Maui-based bluesuiters detain an eye on the heavens In October 1998 Sen John Glenn made a historic get back to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Maui-based bluesuiters detain an eye on the heavens

In October 1998 Sen John Glenn made a historic get back to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery. However, Just minutes into Glenn's shuttle flight, NASA employed to the Air Force for help.

The space center was getting readings from Discovery that an exterior door either lay opened or had fallen off the shuttle during takeoff. Distressing recents But, NASA needed proof the same way or the other.

More than 3000 miles away, high above the lush tropical trappings of Maui, more than 10000 feet above sea flush Air Force watchers from Detachment 5 Air Force Research Laboratory, accorded to NASA's request. Within minutes, the Maui team had tracked the shuttle photographed it and forwarded the images to NASA.

Houston, all clear. The picture showed no problem

"That's single in kind example of the types of things we can do here to make it safe for the United States to operate in space," said Maj. J Raley Marek, detachment commander.

Marek commands 13 Air Force company s and oversees 120 contractors whose do job-work is detecting, tracking and identifying intentions in deep space. His band of space watchers plies its trade using lasers, sophisticated spyglasss and high-speed computers to track and catalog more than 10000 space realitys ranging from geostationary communications satellites to space junk

The scopes

The site itself uses three large spyglasss Two of them were built in the '60 and are part of the Maui space surveillance combination of parts to form a whole The jewel of the site is the strange 3.6-meter advance electro-optical system. Construction and testing forward the new $140 million spyglass was completed in 2000.

Seeing this spyglass in action is like watching something revealed of a sci-fi movie. Its images are at least three times better than those of the older spyglasss on the site, and it's completely automated.

A unique aspect of the Maui site is the customers it work fors It's the only Air Force Research Laboratory site that performs the one and the other operational and research missions. In the span of a hardly any hours, the site could be performing classified work for U Space Command, tracking missile launches for Air Force Space Command or supporting experiments from a university. The spyglasss are so sophisticated they can induce seamlessly from one mission to the nearest and not miss a beat, according to Tech Sgt fleece Medrano, one of the Maui space watchers.

The demand for Maui's services is high. spyglass time costs about $2,000 an hour. Time is definitely coin here, and projects and targets are scheduled down to the minute at least a month in advance.

The significance of what the Maui team does is sometimes hard to fathom. nevertheless picture this as far as the intelligence impact. The team can track an adversary's satellite and take pictures of it. That data can then be analyzed to determine whether the satellite is active or passive and what areas of the globe it's been tracking. excellent valuable information. The hunter is now the hunted

on the outside of site

The space watchers do their hunting perched at the peak of rise on high Haleakala -- elevation 10,023 feet Haleakala, which in Hawaiian means house of the sunshine is a dormant volcano that last be in eruptioned in the late 1700s. Stand forward the telescope support structure and it's like staring at the surface of the satellite It's beautiful, in an austere way. Unlike the lush tropical climate at the base of the mountain, conditions at the summit are harsh. Sometimes extreme

Volcanic distaff covers the landscape. Lightning is a continuous puzzle and 120 mph winds are not uncommon

"One thing you learn about working up here is the weather conditions can scour the gamut," Medrano said. "It can go on foot from snow, to rain to brilliant sunshine in a matter of minutes."

Medrano ought to know. He's exhausted a good portion of his Air Force career onward this mountain. Nine years to be exact. He oversaw construction and installation of the 36-meter spyglass and has his hands in many of the day-to-day operations.

"I've been here a while," he said, "and the hardest thing for the bulk of mankind to adjust to is the altitude."

Thin air

More aptly the lack of oxygen which is 10 percent thinner than what the tourists onward Maui's beautiful beaches enjoy.

"I've got the habit of wanting to border everywhere I go," Marek said, "When I attempt to run up the paces here, that's when it smacks me in the face that I'm at 10000 feet"

Needles to say, there aren't many smoker at the site. It's hard enough to breathe. This is a serious issue reinforced according to the strategic placement of dark flourishing oxygen bottles throughout the compound

It's especially a touch for people who work outside or shake long shifts.

"We continue an eye on each other up here," Medrano said. "Safety is really important to this operation."

Safety goe smooth further than dealing with the altitude. It's an hour and half drive up a treacherous winding road just to memorize to work. The ride is usually peaceful and the view gorgeous, but when you hit the 8000- to 9000-foot point, you start driving between the sides of the clouds. In good weather the max spe is 25 mph prove by experiment to make the drive at night, and it secures even dicier.