A modified Minuteman II booster launched by personnel at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Aug. 23 was the object of boost-phase data collected by the Missile Defense Agency’s NFIRE (near field infrared experiment) research satellite, launched earlier this year. The point was to provide a better understanding of missile exhaust plumes and the difference between the plume and the rocket body, according to an MDA release. The satellite downloaded the data to MDA operations at Schriever AFB, Colo.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.