Sandy Image

This is an infrared image of Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy taken early Oct. 30, 2012 by the U.S. Air Force's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 14. The DMSP mission is to generate terrestrial and space weather data for operational forces worldwide, however the data from this program is also furnished to the civilian community through the Department of Commerce, thus providing more information from which forecasters can better predict pathways and intensity of storms like Sandy.

AFSPC 2012 Air Force Space and Missile Pioneer Col. John P. Stapp (Ret.)

Air Force Space Command commander General William Shelton presents the command's 2012 Air Force Space and Missile Pioneer award to Wilford Stapp Sept. 14 at Peterson AFB, Colo. Mr. Stapp accepted the posthumous award on behalf of his brother, Pioneer inductee Col. John P. Stapp (Ret.). The Air Force Space and Missile Pioneer Award recognizes individuals who played a significant role in the history of Air Force space and missile programs, educates Air Force Space Command personnel, Air Force personnel, other DoD members, and the general public about the contributions of significant figures in Air Force space and missile history, generates interest in the study of Air Force space and missile history, and encourages Air Force Space Command and other Air Force personnel to appreciate and understand their space and missile heritage.

Liftoff!

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket blasts off from Space Launch Complex-37 at 9:15 a.m. EDT today with a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Liftoff!

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket blasts off from Space Launch Complex-37 at 9:15 a.m. EDT today with a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Demonstration of a mock missile detection sequence

Commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mike Hostage, and his wife, Kathy, look on as 2nd Lt. Suzanne Sparks, 7th Space Warning Squadron crew commander, demonstrates a mock missile detection sequence in the Missile Warning Operations Center at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., Nov. 6, 2011. 7th SWS operates 24/7 and Airmen are responsible for up channeling an event analysis to the Missile Warning Center at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colo., within 60 seconds of the initial detection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mr. John Schwab/Released)

ORS-1 lifts off

A U.S. Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket carrying the Department of Defense Operationally Responsive Space office’s ORS-1 satellite lifts off at 11:09 p.m. EDT Wednesday from pad 0B at the NASA’s Launch Range at the Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. ORS-1, successfully deploying 12 minutes after launch, is the first operational prototype satellite and represents the potential of low-cost, tactically focused satellites designed to provide critical battlespace awareness capabilities to the joint warfighter. (Courtesy photo by NASA/Wallops Flight Facility)