Reserve aircrew hauls cargo enroute to International Space Station

  • Published
  • By Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  A 512th Airlift Wing crew transported a piece of the International Space Station to the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., March 21-22. 

The Air Force Reserve Airmen from the 326th Airlift Squadron picked up an Express Logistics Carrier at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and flew it to Florida for transport to the ISS via the Space Shuttle. 

ELCs are unpressurized facilities attached to the ISS and are used for science experiments, storage devices and for electrical power. 

"Basically, an ELC can be described as a shed outside of the space station used by astronauts to store their tools and supplies as well as to conduct experiments," said Capt. Jim McCann, a 326th AS pilot on the mission. 

Construction of the ISS began in 1998 and is slated for completion in 2011, according to a NASA fact sheet. It primarily serves as a research laboratory orbiting 240 miles above the Earth. Five space agencies, representing 16 nations, have participated in this technological endeavor, which is the largest artificial satellite in Earth's orbit. 

NASA frequently asks the Air Force for assistance in hauling their cargo, said Lt. Col. Harlan Nelson, 512th Operations Support Flight chief of current operations. 

This time, it was the 512th AW who answered the call. 

"We like doing these missions, and its great training," said Colonel Nelson. 

At over 17.5 feet-wide, the 41,000 pound ELC took 5 hours to load, said Senior Airman Marc Anderson, 326th AS loadmaster. 

"Considering that the cargo bay of a C-17 is 18 feet wide, there was about two inches of clearance on each side of the ELC," said Airman Anderson, who added this, was his first mission since graduating from technical school Feb. 17. 

"Everybody said this would be the most challenging load I'd do in my career," he said. "It was quite an experience and a great way to kick off my career." 

While loading the piece of equipment was a challenge, the off-load at the Kennedy Space Center took only 30 minutes. 

This delivery was actually the second part of the mission. In February, a 326th AS crew flew to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, Minn., and picked up the 16-foot wide deck of the ELC from the manufacturer, said Mike Thompson, who is the ELC project manager for NASA. The crew then flew the piece of equipment to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., where additional space flight hardware was attached to the ELC. Once assembled, the second 326th AS crew hauled the ELC to Florida. 

In all, five ELCs will be delivered to the ISS before the Space Shuttle retires in 2010, after 30 years of service. According to the NASA Web site, the current Space Shuttle manifest shows the first two ELCs will be transported to the ISS in November. The second two will be delivered in 2010, and the fifth ELC has not been scheduled for a launch. 

The mission was an outstanding experience for Aircraft Commander Col. Rob Shepherd. 

"We were amazed by the fact that something that was on our airplane will eventually be in space," he said. "The NASA personnel at Andrews AFB and at Cape Canaveral really appreciated what we did for them." 

Mr. Thompson couldn't say enough great things about the military aircrew. 

"They were fantastic partners in the project," he said. "It has to do with risk management and risk is negated by flying the ELC rather than using ground transportation. The loadmasters were very patient in getting the ELC loaded." 

Colonel Shepherd said it's all part of the job. 

"It's indicative of our military ethos," he said. "We are always willing to go the extra mile to get the mission done."