Little known fact: airlifting the shuttle from California to Florida on top of a Boeing 747 is no cakewalk. For one, it requires constant weather data updated as the flight crew maneuvers around precipitation and high winds. Providing that service for Discovery next week will be three 45th Space Wing weathermen: Capt. M Mike McAleenan, TSgt. James Jones, and SSgt. Chris Lozzi.
The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.