6594th Test Group
Encyclopedia
The 6594th Test Group was a United States Air Force
Unit stationed in Hawaii at Hickam Air Force Base
from 1958 until it was deactivated in 1986.
The 6594th Test Group was established in 1958 to support U.S. Air Force Systems Command missile and space development operations in the Western Pacific area. It also provided support to the U.S. Coast Guard and Honolulu Joint Rescue Coordination Center on an as-available, non-interference basis.
Large portions of the Test Group's mission were classified until 1995 when information concerning Project CORONA
was declassified. The 6594th was largely concerned with retrieving film canisters, about the size of a garbage can, in midair that had been ejected from some of the United States' earliest spy satellite
s.
These canisters were among the first objects sent in to space that were designed to survive re-entry. Upon entering the ionosphere, they could resemble a shooting, or falling, star. Thus, the unit's motto "To Catch a Falling Star".
Because retrieval occurred over water in the Pacific, rescue swimmers were a standard part of the mission crew. Thus, when the 6594th was not busy with their primary mission, they were often available to support the US Coast Guard and other agencies in Search and Rescue (SAR) missions. The 6594th Test Group had one of the best records for open water rescues in the U.S. Air Force.
7 JC-130B
3 JC-130H
5 HH-53C
3 HC-130P
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Unit stationed in Hawaii at Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
from 1958 until it was deactivated in 1986.
The 6594th Test Group was established in 1958 to support U.S. Air Force Systems Command missile and space development operations in the Western Pacific area. It also provided support to the U.S. Coast Guard and Honolulu Joint Rescue Coordination Center on an as-available, non-interference basis.
Large portions of the Test Group's mission were classified until 1995 when information concerning Project CORONA
Corona (satellite)
The Corona program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force...
was declassified. The 6594th was largely concerned with retrieving film canisters, about the size of a garbage can, in midair that had been ejected from some of the United States' earliest spy satellite
Spy satellite
A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....
s.
These canisters were among the first objects sent in to space that were designed to survive re-entry. Upon entering the ionosphere, they could resemble a shooting, or falling, star. Thus, the unit's motto "To Catch a Falling Star".
Because retrieval occurred over water in the Pacific, rescue swimmers were a standard part of the mission crew. Thus, when the 6594th was not busy with their primary mission, they were often available to support the US Coast Guard and other agencies in Search and Rescue (SAR) missions. The 6594th Test Group had one of the best records for open water rescues in the U.S. Air Force.
Personnel
At the time of deactivation, the 6594th was staffed by 95 officers and 409 enlisted personnel and was supported by 16 US Civil Service personnel.Tragic Loss
On 15 January 1985 an HH-53 helicopter, call sign Arris 01, from the 6594th Test Group crashed while attempting a shipboard rescue mission 540 miles north of Honolulu. All seven crew members were killed: Pilots Capt. David D. Mason, Capt. Steve Pindzola, 2Lt. Russell Ohl. Flight Engineers SSgt Kyle D. Marshall, SSgt Daniel R. Reihman. Pararescuemen SSgt John R. Gilbert, Sgt Robert A. Jermyn. All seven made the ultimate sacrifice in keeping with the motto of air rescue, "That others may live." The helicopter crashed when the tail broke off while the helicopter hovered above the commercial ship, "Asian Beauty." Captain Mason had been married only a few days and returned early from his honeymoon to volunteer for the flight. A memorial plaque in honor of the seven crew members is located in the yard of the chapel at Hickam Field. For more information, see the publication of the Hickam Field annual reports.Aircraft
At the time of deactivation, Test Group's aircraft compliment consisted of:7 JC-130B
3 JC-130H
5 HH-53C
3 HC-130P
See also
- Corona (satellite)Corona (satellite)The Corona program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force...
- Air Force Satellite Control FacilityAir Force Satellite Control FacilityThe United States Air Force's Air Force Satellite Control Facility was a space command and control unit located at Onizuka AFB, California. It has the distinction of being heavily involved in the world's first reconnaissance satellite program, CORONA. Due to geological hazards The United States...
External links
- http://ax.losangeles.af.mil/axf/eaapgs/docs/hickamfonsi86.pdf
- http://www.6594thtestgroup.com