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Air Force News Service

02/01/03

DOD supporting shuttle search effort

PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- The Department of Defense
assets currently involved in search, security and transportation
operations related to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia include: 

* Air Force: C-141 aircraft from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., will be 
  used to transport NASA's rapid response team from Kennedy Space 
  Center, Fla. 

* Air Force Reserve: Six F-16 Fighting Falcons from Naval Air Station 
  Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas, will be part of search 
  operations and security. 

* Coast Guard: 110-foot cutter from Naval Air Station New Orleans; 
  buoy tender and station boat from District 7, based in St. 
  Petersburg, Fla.; patrols in the Gulf of Mexico to check out reports 
  of fallen debris. 

* Army: Four UH-60 helicopters from Fort Hood, Texas, to assist in 
  search operations. 

* Navy: Dauphine helicopter from Naval Air Station New Orleans to 
  assist in search operations. 

* Texas Air National Guard: A C-130 Hercules from NASJRB, Fort Worth, 
  to assist with search operations. 

An Air Force Reserve Command HC-130 is on alert here, ready to respond 
if needed. The Coast Guard also has two UH-1 helicopters standing by 
in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a C-130 standing by in St. Petersburg, 
Fla. 

The DOD Manned Space Flight Support Office here is the single point of 
contact for coordinating initial DOD contingency support for the 
United States' manned space flight programs.

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