Gathering of Eagles Salutes Space Shuttle Teams, benefits museum

  • Published
  • By Diane Betzler
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LANCASTER, Calif. --  Team Edwards was one of five teams honored at the 2011 Gathering of Eagles Salute to the Space Shuttle that took place at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds Oct. 14.

Hundreds gathered at the Poppy Pavilion to pay tribute to one of the programs that kept the United States on the forefront of space exploration, honoring the five teams that played an integral role that made it all happen.

The five teams honored were:
  • U.S. Air Force Space Shuttle Recovery Team, responsible for the safe and secure recovery of the orbiters as they returned from space and landed at Edwards
  • NASA's ALT/OFT Team, responsible for the early approach and landing test and orbital flight test phase of the program at the Dryden Flight Research Center on base
  • NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's Space Shuttle Operations Team, provided continual operational support
  • Boeing's Space Shuttle AIT Team at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, responsible for the assembly, integration and test of all space shuttle orbiters
  • Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's Space Shuttle Main Engine Team in Canoga Park, responsible for the production and testing of the SSMEs
"The teams being recognized have achieved distinction through their accomplishments as part of the space shuttle program and contributions to human spaceflight," said Lisa Gray, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Flight Test Historical Foundation.

Gray said the Flight Test Historical Foundation is currently focused on supporting the Flight Test Center Museum and said the funds raised at the event will go directly toward building a new museum outside the west gate of the base.

The goal is to relocate the museum outside the west gate to make it accessible to everyone, "so all can learn about the history of flight test including the contributions of those we honor here tonight," Gray said.

To boost contributions, the event held an auction to include a commemorative space shuttle pin set complete with all 135 mission pins matted and framed around a space shuttle launch photograph with an engraved plate that was donated by The Boeing Company. The set garnered an impressive $4,700.

Many people expressed a sadness to see the program end, but most were optimistic as well. "It's disappointing, but we knew it was coming," said retired Maj. Gen. Joe Engle, who flew five space flights and landed several of them on the lakebed here.

Before joining the space shuttle program Engle helped flight test the joint NASA-Air Force X-15 rocket airplane.

Engle commanded one of two crews that flew approach and landing test flights on the space shuttle Enterprise, the program's first orbiter. The Enterprise was a prototype vehicle that never actually flew into space, but is credited for being the vehicle that proved the aerodynamics and the concept of landing a winged space vehicle for reuse.

"Thus began 30 years of service to our nation by the space shuttle and proved we could fly a reusable spaceship," said Joe Sobczak, one of two masters of ceremonies for the event.

Engle served as backup commander for STS-1, the first orbital test flight of the space shuttle Columbia, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 12, 1981 and landed two days later on the lakebed here. He commanded STS-2, the second orbital test flight of Columbia and later in 1981 commanded a mission in the space shuttle Discovery, which also landed at Edwards.

The 30-year space shuttle program flew a total of 135 missions, 54 of those missions landed at Edwards.

Thirty years later, NASA has retired the space shuttle program with the three remaining shuttle orbiters and the prototype shuttle Enterprise being enshrined at several museums around the country.

"This is a time to celebrate all the years of dedication, hard work and accomplishments, all the passion and pride and sometimes grief that was so evident throughout this endeavor," Gray told more than 400 guests in attendance.

"What's great about tonight is that we recognized the people," said Brig. Gen. Robert C. Nolan II, commander, Air Force Flight Test Center. "We can do this again and we can do it better because we have the people."