BACKGROUND
A key space support operation that was required in the late 50's was the ability to recover capsules from orbiting spacecraft. The capsules would be ejected from the spacecraft in response to commands from the ground control team, reenter the earth's atmosphere utilizing an appropriate heat shield, and then deploy a parachute. The early concept was to have the capsule land in the open ocean, and then be recovered by predeployed ships. But soon it was demonstrated that the capsule could be snatched in mid air by a suitably equipped aircraft, permitting faster recovery, lower costs, and more flexibility.
The necessary equipment was developed and deployed, crews were assembled and trained, and the main recovery squadron was placed in Hawaii. It was designated as the 6594th Recovery Control Group on November 1, 1959, and exercised command control over the 6593 Test Squadron (Special) at Hickam AFB, and the 6593 Instrumentation Squadron located at Kaena Point, approximately 40 miles from Hickam AFB.
During operational missions the Group, through its recovery Control Center, functioned as an extension of the USAF Satellite Test Center at Sunnyvale, California, and exercised direct control over all recovery forces. The recovery operations were supported by many other organizations including the Pacific Missile Range, Coast Guard, and a number of weather and photography groups.
EARLY PHOTOS
Some small photos of these early missions are included below, and larger higher resolution versions can be seen by clicking on the small versions.
RECOVERY CONTROL GROUP HEADQUARTERS THE RECOVERY CONTROL CENTER READY FOR THE CAPTURE JC130B RECOVERY AIRCRAFT MOMENT OF CAPTURE
