Airmen 
of the 30th Space Wing and their industry partners on Thursday successfully launched a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket into space from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. This was the first-ever West Coast launch of the Delta IV Heavy. The 235-foot-tall launch vehicle, the largest ever fired from the US West Coast, carried a classified US intelligence satellite aloft. “I’m very proud to be part of the team who worked so hard to make this mission a success,” said Col. Keith Balts, 30th SW vice commander and launch decision authority. The rocket produced two million pounds of thrust. (Vandenberg release) (See also Vandenberg Preps for Delta IV Heavy Launch)
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…