DoD supports Atlantis shuttle mission (Forwarded)

Public Affairs
North American Aerospace Defense Command
Peterson AFB, Colorado

Sept. 5, 2006

DoD supports Atlantis shuttle mission

U.S. Northern Command is the focal point for military emergency support to
the Space Shuttle. Support includes astronaut rescue and recovery and
orbiter recovery. USNORTHCOM, established in 2002 and fully operational
Sept. 11, 2003, coordinates U.S. military support for the Department of
Defense efforts to assist the Space Shuttle astronauts in the event of an
emergency. All information on DoD units and the North American Aerospace
Defense Command contained in this release is subject to change.

Launch Facts

STS-115 will be the 116th Shuttle mission and the 27th flight for Atlantis.
Launch will occur at Launch Pad 39B - Kennedy Space Center, Fla. This
mission will take Shuttle Commander Brent Jett and five crew members to the
International Space Station to install new solar arrays and other
construction.

Launch Window: NASA announced August 27-September 7 as the launch window for
the Space Shuttle Atlantis mission.
Launch Slip Opportunities: 24- or 48-hour scrub possible.
Landing: Duration of the STS-115 mission is 11 days after launch.

NORAD Launch Support

Six F-16s from the U.S. Air Force, enforcing FAA established Temporary
Flight Restriction with center point being NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch
Pad 39B.

Launch Contingency Support

USNORTHCOM provides a variety of support throughout launch, on-orbit and
landing. In cooperation with NASA, U.S. Strategic Command and the DoD Manned
Space Flight Support Office (DDMS), USNORTHCOM has developed plans to locate
and retrieve the astronauts if they have a pad or launch emergency, are
forced to bail out of the shuttle, or have to return for landing. Numerous
Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft and Coast Guard ships
are pre-positioned or on standby to quickly launch to conduct search and
rescue operations.

For STS-115, the following DoD and DHS assets are supporting the mission:

* 20 U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard Pararescue personnel (308th Rescue
Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga.; 103rd Rescue Squadron, Gabreski, N.Y.)
* 4 HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters (301st Rescue Squadron, Patrick Air Force
Base, Fla.)
* 1 U.S. Air Force Reserve/Air National Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft (39th
Rescue Squadron [Air Force Reserve Command], Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.;
and 1 Air National Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft (102nd Rescue Squadron,
Francis S. Gabreski Airport, N.Y.)
* 1 KC-130 Hercules (Marine Corps Air Group 49, Stewart Air National Guard
Base, N.Y.)
* 6 Army HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters (Fort Irwin, Calif.)
* 5 Air Force UH-1 Huey and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters (White Sands Missile
Range, N.M.)

The U.S. Navy's Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Center at Naval Air
Station Jacksonville, Fla., and Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Center
and Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va., and the U.S. Air Force's Rescue
Coordination Center will also be in direct support to the USNORTHCOM
commander.

Launch Abort Sites (LAS) and East Coast Launch Abort Landing Sites (ECALS)

Additionally, U.S. military units at the following Shuttle Launch Abort
Sites are on alert to support an emergency landing during the launch phase
for STS-115. These facilities lie near the intended flight path for STS-115:

* Atlantic City International Airport, N.J.
* Oceana Naval Air Station, Va.
* Dover Air Force Base, Del.
* Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass.
* F. S. Gabreski Airport, N.Y.
* Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.
* Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.

DoD Augmented/Emergency Landing Sites

If the shuttle experiences an on-orbit emergency and has to land
immediately, NASA has established several civilian and military landing
sites around the world. U.S. military personnel at the following locations
are prepared to support an emergency landing of the shuttle:

Augmented Sites: While the Primary Landing Site is Kennedy Space Center,
Fla., alternate DoD Augmented Landing Sites: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.,
Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., can be quickly
readied to support a shuttle landing with an on-scene commander,
fire/crash/rescue forces, and medical evacuation capabilities.

Emergency Landing Sites: These locations are strategically located around
the world in the flight path of STS-115. They have runways long enough for
the shuttle and have compatible navigation aids. The following Emergency
Landing Sites are located within the United States:

* Atlantic City International Airport, N.J. (ECALS)
* Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. (ECALS)
* Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
* McDill Air Force Base, Fla.
* China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, Calif.
* Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
* Dover Air Force Base, Del. (ECALS)
* Oceana Naval Air Station, Va. (ECALS)
* Dyess Air Force Base, Texas
* Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass. (ECALS)
* Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.
* Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H. (ECALS)
* Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska
* Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
* F.S. Gabreski Airport, N.Y. (ECALS)

The emergency recovery sites have only the minimum number of people needed
to assist the astronauts and will respond to a shuttle landing as they would
for any large aircraft emergency landing.

Alternate Landing Sites

The shuttle is expected to return to Kennedy Space Center on or about 13
days after launch and DoD support will be provided from Patrick AFB, Fla.,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Kennedy Space Center, Fla. and
USNORTHCOM Headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. However, alternate
landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Holloman Air Force
Base/White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., can be quickly readied to support a
shuttle landing.

Additional USNORTHCOM Support

Joint Task Force-115 serves as the operational level focal point for
situational understanding and crisis response to space shuttle mission
contingencies. Additionally, JTF-115 will work in concert with Deputy DoD
Manager (DDoD Mgr), DDMS, Joint Forces Land Component Commander, Joint
Forces Maritime Component Commander, Joint Forces Air Component Commander
and the U.S. Coast Guard, as necessary, to execute USNORTHCOM's role
supporting U.S. Strategic Command's mission of Defense Support for Manned
Space Flight Operations. JTF-115 consists of:

* 7 Standing Joint Force Headquarters-North personnel
* 1 301st Rescue Squadron Liaison Officer (Air Operations)
* 1 Air Force North Liaison Officer
* 1 Army North Defense Coordinating Officer Liaison Officer
* 1 U.S. Navy Search and Rescue Liaison Officer
* 1 2nd Fleet Liaison Officer
* 1 U.S. Coast Guard Liaison Officer
* 1 Flight Surgeon Liaison Officer

*****

Public Affairs
North American Aerospace Defense Command
Peterson AFB, Colorado

Sept. 5, 2006

NORAD, U.S. Northern Command support Atlantis shuttle mission

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- North American Aerospace Defense Command
and United States Northern Command provide support to NASA and the shuttle
program's mission with distinctly different but important missions.

NORAD -- the bi-national command responsible for air defense of North
American airspace -- is ensuring airspace safety and security for the
STS-115 launch and landing and providing irregular air patrols to enforce
the FAA's Temporary Flight Restriction zones over the space shuttle and
along its flight path. NORAD support will consist of U.S. Air Force F-16
fighter planes and U.S. Coast Guard helicopters enforcing the TFR.

The FAA's Notice to Airmen can be viewed by linking to the FAA's Web site at
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_6_1433.html

NORAD is also prepared to respond to any shuttle emergency by securing the
airspace over necessary Launch Abort Sites should emergency landing be
required.

The safety and security of North American airspace remains NORAD's prime
mission. The command retains a robust air defense posture to maintain air
sovereignty over the continental United States, Alaska and Canada. Since
Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD fighters have scrambled or diverted more than 2,100
times in response to air events, and NORAD aircraft have flown more than
42,000 missions in support of Operation Noble Eagle.

U.S. Northern Command is the lead U.S. Department of Defense organization
responsible for military incident support to the space shuttle. Support
includes astronaut rescue and recovery and orbiter recovery. USNORTHCOM,
established in 2002 and fully operational Sept. 11, 2003, coordinates U.S.
military for the Department of Defense efforts to assist the space shuttle
astronauts in the event of an emergency. USNORTHCOM will command and control
DoD forces in the event of an emergency mainly through Joint Task Force-115
under the authority of U.S. Navy Capt. Mike Tillotson.

JTF-115 is made up of operations, information command and control
specialists, and support personnel who understand, focus and employ DoD's
unique capabilities. The JTF works with NASA, DoD installations, the U.S.
military services and other U.S. government agencies such as the Department
of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard to accomplish the mission. More
than 400 DoD personnel are ready to support the second Return to Flight
mission, with 14 members of JTF-115 on location in Florida monitoring and
providing command and control of DoD forces.

The mission of USNORTHCOM is homeland defense and civil support. The command
conducts operations to deter, prevent, defeat and mitigate threats and
aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests within
the assigned area of responsibility and, as directed by the President or
Secretary of Defense, provide military assistance to civil authorities
including consequence management operations.