Lt. Col. Joseph Santucci, 99th Reconnaissance Squadron commander at Beale AFB, Calif., received the Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy, the Air Force’s top flight safety award, from Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz during a June 1 ceremony in the Pentagon. Santucci was honored for safely landing his U-2 reconnaissance aircraft during a night training mission in February 2009 following an in-flight emergency that left him struggling to keep the U-2’s nose up and flying. “This is not just about me and that night, but about the amazing skills required by our airmen every day” to return “to terra firma regardless of the challenges of weather, technology, or enemy,” said Santucci upon receiving the award. Schwartz said airmen like Santucci possess “airmanship, extraordinary skill, alertness, ingenuity . . . and even a touch of luck.” (SAF/PA report by TSgt. Amaani Lyle)
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?