An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

ArticleCS

Modular mission control room upgrade improves 412th Test Wing’s capabilities

  • Published
  • By Craig Hatcher
  • 812th Test Support Squadron
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  

A $37 million improvement and modernization program is now underway at the 412th Test Wing’s Ridley Mission Control Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The Modular Mission Control Room Upgrade (MMCRU) program is intended to create a modularized control room architecture with components that can be used by other Air Force Test Center ranges to create site-specific architectures based on common components.

“MMCRU is the next generation of mission control rooms for the 412th TW with extensions to the rest of AFTC and other DoD Ranges,” said Dr. Paul Waters, 412th Test Engineering Group. “MMCRU adds capabilities to increase the agility of test support by supporting distributed test operations from the ground up. It also incorporates additional data sources to increase the efficiency of flight test.”

The program will upgrade control rooms for the Wing in order to support flight test missions for the next 15 years. Control rooms will be built with the flexibility to evolve with ever changing test requirements. New capabilities will be provided to increase the efficiency of conducting flight test. These efficiency gains are intended to make it possible to shorten flight test projects by enabling real-time data comparisons with simulations and near real-time detailed data analysis typically reserved for after the test. 

“For example, we will be able to integrate simulations into the control room so that engineers can see the simulation and test results in one place,” Waters explained. “We will also be able to bring in previous test results so that an engineer can compare previous test results with current test results.”

MMCRU will be interoperable with the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in order to facilitate Distributed Test Operations. Control rooms at either Test Wing will be able to seamlessly support tests from either sites. In addition, the capability will be provided to enable engineers to monitor tests remotely.

The upgrade program falls under the auspices of 812th Test Support Squadron’s Acquisition Program Management Flight. Test Investment Planning & Programming (TIPP) is the Air Force funding program used for improvement and modernization programs to invest in the development, design and implementation of new test technologies and test methodologies and to modernize existing test capabilities within the Air Force Materiel Command test and evaluation mission area.

The new control room architecture will also be designed to increase the efficiency of operations and minimize lifecycle costs in order to increase responsiveness and minimize costs to the customer.  MMCRU will upgrade 412th TW mission control rooms in earnest beginning in fiscal year 2021. Full deployment is estimated to be complete by the end of fiscal year 2025.

“All of this is requiring that we re-look at why we are looking at test data and what data we need to support a test,” Waters said. “These are extremely exciting times as we strive to get more from our tests to accelerate the fielding of combat capabilities.”

Slide show

Modular mission control room upgrade improves 412th Test Wing’s capabilities

  • Published
  • By Craig Hatcher
  • 812th Test Support Squadron
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  

A $37 million improvement and modernization program is now underway at the 412th Test Wing’s Ridley Mission Control Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The Modular Mission Control Room Upgrade (MMCRU) program is intended to create a modularized control room architecture with components that can be used by other Air Force Test Center ranges to create site-specific architectures based on common components.

“MMCRU is the next generation of mission control rooms for the 412th TW with extensions to the rest of AFTC and other DoD Ranges,” said Dr. Paul Waters, 412th Test Engineering Group. “MMCRU adds capabilities to increase the agility of test support by supporting distributed test operations from the ground up. It also incorporates additional data sources to increase the efficiency of flight test.”

The program will upgrade control rooms for the Wing in order to support flight test missions for the next 15 years. Control rooms will be built with the flexibility to evolve with ever changing test requirements. New capabilities will be provided to increase the efficiency of conducting flight test. These efficiency gains are intended to make it possible to shorten flight test projects by enabling real-time data comparisons with simulations and near real-time detailed data analysis typically reserved for after the test. 

“For example, we will be able to integrate simulations into the control room so that engineers can see the simulation and test results in one place,” Waters explained. “We will also be able to bring in previous test results so that an engineer can compare previous test results with current test results.”

MMCRU will be interoperable with the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in order to facilitate Distributed Test Operations. Control rooms at either Test Wing will be able to seamlessly support tests from either sites. In addition, the capability will be provided to enable engineers to monitor tests remotely.

The upgrade program falls under the auspices of 812th Test Support Squadron’s Acquisition Program Management Flight. Test Investment Planning & Programming (TIPP) is the Air Force funding program used for improvement and modernization programs to invest in the development, design and implementation of new test technologies and test methodologies and to modernize existing test capabilities within the Air Force Materiel Command test and evaluation mission area.

The new control room architecture will also be designed to increase the efficiency of operations and minimize lifecycle costs in order to increase responsiveness and minimize costs to the customer.  MMCRU will upgrade 412th TW mission control rooms in earnest beginning in fiscal year 2021. Full deployment is estimated to be complete by the end of fiscal year 2025.

“All of this is requiring that we re-look at why we are looking at test data and what data we need to support a test,” Waters said. “These are extremely exciting times as we strive to get more from our tests to accelerate the fielding of combat capabilities.”

Edwards provides care, opportunities for children aged six weeks through high school graduation

Edwards provides care, opportunities for childrenaged six weeks through high school graduation

The Child and Youth Program at Edwards AFB provides care and opportunities for kids ages six weeks old through high school graduation. A brief summary of those services follows:

  •                    The Child Development Center cares for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, with a DOD-wide curriculum. The curriculum is focused on learning through play activities supporting social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Installations across DOD follow the curriculum on the same timeline to allow seamless permanent change-of-station transitions for youth enrolled in care.
  •                    The School Age Center provides before and after-school care and summer camp for children ages 5 to 12. During school breaks, full-day camps are offered. SAC promotes cognitive, social, emotional, cultural, language and physical development through programs that encourage self-confidence, curiosity, self-discipline and resiliency.
  •                    The open recreation program at the Main Youth Center provides a safe space for ages 9 to 12 to attend after school. Programs include Power Hour, STEM, Torch Club, social recreation, youth camps, special events and more.
  •                    The youth sports program provides intro and league opportunities for ages 3 to 12, and promotes inclusiveness, self-discipline, commitment, resiliency and social skills. There are four sports offered annually for ages five to 12: baseball/softball, soccer, flag football and basketball. Smart start programs are available to ages 3 to 5. There are many other sports and camps offered throughout the year.
  •                    The Teen Center is available for ages 13 to 18 during the school year. Programs offered include Military Youth of the Year, Keystone Club, social recreation, STEM activities, college trips, leadership camps and more.
  •                    Youth programs (SAC, open rec and teen) are affiliated with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 4-H.
  •                    Family Child Care homes – there are currently three FCC homes on the installation. They can provide care for ages two weeks to 12 years. FCC providers are trained by Child and Youth Program training and curriculum specialists and have the flexibility to determine their hours of operation and the ages of youth within their care. The program’s new dedicated manager, Jennifer Stegmann, may be reached at 661-275-7529.

Although CDC enrollment capacity is 317, not all slots are currently filled because of a shortage of childcare workers. School Age Center enrollment capacity is 156. After-school care enrollment is 130. Before-school care enrollment is 75. Summer Camp 2022 was at its capacity and enrollment for Summer Camp 2023 opens April 3.