Photo By Lance Cpl. Glen Santy | Cherry Point Aircraft Rescue Firefighters with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - As NASA’s final space shuttle pushed its way to the International Space Station from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., July 8, the end of an era to take place for not only American space travel but also for Marines with Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Marine Aerial Refueler Transport 252 from MCAS Cherry Point was there, flying over the waters of Cape Canaveral, providing refueling support to Air Force search and rescue helicopters. But, not all Cherry Point Marines had to leave the air station to support the shuttle launch. The Cherry Point Aircraft Rescue Firefighters and station Fire Department were in high alert, as they have with past shuttle launches for decades.
Thanks to the air station’s long runway configuration, for years Cherry Point has served as an alternate emergency landing site during shuttle launches. Each time the shuttle launched, aircraft rescue firefighters have waited patiently through the 20-minute window where an aborted mission after liftoff could have forced the shuttle to land here. Some of the firefighters have received special training for situations that might happen during a shuttle’s sudden return. Gunnery Sgt. Raymond Secoy, a staff noncommissioned officer in charge of Marine Wing Support Squadron 274’s ARFF, is one of the Marines in charge of preparing teams for the shuttle launch.
“I’m one of the few Marines here who went to Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, which is the home of NASA, and got certified for the space shuttle rescue,” said Secoy. “As far as the shuttle mission, we feel confident. We’ve been trained, we work closely with NASA, and if it actually came here we’d definitely be prepared for it.”
At 11:29 a.m. the shuttle launched from Space Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center without a hitch. The final space shuttle flight in NASA’s 30-year, government funded program marked one of the final milestones in shuttle history.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2011 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 73801 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 249 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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