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https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3955033/centaur-upper-stage-installation-recognizes-trailblazing-space-program/
Centaur upper stage installation recognizes trailblazing space program
Nov. 4, 2024
An exhibit spotlighting an unheralded but vital element of America’s space capabilities was unveiled in an October ribbon-cutting ceremony at Los Angeles Air Force Base, both to celebrate the program’s achievements and inspire future Guardians.
Showcasing the Centaur III upper stage and its associated RL10 rocket engine, the exhibit was dedicated on Oct. 18 at Los Angeles AFB, where Space Systems Command is headquartered.
The Centaur family of liquid hydrogen-fueled upper stages has been placing U.S. spacecraft into Earth orbit and beyond since 1965, while the program – which made its 289th successful flight Oct. 4 - has been, and remains, an integral part of missions led by the Space Force and its predecessor organizations.
“The Centaur is deeply rooted in our history,” said Col. Michelle Idle, SSC deputy commander, who spoke to an audience of more than 100 attending the dedication ceremony.
“It has put many of our capabilities up to orbit … time and time again, the Centaur has delivered.”
Idle’s remarks were the keynote of the dedication ceremony, which came as the culmination of a multi-year effort to deliver the exhibit to Los Angeles AFB as a partnership between the Space Force, the Air Force, industry partners, and SSC’s Heritage Center, which supports the command’s public history and educational missions.
“Centaur’s not only been a long-living system that has continuously been updated with new technology, but it’s also been a pretty darn reliable system that’s operated with a high success rate … it’s over 92%,” said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Taverney, who serves as chairman of the Heritage Center’s foundation.
“The Centaur, the RL10, have been pretty much hand-in-glove with (what’s now) Space Force since the ‘60s, getting critical satellites to orbit and still is there, helping us do our job.”
The dedication was the latest in a series of 2024 commemorations of SSC’s history, which began in 1954, when the Air Force’s Western Development Division was formed to manage an urgent program to develop missiles, launch vehicles and satellites during the height of the Cold War.
Today, SSC - a Space Force field command since 2021 – is the leading organization responsible for acquiring and delivering capabilities to protect the United States’s strategic interests in space, including managing a $15.6 billion acquisition budget for the Department of Defense.
The Centaur stage and the RL10 engine on display at LAAFB were used for various testing and research purposes over the life of the program.
They were donated by United Launch Alliance, the corporate partnership between Lockheed Martin and Boeing that provides satellite launch services for the Department of Defense.
ULA is the corporate descendant of Convair, which developed the Centaur in the 1960s, as the product of research by the government, industry and academia.
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“Centaur was the first cryogenic upper stage featuring hydrogen and liquid oxygen, so that we could fly longer, more intense and higher-energy missions,” said Marcus Nichols, a former Air Force officer who served at Los Angeles AFB and who currently works as ULA’s senior manager in southern California.
“We’ve evolved that over time to make it the most capable high-energy upper stage in the business, servicing national defense and powering missions to every planet in the solar system - and Pluto.”
Historically, the Centaur was developed through a series of partnerships between the Defense Department, NASA and industry, and was – and continues to be – used for a variety of space projects, both military and civilian. On the civilian side, the programs include:
Atlas-Centaur: The original Centaur configuration, used on Atlas rockets from the 1960s-1980s. Launched NASA’s Surveyor, Pioneer, Viking and Voyager spacecraft.
Titan IIIE-Centaur: Used on Titan rockets in the 1970s, with a larger 4.3 m diameter tank. Launched Helios, Viking and Voyager.
Titan IV-Centaur: Used on Titan IV rockets in the 1990s/2000s, with the widened Centaur-G and Centaur-T variants. Launched Cassini to Saturn.
Atlas IIAS-Centaur: Improved Atlas-Centaur used in the 1990s, with a stretched Centaur stage. Launched the joint NASA-European Space Agency Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO.
Atlas III-Centaur: Transitional Atlas version in the early 2000s, used the new Centaur III upper stage. Launched Mars Odyssey.
Atlas V-Centaur: Current Atlas version, with the Centaur IV or Centaur V upper stage. Has launched New Horizons, Juno, OSIRIS-REx and many others.
The Centaur’s flexibility in integrating with different launch vehicles has been key to its longevity, experts said.
The Centaur V continues to fly regularly as the upper stage for Atlas V rockets and is used as the upper stage for the new Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle.
“The Centaur, also known as America’s workhorse in space, services as an engineering marvel, representing decades of innovation and achievement in aerospace technology,” said Lt. Col. Sean Granier, 61st Civil Engineer and Logistics Squadron commander and host of the event.
“Space is not just the final frontier; it is a realm where our dreams take flight, and where teamwork, across disciplines, leads to ground-breaking discoveries."
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Readout of CSO Saltzman, Air Marshal Godfrey’s travel to Europe
Nov. 4, 2024
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman and Assistant Chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships Air Marshal Paul Godfrey traveled to Europe Oct. 27 – Nov. 1 for meetings with defense and military space leaders from Norway, Sweden and NATO to reaffirm and strengthen space security cooperation.
In Norway, Saltzman and Godfrey took part in meetings with Acting State Secretary Hans Christian Hveem Kjølseth, Director General of Security Policy and Operations Henning Vaglum, and Royal Norwegian Navy Vice Adm. Nils Andreas Stensønes, director of the Norwegian Intelligence Service, to discuss opportunities to deepen space cooperation both bilaterally and through the NATO alliance.
The leaders thanked Norway for hosting and operating the GLOBUS II radar system in Vardø since 2001 and commended Norway for its contributions to the Combined Space Operations Initiative Interoperability Working Group, which it currently co-chairs with the United States.
In Sweden, Saltzman and Godfrey met with State Secretary for Defence Peter Sandwall and Sweden’s Chief of Defence, Army Gen. Michael Claesson, for discussions centered on opportunities to advance shared space security interests, including through the U.S.-Sweden bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in December.
Saltzman and Godfrey also welcomed the recent publication of Sweden’s first defense and security space strategy, which aims to better posture Sweden to meet challenges in the domain.
They additionally engaged a delegation led by Swedish Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman and including Swedish air Force Col. Ella Carlsson, chief of space capabilities and development, at Esrange Space Center in Sweden’s High North on the nation’s vision for military space.
Saltzman began his time in Belgium by meeting with Gen. Christopher Cavoli, supreme allied commander Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe near Mons before concluding the trip with a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels. At NATO headquarters, Saltzman and Godfrey met with Royal Netherlands Navy Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee, to discuss the alliance’s approach to space, the importance of interoperability, and opportunities to deepen collaboration.
Saltzman also addressed members of the NATO Military Committee directly to emphasize the important role integration and coordination will play as the space domain grows more vital to alliance success.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3955263/readout-of-cso-saltzman-air-marshal-godfreys-travel-to-europe/
Donald Trump ‘knows our UFO secrets’ & can defy officials to release them – he must act to alter history, expert says
Updated: 15:20 ET, Nov 4 2024
DONALD Trump has been challenged to "change history forever" and come clean about UFO intel if he makes a stunning return to the White House this week.
Arizona-based expert Nick Pope says there is growing hope within the global UFO community that if Trump returns for a second term, he will push through an executive order to have several classified files released.
He also believes the recent whistleblower revelation that the US Government has created an "active and highly secretive" tracking program called the Immaculate Constellation could spark Trump's divulgation of critical information about the potential presence of other lifeforms.
SECRET REVELATIONS
Quizzed about his views on UFOs during his recent interview on Joe Rogan's podcast, Trump said he was told "a lot."
Pope, who used to work for a British Government department investigating the mysterious phenomenon that has enthralled believers for decades, is adamant the former president has been fully briefed and "is being cautious about what to disclose."
"There’s a strong belief that the US government knows something concrete and might release it, particularly if Trump regains office," Pope excitedly told The U.S. Sun.
"Many see Trump as a disruptor and a populist, less beholden to the deep state or career bureaucrats. Unlike other politicians, he could potentially push for full disclosure."
Trump has previously revealed, during an interview with his son, Donald Jr., that "he knows a few things" but had to be careful with the information.
Pope believes Trump is also determined to release the JFK files, which have similarly been shrouded in secrecy as the conspiracy theories over the infamous 1963 assassination continue to swirl.
"He’s already promised total transparency on JFK if re-elected, so it’s reasonable to think he might do the same with UFOs," the expert continued.
"SIGNIFICANT CLAIMS"
A whistleblower linked to the Immaculate Constellation case, described as "a current or former US government official," has allegedly written a report with significant claims.
It alleges that the US executive branch has been addressing issues related to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and non-human intelligence (NHI) without Congressional knowledge, oversight, or authorization.
This situation, the report claims, may have persisted for decades.
There are also detailed descriptions of several UFO encounters logged in a government database.
One incident involved an F-22 fighter jet being "intercepted and boxed in" by a group of three to six spherical objects, which ultimately forced the jet to leave its mission area.
In another reported encounter, the crew aboard a Navy aircraft carrier observed a sphere glowing orange-red with a surface that seemed to be “roiling like the sun.”
This object descended rapidly from a high altitude, stopping to hover approximately 100-200 yards (90-180 meters) above the flight deck.
Journalist Michael Shellenberger claimed he had communicated with the alleged whistleblower.
However, identifying information, such as the exact role and gender, was being withheld to protect them from retaliation.
FRESH HOPES
If Trump does indeed defeat Kamala Harris and return to the Washington DC hot seat, Pope is hoping access will be granted for "clearer, longer videos of UFO sightings" as well as underwater tracking data, which insiders believe is also present.
Footage from military surveillance systems could also be released.
"There’s a lot we haven’t seen from the military’s surveillance systems," Pope continued.
"For example, the recent Chinese spy balloon was followed by other ambiguous shoot-downs, yet the government cited national security concerns as reasons for not releasing clear images.
"But soon after, they released clear photos of a Russian aircraft near a U.S. drone. This kind of inconsistency frustrates the UFO community, and we expect that a new administration might change this stance."
https://www.the-sun.com/news/12802612/donald-trump-ufo-united-states-government-aliens/