TYB
SpOC stands ready to meet the demands of Great Power Competition
July 15, 2024
Over the course of several weeks, Space Operations Command mission deltas worked tirelessly to develop and refine operational concepts to align and enhance their warfighting readiness.
The Space Force Generation cycle enables continuous, integrated and increasingly dynamic developmental opportunities which allows commanders to assess and certify combat-ready space power for combatant command and service assigned missions and operational activities.
As part of this cycle, SpOC completed its first certification exercise, certifying teams as combat ready to enter the first SPAFORGEN’s ‘commit’ phase.
The recurring field command-level exercise allows the SpOC commander to assess the readiness of the crews being presented to combatant commands during the SPAFORGEN cycle’s ‘commit’ phase.
During the three-phased force generation model, the ‘prepare’ phase enables Guardians to focus on leave and build their expertise through individual upgrades and professional military education.
The ‘ready’ phase requires Guardians to participate in advanced training designed to equip them for high-intensity conflict. In the final ‘commit’ phase, Guardians are presented to joint force commanders to conduct military space operations.
National defense has found itself in the era of Great Power Competition with the emergence over the past two decades of intensified U.S. competition with the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.
This shift has profoundly changed the conversation about U.S. defense issues and the necessity of integrated deterrence to meet the demands of GPC. Space Force Generation is one step being taken by the Space Force to answer the call.
“We have found ourselves in an era of great competition. What we do now will determine the future and mean the difference between peace and war.
Make no mistake, this is a definitive and pivotal moment in time,” said Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr., SpOC commander.
“As a field command and as a service, we must be able to aggregate and integrate combat power poised to protect national security interests in space, consistent with any other warfighting domain.
We must demonstrate our capability and willingness to confront and defeat threats through overwhelming combat power and steadfast resilience. Posturing to deter and win in conflict must remain our overriding purpose!”
As the Space Force’s lead field command for executing the SPAFORGEN cycle, SpOC is leading the charge in building and improving combat-ready space power for the nation and the way Guardians are trained and equipped to be the combat edge during this pivotal time.
“In the previous ‘all in, all the time’ model, day-to-day space operations did not routinely offer Guardians ample opportunity to practice for the challenges they will face in a combat environment,” said Brig. Gen. Chandler Atwood, SpOC vice commander. “We are implementing SPAFORGEN so Guardians have dedicated time to prepare for a high-intensity fight. Rotating force elements through prepare, ready, and commit phases will create the opportunity to deliberately build the high-end readiness we need. System proficiency isn’t enough.
Mission readiness is essential, and our ultimate aim is to present aggregated and integrated space combat power.”
Atwood oversaw the preparation activities and execution of the exercise which culminated in the validation of SpOC forces as integrated force packages and combat units.
“We will integrate unit, mission area, and integrated warfighting team training evolutions tailored to the latest threat intelligence and combatant commander needs and requirements.
Guardians and Airmen at all levels of Command are encouraged, and better yet, empowered to create a warfighting-focused environment, centered around operational excellence that will elevate our indispensable combat edge.
In doing so, we will achieve credible deterrence options that no adversary can match,” said Atwood.
As a result of implementing the SPAFORGEN model, the combatant commands will receive better integrated and highly refined combat-ready forces.
These commands can expect to see improved coordination, precision, and lethality of SpOC combat forces, according to Atwood.
July 1 signified the first time a fully integrated team of combat-ready Guardians from all mission areas of SpOC were presented to joint force commanders in the SPAFORGEN commit phase.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3838846/spoc-stands-ready-to-meet-the-demands-of-great-power-competition/
Edmonton man contributes thousands of photos to Google while dressed as an alien
July 15, 2024 3:20 p.m. PDT
One of Edmonton’s main contributors to Google Street View is a man who dresses up as an alien.
In 2016, Darryl Learie started as a local guide for Google Maps.
Over the years, he has taken over 7,500 photos and 1,300 videos which have garnered millions of views.
“I really enjoy walking long distances. I really enjoy photography and videography,” said Learie.
“It was a way to feature some of my amateur photography, and I really love nature, that’s why I really focus my efforts on my home city of Edmonton.”
Last year, Learie started recording 360 degree videos for Google Street View.
He wanted to make his work a little bit more interesting, and unique, so he started wearing an alien mask while recording his walks.
The inspiration for the mask came from a popular image taken by the Google street car in Japan.
“It became famous online where the Google street car was passing through, and there was like six, I believe they were Japanese people, dressed with pigeon masks,” said Learie.
“I realized that Google’s AI was blurring out anything it detected as a human face, and I had bought an alien mask for $60, so I figured I’m going to wear the alien mask.”
He now calls his signature look the “NASA alien”. Since last year, he has recorded more than 86 kilometers of trails and parks and published 91 blue lines, a third of them dressed as the NASA alien.
“It’s a really playful idea on this idea that there’s a space alien exploring our planet just as Google Street View explores our planet,” said Learie.
“People I’ve shown my work to think it is either cool, or it’s quite funny, or it’s hilarious.”
Learie has high functioning autism and he said while socialization can be challenging at times, his autism gives him intense focus which is helpful for his long journeys.
“I’m informing people on the conditions and accessibility of different places and pathways they’re considering navigating.”
Friend and disability advocate, Don Slater, drives Learie to many of the paths he records for Google Street View. He said while it is a hobby for Learie, it is also a great public service.
“Disabled people don't have the ability to travel down these paths, and to see the sights that Darryl can take them to, so that’s a really wonderful thing he’s doing for people,” said Slater.
Learie said the NASA alien will continue to explore out planet with the hope of helping a visitor or two.
“It’s a small purpose, but it’s still a purpose, and that’s what makes it meaningful.”
https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/edmonton-man-contributes-thousands-of-photos-to-google-while-dressed-as-an-alien-1.6964832
Mysterious Glowing Orbs Spotted from the ISS Look Like Alien Spaceships
July 15, 2024
A NASA astronaut snapped a photo of glowing features illuminating Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Though it may appear as an alien invasion threatening our planet, the blue orbs are the result of an optical phenomenon known as red sprites.
The photograph was taken by astronaut Matthew Dominick from the International Space Station (ISS) on June 3, capturing several luminous orbs lined up in a row as they occupy pockets of the atmosphere.
The blue orbs were powered by a line of thunderstorms off the coast of South Africa, creating Transient Luminous Events, or bursts of energy that appear above storms due to lightning.
Aside from the spaceship-looking orbs, subtle hints of bright red flashes appear in the photograph as well.
NASA describes the colorful streaks as a “less understood phenomena” associated with powerful lightning events.
The red flashes appear high above the clouds in the mesosphere, the third layer of the atmosphere that’s directly above the stratosphere.
The photo offers a rare glimpse of lightning sprites, which are hard to capture from Earth.
Although they’re associated with thunderstorms, sprites don’t occur in the same clouds that produce rain in the lower part of the atmosphere.
Instead, the sprites appear up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) high in the sky, according to EarthSky.
NASA astronaut Dominick is gaining notoriety for sharing beautiful images captured from space during his time on board the ISS.
Dominick launched to the ISS on March 3, as commander of the Crew-8 mission, and has since been delivering stunning views taken from the space station, which he shares online.
The ISS astronauts typically take these types of photographs from the cupola (the observatory module) or other windows on the ISS using Nikon D6 and D5 SLR cameras.
NASA also uses cameras mounted outside the space station to capture a range of data.
In the case of the rare sprites, NASA put out a call to citizen scientists to send in their photos of the atmospheric phenomenon to Spritacular, a crowdsourced database that scientists can use for research.
So if you happen to capture a glimpse of these bad boys, you know what to do.
https://gizmodo.com/glowing-orbs-spotted-from-the-iss-are-like-alien-spaceships-2000473371
https://x.com/dominickmatthew