The space shuttle Endeavour will carry two Air Force Research Lab experiments to the International Space Station during its final mission that is scheduled to start Friday with liftoff from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. The Endeavour’s crew will transfer these payloads—the Massive Heat Transfer Experiment and VADER—to the space station with the shuttle’s robotic arm. Both experiments will collect data to help engineers develop the next generation of thermal control technology for spacecraft. “Of all the space missions I have participated in, this one is special since it involves the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour,” said Andy Williams, thermal systems lead in AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M. Endeavor will also bring the Air Force Academy’s Canary experiment and the Naval Research Laboratory’s Digital Imaging Star Camera to ISS. Canary will explore space environmental phenomena. (Kirtland release)
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…