102nd Intelligence Wing to hold aircraft dedication ceremony at Otis Air National Guard Base in honor of Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart

Photo By Timothy Sandland | This restored North American F-86 Sabre, painted with the artwork of the 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron of the late 1950's and early 1960's has been proudly mounted as a static display in front of the headquarters building for the 102nd Intelligence Wing, Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass. The distinctive shamrock harks back to a time when these aircraft were based out of Logan International Airport in South Boston, Mass.  

OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MA, UNITED STATES

05.23.2019

Story by Timothy Sandland 

102nd Intelligence Wing   

The 102nd Intelligence Wing will be holding a dedication ceremony to honor Apollo 9 astronaut, Russell “Rusty” L. Schweickart on Saturday, June 8 at 9:00 a.m.

Schweickart will be in attendance and honored during the ceremony as his name will be added to the side of a North American F-86H Sabre currently on display in front of the wing headquarters building. Marked with the livery of the 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron, the recently restored aircraft was flown by the unit from the late-1950’s through the mid-1960’s. The shamrock was emblematic of the squadron’s operations out of Logan Airport in Boston.

The North American F-86 Sabre entered service in 1949 with the U. S. Air Force. Best known as the United States’ first swept wing fighter, the F-86 was capable of countering the visually similar Soviet MiG-15 in high-speed dogfights during the Korean War.

Considered one of the best and most important aircraft flown during the war, the Sabre’s reputation is only exceeded by the affection shown by those who flew it.

During its production run from 1949 through 1956, the F-86 was manufactured in many variants. From the initial prototype XF-86 to the initial F-86A through to the F-86F and beyond, the platform was utilized in a multitude of roles in many different countries.

Schweickart flew the F-86H Sabre during the early 1960’s while assigned to the 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron.

During Schweickart’s tenure, the 101st TFS deployed to Phalsbourg, France to provide close air support to NATO ground forces and performed air interdiction during the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961. In all, the 102nd Tactical Fighter Wing deployed 82 Sabres for the operation.

Following his service with the Air National Guard, Schweickart joined NASA as one of 14 astronauts named in October 1963, the third group of astronauts selected. He served as lunar module pilot for Apollo 9, March 3-13, 1969, logging 241 hours in space. This was the third manned flight of the Apollo series and the first manned flight of the lunar module. During a 46 minute spacewalk, Schweickart tested the new Apollo space suit and portable life support backpack which were subsequently used on the lunar surface explorations. On the mission with Schweickart were commander James A. McDivitt and command module pilot David R. Scott.

Schweickart later served as backup commander for the first Skylab mission where his work in overcoming initial solar shield problems earned him NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal. In 1974 Schweickart moved to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC to assume an executive position in NASA’s Space Applications Directorate.

In the early 1980s Schweickart founded the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), the professional international organization of astronauts and cosmonauts and in 2001 co-founded the B612 Foundation, a non-profit private foundation that champions the development of spaceflight capability to protect Earth from future asteroid impacts.

Schweickart’s full biography can be viewed at https://www.rustyschweickart.com/bio

This event is open to the media. All media representatives interested in attending must register with the 102nd Intelligence Wing Public Affairs office not later than noon on Thursday, 6 Jun, by emailing [e-mail]. Media will use the Gibbons Gate and arrive by 8:30 a.m.

• Date Taken: 05.23.2019
• Date Posted: 05.23.2019 15:52
• Story ID: 323782
• Location: OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MA, US