The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/65892
A: A communications console in the Morrell Operations Center the Launch Decision Authority uses to communicate with range and launch personnel as well as launch customers, mission directors, and NASA. B: SureTrak display 45th Space Wing operators use to track military, private, and commercial aircraft as well as ocean traffic. (The LDA is ultimately responsible for ensuring the launch corridor is clear of air and sea traffic prior to giving his final clear to launch). C: Col Welch strikes a pose in Mission Control Room #2 of the Morrell Operations Center E: The heat sink nosecone, located in the Air Force Space & Missile History Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station P E 36 Spring 2012 erhaps no one is surrounded by space more than Colonel Rory Welch. On the one hand, it's his job. The 44-year-old, who graduated with distinction in 1990 with a degree in mechanical engineering with aerospace interest, serves as the vice commander and launch decision authority with the 45th Space Wing, a unit of Air Force Space Command located at Patrick Air Force Base, near Cocoa Beach, Fla., that provides rocket launch services for the Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial endeavors at nearby Cape Canaveral. %XW VSDFH GHƂQHV KLV OLIH LQ RWKHU ZD\V )RU PRUH WKDQ WZR GHFDGHV :HOFK KDV endured the roving life that comes with a military career, which includes some KHDY\ VDFULƂFHV )RU WKH ODVW WKUHH \HDUV PRUH WKDQ PLOHV RI VSDFH KDV VHSD- rated Welch from his wife, Nancy, and their two kids. Every day he works hard to make both senses of space just a little more navigable. When most people think of space, they think of NASA. And while that's not wrong, it's not entirely correct. NASA handles many operations that deal with space (including the now-defunct space shuttle program), but the 45th Space Wing is a partner in all launches that leave Kennedy Space Center, and has its hand in all unmanned launches that leave Cape Canaveral. Those launches serve many purposes that affect everyday life, including the launch of GPS satellites that enable use of your Garmin and credit cards; telecommunications satellites that allow your cell phone to function; and television and weather satellites that keep you up to date. In addition, the 45th Space Wing, and Welch in particular, is responsible for the entire surrounding area's safety as it relates to launches and satellites. And it's a humongous area. Referred to as the Eastern Range, it includes 15 mil- lion square miles of air and sea space, from Florida to the coasts of Europe and Africa, to tiny Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. As Americans watch a launch on TV, or listen to the authoritative countdown before blastoff, it's :HOFK ZKR JLYHV WKH ƂQDO &OHDU; WR ODXQFK ŕ IRU HDFK PLVVLRQ +LV YLJLODQW WHDP operates radar, optical, and telemetry instrumentation systems to track each launch. They monitor the weather, evaluate the potential safety risks, ensure nonessential people are away from the launch area, and coordinate with the