In a recent memo titled, National Security Space Management and Organization, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that all military departments must pledge space education at every level to ensure space-qualified professionals have a direct understanding of space activities and how space capabilities are integrated into military operations.

The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards answered this call by creating the first-ever Aerospace Vehicle Test Course.

TPS, already having in-house expertise on "air-breathing" aircraft testing, tackled U.S. Space Command's request for a space test program designed to teach testing of the Air Force's first-generation, aerospace vehicles, said Maj. Kelly Greene, Ph.D., TPS AVTC director.

"About five years ago, Space Command approached us and said TPS grads were not meeting space needs because training focused solely on airplane testing -- they wanted us to create a short course focused on spaceplane testing," said Greene. "So Kevin Ford, former TPS staff member and now NASA astronaut, put together AVTC and executed the first course in May 2000."

Since then, AVTC has been conducted about once every 18 months, with the last class graduating in November 2001. The next course will be in June.

"This is a four-week long program, scheduled to run from June 2 through June 28," said Greene. The course consists of approximately 80 hours of academics, supplemented with projects, simulations, field trips and flying.

From the history of aerospace planes to the launch and return of the space shuttle, AVTC covers a wide spectrum of aerospace disciplines.

"We currently have two hours of spacecraft re-entry and one hour on thermal protection systems," Greene said, "but due to the recent space shuttle disaster, we are adding another hour to discuss lessons learned from Columbia's destruction. We are always trying to keep the course as updated as possible."

In addition, AVTC offers students the unique opportunity to apply everything they learn in the classroom. "The students receive a T-38 and an F-16 ride, two glider rides and a 'vomit comet' ride (the experience of zero gravity)," said Greene.

The course includes field trips to the Palmdale Production Facilities in Palmdale, Calif., the rocket labs and rocket launch vehicle operations and test complex at Edwards, the Vandenberg Spaceport at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

"When we visit the Johnson Space Center, every student gets a ride in the full-motion space shuttle simulator; they experience a simulated launch from Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral, Fla.), an emergency over the Atlantic Ocean and a landing back at Kennedy. We haven't had a student miss the runway yet," added Greene.

More importantly, AVTC brings in a vast knowledge base with its instructors. Although the fundamental philosophy of test is the same whether testing aircraft or spacecraft, it is invaluable to have aerospace vehicle experts teach this course, stated Greene. Therefore, AVTC instructors are not only members of the TPS staff, they come from all over the country to lend their aerospace expertise to the course.

Currently, there are about 25 teachers involved in AVTC.

"One of our more prominent instructors is Johnny Armstrong, who was the Air Force Flight Test Center's lead flight test engineer on the X-15 program in the 1960s," said Greene. "We are also honored to have Dale Reed as an instructor, the father of lifting bodies and the brain behind the aerospace vehicle."

After four weeks of instruction, the aerospace test course concludes with a graduation exercise.

According to Greene, the students must design a test program on an aerospace vehicle -- create a test matrix and test plan, fly the mission in one of NASA Dryden's simulators, collect data, reduce the data and present their final est report on graduation day.

"The course is fast paced, but well worth the effort," said Capt.

Timothy Jorris, 452nd Flight Test Squadron lead Global Hawk operations engineer, graduate of the first AVTC class and AVTC instructor.

Jorris added that AVTC is extremely beneficial because it links air and space academics, as well as demonstrates both disciplines through hands-on flight test.

"The transition from air to space is happening rapidly, and those who attend this course can contribute and fill the gap in the safe atmospheric and space test of our future systems," said Maj. Bob Jones, NASA X-37 Orbital Vehicle project manager and only Air Force Reserve AVTC graduate.

As for the course's requirements and minimum qualifications, all students must have a Bachelor of Science or Master of Science degree in aeronautical, aerospace or astronautical engineering, or have a strong background in one of these fields, emphasized Greene. Students must also be medically qualified to fly, by passing a Class-III physical.

There are presently three people confirmed for June's class; the program requires a minimum of six, maximum of 12 students.

The cost of the course is unit funded at $30,000 per student. The cost includes classes, instructors, flying, TDYs, per diem, etc. All applications, to include a financial commitment letter, must be submitted by April 1.

"If you are lucky enough to attend this course, you can say that you were in the right place at the right time," said Johnny Armstrong, AFFTC Access to Space Office chief engineer and AVTC instructor. "You will ... be a part of the exciting future of the space program, learning how to test hypersonic vehicles in support of the Air Force mission."

As Jones stated, "TPS has a heritage of providing our nation's astronauts; there is no better place to produce a breed of new aerospace vehicle testers."

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