Air Force Col. Eric Boe, a senior member of the Civil Air Patrol, took the flight controls for the Endeavor on mission STS-126, launched Nov. 14 on its way to support the International Space Station. It marked Boe’s first space voyage since joining NASA’s astronaut force in 2000. The 1987 Air Force Academy graduate began his flying career at age 16 with a CAP encampment in Georgia. He has flown more than 45 different aircraft in the Air Force, logging more than 4,000 flight hours. (Air Force report; CAP report)
A B-52H bomber launched a simulated AGM-183 ARRW hypersonic missile at a target some 600 miles away during the ongoing Northern Edge exercise in Alaska, the Air Force said. The simulated shot was a success and demonstrated Airborne Battle Management System techniques to facilitate the kill chain for hypersonic weapons.