Aeronautics Industry

Andrew Yee · Guest

Air Force Space Command

4/23/2007

'Mission accomplished' for NRO at Onizuka AFS
By Capt. Tony Muro, Operating Division 4 Detachment 1

ONIZUKA AIR FORCE STATION, Calif. -- The National Reconnaissance Office's
mission here ended recently after 46 years of service to the nation.

Dr. Donald Kerr, director of the NRO in Washington, D.C., presided over a
deactivation ceremony in March wherein he thanked the men and women of the
Blue Cube here for their dedicated service.

More than 800 guests attended the ceremony and open house, including Lt.
Gen. Frank Klotz, vice commander of Air Force Space Command; Brig. Gen.
Larry James, director of the Signal Intelligence Systems Acquisitions and
Operations Directorate; and former NRO Director Jeff Harris.

The ceremony reflected upon the rich history and many contributions that
the Onizuka facility has made to the nation's space reconnaissance
efforts. The division's story dates back to the late 1950s and the
beginning of Soviet and American efforts in space.

The space race began with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, after which a
small plot of land in Sunnyvale, Calif., became the hub of space
reconnaissance. At its peak in 1993, the Blue Cube housed more than 1,200
people and provided communications and infrastructure support to a wide
variety of organizations.

Onizuka AFS holds a legendary history of firsts that helped the NRO become
the leading-edge organization it is today, Dr. Kerr said. Throughout the
years, the facility has been a critical node in space operations and has
led the way during the nation's first steps in groundbreaking
reconnaissance from space.

At the dawn of imagery intelligence from space, Onizuka AFS was the
birthplace of the Corona program, the world's first photo reconnaissance
satellite. Included in this program was the first mapping of Earth from
space, the first midair recovery of a vehicle returning from space and the
first views of denied areas from space.

Dr. Kerr honored the men and women of Onizuka for their dedication to
establishing the NRO, as well as for being the cornerstone in the nation's
security from space. He thanked them for their tenacity in protecting
freedom and for ensuring the United States always held the ultimate high
ground.

Related Link:

* National Reconnaissance Office
http://www.nro.gov/