April 15, 2022

Commentary: Air Force Academy plays leading role in 2022’s great space rush

Col. Chris McClernon, associate dean of research and director of the research office at the U.S. Air Force Academy. (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) Commentary by Col. Chris McClernon U.S. Air Force Academy associate dean of research U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - One week after the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, I reflect on the significance of the event. More than 10,000 people attended this year’s symposium representing small business, big business, academia and defense organizations from more than 40 countries. Colorado is the nation’s No. 1 state for private-sector space employment per capita and produces the U.S.’s second-largest...

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April 11, 2022

Elon Musk urges cadet researchers at U.S. Air Force Academy to keep innovating, make rocket launches ‘boring’

Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent, and Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO, discuss space exploration and innovation during the Ira C. Eaker Lecture, Air Force Academy, Colo., April 7, 2022. Musk encouraged cadets to tackle research problems, break barriers and turn fiction into reality. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Tech. Sgt. Zach Vaughn, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk motivated cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy to keep the research industry on its toes by fighting complacency and working overtime to break boundaries. “We want...

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April 6, 2022

Cadets launch the future of space imagery

Falcon Neuro is hosted on the STP-H7/8 external payload in outer space. The payload was photographed by external cameras on the International Space Station. (Photo credit: NASA) By Public Affairs/Strategic Communications Photos by Joshua Armstrong/Trevor Cokley U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Cadet research projects at the United States Air Force Academy are frequently launched into low-Earth orbit, giving cadets ample opportunities to learn space by doing space. An ongoing project is Falcon Neuro, with cadets and faculty using neuromorphic cameras attached to the International Space Station to study lighting across the Earth and electrical discharges in space known as...

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April 6, 2022

DoD’s chief experience officer sees Academy benchmarks in improving IT for Airmen, Guardians

Story by Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – A top technology official at the Air Force Academy said the school is an “incubator of IT capabilities” that could benefit the entire Air Force and Space Force in using and managing its IT infrastructure. “We’re a fully operational IT ecosystem, which provides the two services with new ideas on how to employ and manage mobile device technologies and cloud-hosted resources,” said the Academy’s chief technology officer, Mike Andrews. Andrews, and his boss, Col. Harold Hoang, the Academy’s communications...

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March 30, 2022

U.S. Air Force Academy pays tribute to beloved 10th superintendent, Lt. Gen. Scott

Father Robert Bruno, a retired colonel and former U.S. Air Force Academy command chaplain, blesses a cross held by Kay Scott, daughter of Lt. Gen. Winfield W. “Skip” Scott Jr., during Scott’s committal service at the Academy’s Memorial Pavilion, March 29, 2022. Scott, a 1950 West Point graduate, served as the Academy’s 10th superintendent, 1983-1987. Scott passed away March 19, 2022. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Justin R. Pacheco)  U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs,   U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Lt. Gen Winfield W. “Skip” Scott Jr., the 10th superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, was laid...

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March 21, 2022

Academy cadets team up with Air Force’s Office of Scientific Research to improve hypersonic systems

Cadets 1st Class Sean Adams and Peter Garlisi prepare the Mach 6 Ludwieg Tube to test boundary layer transition - BOLT - geometry in the Air Force Academy's aeronautic lab, March 16, 2022. NASA reached out to the Academy in 2021 for the institution's support of a series of BOLT tests. (U.S. Air Force photo) By U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Researchers at the Air Force Academy and the service’s Office of Scientific Research say an experimental rocket launch will help the Air Force design air and space craft better able to withstand...

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March 16, 2022

Cadets close out Recognition challenges at AF Academy

Basic cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy run toward Cathedral Rock to bring Recognition to a close, March 12, 2022. The traditional "Run to the Rock" is one of the final activities for basic cadets during Recognition, three days of rigorous teambuilding and leadership challenges.  Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Joshua Armstrong U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Freshmen at the Air Force Academy brought Recognition to a close March 12 with “Run to the Rock,” a trek to Cathedral Rock. The march ends Recognition, three days of training for freshmen to demonstrate...

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March 12, 2022

Sully returns with lessons for cadets

From left to right: Cadet Keane Singleton, Cadet Maria Norman, Ambassador Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, Cadet Connor Portlock, and Cadet Garrett Dean. Sullenberger receives a soaring instructor patch from the 94th Flying Training Squadron (FTS) in the Davis Airfield hangar at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. By Rachelle Stoll, Strategic Communications Photos by Joshua Armstrong. Ambassador Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger returned to the United States Air Force Academy’s Davis Airfield, Feb. 25, 2022, to connect with four aviation program cadet leaders while answering their questions about his time at the Academy. A 1973 Academy graduate and...

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March 11, 2022

AF Academy’s top former enlisted role model for cadets retires

Retired Chief Master Sgt. Bob Vasquez encourages basic cadets during a drill at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Vasquez retired from his position as the Cadet Wing’s curriculum branch manager, Feb. 28, 2022 and worked with cadets for 20 years after retiring from active duty in 2002. (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) By Julie Imada, Center for Character and Leadership Development U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - A former chief master sergeant popular at the Air Force Academy, retired from his position as the Cadet wing’s curriculum branch manager, Feb. 28. Bob Vasquez took on several roles at the Academy...

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March 7, 2022

Five life and innovation hacks from a cadet inventor

By Rachelle Stoll, Strategic Communications Photos by Josh Armstrong Cadet Schlichting stands in front of the United States Air Force Academy’s aeronautics laboratory. Cadet First Class Grant Schlichting, a senior at the United States Air Force Academy, holds a patent-pending for a device that will change how we fight the wars to come. Schlichting is the creator of the Aerial Tow Rehookup (ATR), an invention with a provisional patent under the US Patent and Trademark Office. The ATR involves the utilization of a military cargo plane to tow multiple aircraft at any given time, from the smallest of unmanned drones...

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