AF Reserve space squadron temporarily assumes command of nation's weather satellites

by Tech. Sgt. Stephen J. Collier
310th Space Wing Public Affairs

4/7/2014 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- In a lead up to the recent launch of America's 19th Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft, Air Force Reservists here took full command and control of the nation's inventory of weather satellites across the globe.

The 6th Space Operations Squadron, which provides support to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's DMSP mission as a "hot backup" location, took over the weather satellite mission at 2 p.m. Mountain Standard Time April 3, 2014.

The squadron is expected to maintain operational control of the satellites until April 7.

The takeover control of the satellite "constellation" stems from the need for NOAA to divert manpower and resources to ensuring the newly-launched satellite is properly acquired. This includes ensuring the satellite is placed in a proper low-earth orbit, running systems checks to confirm communication with ground stations and uploading and downloading data to the satellite, certifying the satellite can capture a variety of weather-related imagery - all while traveling at 25 times the speed of sound.

"This is an exciting time for the 6th SOPS," AF Reserve Lt. Col. Jody Merritt, the squadron's commander, said. "DMSP is a heritage program providing significant value to our nation's warfighters and overall national security. I am thrilled to be a part of this historic moment and am proud to work with such a fine group of officer and enlisted space professionals."

To ensure a smooth transition between civilian and military operations, the 6th SOPS transition team, led by Maj. Jeremy Edwards, worked with multiple organizations on the handoff. These included the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, 50th Operations Group, Detachment 1 based here as well as NOAA, situated in Suitland, Md.

The "successful collaboration," according to Edwards, helped to "get (weather) data to key users around the globe.

"This launch will extend the life of this aging constellation, which continues to provide critical terrestrial and space weather updates to vast numbers of military and civilian users," Edwards stated. "The successful launch and early orbit operations are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all the organizations involved."

One the squadron's youngest satellite operators, Senior Airman Lisa Scherer, was also given the unique chance to send the first command instructions to the new satellite, known as Flight 19.

"It was a great privilege given to me by my unit to be able to send the first command to this brand new satellite in a constellation that provides such important decision making data to warfighters and civilian organizations all over the world," she said.

In additional to taking full command and control of the weather satellites, the squadron also provided personnel to NOAA's Satellite Operations Facility in support of the agency's launch and early orbit team. The squadron contributed six personnel, to include three flight test coordinators and three controllers.

The 6th SOPS has taken command authority of the DMSP satellite system five times for unforeseen emergencies and seven times in support of maintenance activities since the last launch of Flight 18 in October 2009. Overall, the squadron has conducted 8,800 support and collection missions over 16,000 hours of data in concurrence with their AF Reserve function of providing 10 percent of annual DMSP operations at a fraction of the operational cost.

Scale Model WWII Craft Takes Flight with Fuel From the Sea Concept

From Naval Research Laboratory Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Materials Science and Technology Division, demonstrated proof-of-concept of novel NRL technologies developed for the recovery of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) from seawater and conversion to a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

Fueled by a liquid hydrocarbon -a component of NRL's novel gas-to-liquid (GTL) process that uses CO2 and H2 as feedstock - the research team demonstrated sustained flight of a radio-controlled (RC) P-51 replica of the legendary Red Tail Squadron, powered by an off-the-shelf (OTS) and unmodified two-stroke internal combustion engine.

Using an innovative and proprietary NRL electrolytic cation exchange module (E-CEM), both dissolved and bound CO2 are removed from seawater at 92 percent efficiency by re-equilibrating carbonate and bicarbonate to CO2 and simultaneously producing H2. The gases are then converted to liquid hydrocarbons by a metal catalyst in a reactor system.

"In close collaboration with the Office of Naval Research P38 Naval Reserve program, NRL has developed a game changing technology for extracting, simultaneously, CO2 and H2 from seawater," said Dr. Heather Willauer, NRL research chemist. "This is the first time technology of this nature has been demonstrated with the potential for transition, from the laboratory, to full-scale commercial implementation."

CO2 in the air and in seawater is an abundant carbon resource, but the concentration in the ocean (100 milligrams per liter [mg/L]) is about 140 times greater than that in air, and 1/3 the concentration of CO2 from a stack gas (296 mg/L). Two to three percent of the CO2 in seawater is dissolved CO2 gas in the form of carbonic acid, one percent is carbonate, and the remaining 96 to 97 percent is bound in bicarbonate.

NRL has made significant advances in the development of a gas-to-liquids (GTL) synthesis process to convert CO2 and H2 from seawater to a fuel-like fraction of C9-C16 molecules. In the first patented step, an iron-based catalyst has been developed that can achieve CO2 conversion levels up to 60 percent and decrease unwanted methane production in favor of longer-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (olefins). These value-added hydrocarbons from this process serve as building blocks for the production of industrial chemicals and designer fuels.

In the second step these olefins can be converted to compounds of a higher molecular using controlled polymerization. The resulting liquid contains hydrocarbon molecules in the carbon range, C9-C16, suitable for use a possible renewable replacement for petroleum based jet fuel.

The predicted cost of jet fuel using these technologies is in the range of $3-$6 per gallon, and with sufficient funding and partnerships, this approach could be commercially viable within the next seven to ten years. Pursuing remote land-based options would be the first step towards a future sea-based solution.

The minimum modular carbon capture and fuel synthesis unit is envisioned to be scaled-up by the addition individual E-CEM modules and reactor tubes to meet fuel demands.

NRL operates a lab-scale fixed-bed catalytic reactor system and the outputs of this prototype unit have confirmed the presence of the required C9-C16 molecules in the liquid. This lab-scale system is the first step towards transitioning the NRL technology into commercial modular reactor units that may be scaled-up by increasing the length and number of reactors.

The process efficiencies and the capability to simultaneously produce large quantities of H2, and process the seawater without the need for additional chemicals or pollutants, has made these technologies far superior to previously developed and tested membrane and ion exchange technologies for recovery of CO2 from seawater or air.

The Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,800 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 90 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

GW Hosts STEM Event for Local Students

y Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro, USS George Washington Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) hosted a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) event for more than 300 students from Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), April 3.

The STEM conference is supported through an initiative of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in an effort to encourage boys and girls to pursue a course of study that includes science, technology, engineering and math.

"This event really shows these students how useful a career in STEM can be and how many different career paths they can choose from in those fields," said Renee Cobb, a mathematics teacher at Yokosuka Middle School. "It's great for the students to be able to interact with Sailors and see them use a lot of the same applications the students are learning."

The event allowed students to tour select areas of the ship and give them an introduction to different careers available in engineering, damage control and avionics.

"It was great to have the students here and give them a little glimpse into what we do," said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Scott Steely, from Houston. "Some of these students might grow up and want to join the Navy, so I think it's important to send a positive message to the community by having them aboard and let them know different available career choices."

Throughout the day, more than 10 groups of students came aboard the ship to gain hands-on experience of the various applications STEM has to offer.

"It was pretty fun visiting the ship and I learned a lot about different jobs Sailors have," said Arisa Helbick, a seventh-grade student from Yokosuka Middle School. "It was really interesting to learn that they use math and science in almost every part of their job."

Today's event marks the third-annual CFAY STEM conference.

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

Rogers Takes Over Top NSA, Cyber Command Posts

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md., April 3, 2014 – Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers assumed command of U.S. Cyber Command and became director of the National Security Agency and the Central Security Service during a ceremony here today.

He succeeds Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who retired last week, in all three posts. Previously, Rogers was commander of the Navy’s 10th Fleet, the service’s cyber arm. He has already been confirmed by the Senate.

Michael G. Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, said Rogers is the right man for the job during a challenging time, and that the NSA has been central to America’s national security.

“The work is not done,” he said. “The security challenges we face today are complex and growing, our adversaries are determined. And when the lives of our nation’s citizens are at stake, failure is not an option.”

Rogers called for a moment of silence during today’s ceremony for “our Army teammates who are facing a great tragedy at Fort Hood.”

The admiral takes the reins at a time of tremendous turmoil in the intelligence community, as thousands of documents published on Wikileaks and others released by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden detailing highly classified NSA surveillance operations have caused an uproar. Rogers alluded to that when he said friends told him, “Congratulations, I guess,” when they heard of his new job.

But the still youthful-looking admiral said he had no compunction about taking the posts, “because I believe in the mission of the National Security Agency and I believe in the mission of the United States Cyber Command.”

The admiral noted that for his entire naval career, he has been associated with cyber warriors and he stressed his faith in the men and women of NSA and Cybercom.

“I believe in you,” he said. “I’ve had the honor of working with many of you for almost my entire adult life. I love the people I’ve had the pleasure of serving with and I am honored to be a member of your team.”

Rogers said he has known for a long time that he was being groomed for the jobs he assumed today. “I’m aware of what the department has invested in me,” he said. That, he added, led him to his final reason for wanting the job.

He said he told his wife, Dana, “Now it’s payback time. What kind of leader, what kind of teammate would I be if I turned my back? I don’t pretend for a minute that I’m the only person who could do this job. But this is the time for payback, I am not going to owe them.”

Rogers stressed that the key to success in the future will be about partnerships.

“The most important partnership for all of us will be that between U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency,” he said. “We need each other to execute our missions. That’s why we’re together the way we are, that’s why we have the structure, and I believe in that structure.”

Partnership must extend beyond DOD, the admiral said. The organizations must strengthen partnerships with the FBI, the Homeland Security and Justice departments and the director of national intelligence, “but even more broadly than that,” he said.

Rogers also said he wants greater cooperation with partner nations. The organizations work closely with Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, he noted, but he said he wants to work with a broader world of partner and allied nations. “The key to success, I believe, in the [signals intelligence] and cyber worlds of the 21st century is all about building strong collaboration and being good partners,” he said.

He noted that these are challenging times for the organizations. “I love challenges,” he said, “because I believe that challenge and change represents opportunity, and I love opportunity.”

The organizations have the opportunity to create “something even better, that’s focused not only on the challenges of today, but what people will need in five to 10 years to succeed,” the admiral said.

Rogers said he will squarely accept the challenge of regaining the trust of some Americans “who don’t believe us,” and he pledged to “engage in a dialogue with the citizens of our nation about what we do and why we do it.”

There has not been a discussion about the role of NSA with the public, he acknowledged. “We live in a world of great risk,” he said. “There are individuals, groups out there who, if they had their way, we would not longer exist as a nation. The very values and ideals that we represent are offensive to them and stand against everything they believe in. We need to be mindful of that, and we can’t forget.”

Rogers said there will be strict adherence to law and policy in the cyber world. “There are no shortcuts here, teammates,” he said. “The nation places its trust in us. It has given us great resources and it counts on us to do the right thing, the right way to defend them.”

Americans don’t know the specifics of what the organizations do, “but they want to trust us,” Rogers said. “If we make mistakes we will stand up and hold ourselves accountable and responsible,” he added.

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 19 Launch

Space and Missile Systems Center Public Affairs

4/3/2014 - LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, El Segundo, Calif. -- The U.S. Air Force successfully launched the 19th Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft at 7:46 a.m. PDT, April 3, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The satellite was carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle.

DMSP is the primary provider of terrestrial and space weather information for the U.S. military. DMSP satellites carry sensors vital to weather prediction and space weather forecasting. DMSP sensors provide visible, infrared, microwave and space weather data to enhance information available to the warfighter. The Air Force, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), works to continually improve the developing science of weather forecasting. DMSP satellites produce global coverage to provide the military with timely, accurate and continuous weather information.

"The launch of DMSP-19 continues the vital weather support to operational commanders for another decade," stated Colonel Scott Larrimore, director of the Space and Missile Systems Center's Defense Weather Systems Directorate. "Congratulations to a great team, which included the 30th Space Wing, ULA, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman."

The Lockheed Martin-built DMSP-19 satellite will orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 847 km, in a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite hosts two primary sensors, the Operational Linescan System (OLS) and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS), built by Northrop Grumman. The OLS provides visible and infrared cloud data with each scan covering an area 1800 miles wide. The instrument is able to cover the entire Earth in about 12 hours. The SSMIS detects precipitation, surface temperature and soil moisture as well as provides all-weather capability for worldwide tactical operations and is particularly useful in typing and forecasting severe storm activity. The spacecraft also carries a suite of additional sensors, which collect a broad range of meteorological and space environmental data for forecasting and analysis. DMSP-19 will join the DMSP constellation providing world class space-based terrestrial and space weather data to support U.S. Forces and its allies around the globe.

The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the U.S. Air Force's center of acquisition excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. Its portfolio includes GPS, military satellite communications, defense meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control networks, space based infrared systems and space situational awareness capabilities.

Sea-Air-Space: ONR Booth Features Tech for Unmanned Systems, Helmets and More

From Office of Naval Research

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- From unmanned vehicles to explosive-resistant coatings, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) will showcase a range of technologies at the Sea-Air-Space 2014 expo April 7-9.

Program officers from ONR, NRL and MCWL will be on hand in booth No. 1014 to discuss their pioneering work and potential research opportunities, including those for small businesses.

One of the featured technologies could help reduce incidents of traumatic brain injury resulting from blast incidents. Through basic research and applied science, ONR is studying the use of special polymers in helmets to dissipate and divert shock pressure from the head more effectively than Kevlar or other ballistic material. In addition, these polymers will enhance the ballistic performance of Kevlar while keeping the weight of the helmet the same.

Visitors to the booth also may notice a small helicopter, or nano quadrotor, flying around and attempting to land on a wind-tunnel ship model. This display illustrates research being done to support naval shipboard landings, which are unique to the service and difficult due to air wake turbulence and ship deck motion. Navy scientists are investigating ways to measure and predict these dynamic conditions to more safely launch and recover both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft from naval vessels.

Other technologies on display include:

* Affordable Modular Panoramic Photonics Mast-a new submarine sensor mast with 360-degree panoramic search capability in both visible and infrared wavelengths

* eXperimental Fuel Cell unmanned aerial system (UAS)-a tube-launched autonomous vehicle designed as an expendable, long-endurance platform for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)

* Raven-a lightweight unmanned air vehicle with real-time video streaming cameras

* Stalker-a UAS with long-endurance imaging capacity that uses a variety of day- and night-vision cameras with target locking and tracking

* Shrike-a vertical takeoff and landing Group 1 Small UAS designed to provide ISR to small units through manual or autonomous operation.

Also on tap, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder will participate in a panel discussion on "Innovation and Supporting the Warfighter" April 8 from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

The panel will be moderated by Vice Adm. Paul A. Grosklags, principal military deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, and feature commanders from Marine Corps Systems Command, Naval Supply Systems Command, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Naval Air Systems Command and Naval Sea Systems Command, as well as the assistant commandant for acquisition at the Coast Guard.

The event at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., is hosted by the Navy League of the United States with the goal of bringing together leaders from defense organizations-both government and private industry-to learn about and view the most up-to-date information and technology related to maritime policy.

ONR provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps' technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel, with additional employees at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C.

Historical milestone reached for Air Force cyberspace

by Shelly Petruska
Air Force Network Integration Center

4/1/2014 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Air Force Network Integration Center members at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., Monday completed the migration of all user accounts onto the Air Force Network.

This accomplishment marked a major milestone in the Air Force's progression to the Department of Defense's Joint Information Environment, a network construct that should eventually unite the entire military around a single set of shared infrastructure and information technology services.

"This is truly a significant milestone for Air Force cyberspace," said Air Force Space Command Commander General William Shelton. "Completing this portion of the migration not only paves the way to the JIE (Joint Information Environment) for us, it is also critically important to our future enterprise and to the defense of Air Force networks on a global scale."

Prior to the AFNET vision, unique mission requirements, operational concerns and mission-related preferences drove many Air Force organizations to create separate individual networks to support their e-mail and applications. This patchwork of networks led to high operational and maintenance costs, not to mention standardization and security challenges across the service.

"Until now, organizations across the Air Force have been operating what were essentially their own independent networks, consequently driving unique and unit specific requirements," said Markus Rogers, director of network architectures and lead of AFNET migration. "The AFNET means enterprise-class situational awareness, network scalability and an ability to command and control our network."

The AFNET migration project consolidated 646,000 e-mail boxes and 12,318 servers at 275 sites from multiple Air Force major commands, field operating agencies, direct reporting units, and geographically separated unit networks. It created a centrally-managed standardized structure under the operational control of the 24th Air Force commander.

This large-scale project took a team of more than 200 military, civilian and contractor personnel from AFNIC and the 690th Cyberspace Operations Group five years to complete.

"We made major strides over the past five years to get to this point, creating a resilient, flexible and defensible network under the purview of a single commander that dramatically improves cyber security and significantly reduces vulnerability to attack," said General Shelton.

One challenge to the AFNET migration process was obtaining the critical infrastructure to standardize and connect the disparate networks into the new AFNET architecture.

"We underestimated the complexity of such an enormous task when we started the first migration at Keesler AFB in March 2009," said Rogers. "We learned a lot from the challenges of those initial migrations and changed our approach accordingly."

As a result, Rogers and his team increased resources and streamlined the process. The AFNET migration team improved mail migration rates from 2,500 per base per week up to 10,000 per base per week and migrated eight bases concurrently.

"Ultimately at the four year mark, we had migrated fifty percent of the Air Force, and this past year, we set records migrating the remaining fifty percent onto the AFNET," said Rogers.

Rogers said long-term use of a single Air Force Network should provide a consistent user experience.

"It simplifies operations and maintenance," said Rogers. "It also decreases the manpower required to manage a centralized structure and should reduce training costs. Ultimately, it should improve warfighters' access to data and information services, regardless of location."

This active migration milestone completes the transfer of all Air Force user accounts and workstations across the Air Force. The AFNIC and 24th Air Force migration teams will continue to work with the MAJCOMs in the legacy shutdown phase to transfer their functional system servers onto the AFNET by the end of July.