to
establishing the NRO as well as for being the cornerstone in the
nation's security from space. He thanked them for their tenacity in
protecting freedom and for ensuring the United States always held the
ultimate high ground.
.
- Prev by Date: Re: straight skinny
- Next by Date: Re: NY Times....U.S. Knew of China Missile Test, but Kept Silent
- Previous by thread: Re: ....Air Force Chief of Staff compares Sputnik to China Asat Test
- Next by thread: Re: Distant planet judged possibly habitable
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
|
