| 6593d Test Squadron | |
|---|---|
 The 6593d Test Squadron (Special) posing with the Discoverer 14 capsule in 1960 | |
| Active | 1958–1972 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Satellite payload recovery |
| Insignia | |
| 6593d Test Squadron emblem |  |
The 6593d Test Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 6594th Test Group, stationed at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. It was inactivated on 1 July 1972.
The 6593d Test Squadron's mission was to develop and maintain a capability of effect the aerial recovery of a capsule ejected from an orbiting satellite. [1]
The work performed by the squadron was classified until 1995, as its primary mission was directed at recovering film imaged by the Corona strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Corona satellites were the first operational United States photographic reconnaissance satellites used for intelligence purposes.
The Discoverer/Corona reconnaissance satellite was a revolutionary breakthrough in intelligence gathering and altered the course of the Cold War. From 1960 to 1972, the recovery of the Corona space capsules was among the highest priorities of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. [1]
The 6593d Test Squadron (Special) conducted one of the most important Air Force missions of the Cold War. The 6593d was one of the first Air Force organizations to combine air and space as integral parts of its mission. The classified status of the Corona program did not permit the details of Corona or its aerial recovery to be released until the declassification of Corona in 1995. [1]
Initially flying modified C-119J Flying Boxcars, equipped with rope winches and large hooks that were extended in the air behind the plane to "snag" the parachute of the payload. Later, the Flying Boxcars were replaced by larger C-130B Hercules aircraft, designated JC-130B. The squadron would fly out to a target recovery area, spacing its airplanes within the "box" for maximum coverage. A telemetry signal from the payload would send out a signal that could be triangulated on to locate where the location of the satellite, and the plane that was in the best location would proceed to recover it. [1]
On 19 August 1960, the squadron successfully recovered the Discoverer 14 payload, containing film of the first pictures of the earth's surface made from space. It was also the first recovery of an object placed in earth orbit. [1]
The squadron wanted to recover the payloads in midair while parachuting to the earth, although occasionally they were recovered from the Pacific Ocean. When recoveries from the ocean were necessary, the squadron was equipped with helicopters and also had operational control of two Navy ships to retrieve it from the ocean. Ocean recoveries, however, could damage the payload as when it hit the water, it could go under the water surface, and salt water getting inside could damage the film and other components of the payload. [1]
Throughout the 1960s as Corona Satellites were launched, their invaluable film payloads were retrieved by the squadron. It was stated by one of the units senior NCOs, that satellite payload retrieval became almost a routine mission for the well-practiced unit. Many of the squadron members served extended tours with the unit, their experience in recovery of the capsules being invaluable to its success. [1] The unit was inactivated in 1972 and its mission turned over to the 6594th Test Group.
The squadron had operational control of the following United States Navy Ships for satellite recovery operations: [1]
The CORONA program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force. The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972.
The SAMOS or SAMOS-E program was a relatively short-lived series of reconnaissance satellites for the United States in the early 1960s, also used as a cover for the initial development of the KH-7 GAMBIT system. Reconnaissance was performed with film cameras and television surveillance from polar low Earth orbits with film canister returns and transmittals over the United States. SAMOS was first launched in 1960 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Mid-air retrieval is a technique used in atmospheric reentry when the reentering vehicle is incapable of a satisfactory unassisted landing. The vehicle is slowed by means of parachutes, and then a specially-equipped aircraft matches the vehicle's trajectory and catches it in mid-air.
The United States Air Force's Air Force Satellite Control Facility (AFSCF) 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, and the terrorism threat from its proximity to a major transportation link, the facility's command and control functions were moved to Schriever AFB, Colorado.
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The 6594th Test Group was a United States Air Force Unit stationed in Hawaii at Hickam Air Force Base from 1958 until it was inactivated in 1986.
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Discoverer 14, also known as Corona 9009, was a spy satellite used in the Corona program managed by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force. On 19 August 1960, usable photographic film images of the Soviet Union taken by the satellite were recovered by a C-119 recovery aircraft. This was the first successful recovery of film from an orbiting satellite and the first mid-air recovery of an object returning from Earth orbit.
Discoverer 13 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 10 Aug 1960 at 20:37:54 GMT. The last of five test flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series, it was the first fully successful flight in the Discoverer series. On 11 Aug, after 17 orbits, the satellite's reentry capsule was recovered in the Pacific Ocean by the Haiti Victory. Its payload, an American flag, was presented to President Eisenhower four days later.
Discoverer 25, also known as Corona 9017, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was the fifth of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B.
Discoverer 18, also known as Corona 9013, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 7 December 1960 at 20:24:00 GMT. It was the first successful, and the third of ten total Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B.
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Discoverer 2 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 13 April 1959 at 21:18:39 GMT, the second of three test flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series. Discoverer 2 was the first satellite to be stabilized in orbit in all three axes and to be maneuvered on command from the earth. Though it carried no film and thus conducted no surveillance, Discoverer 2 was both the first satellite equipped with a reentry capsule and the first to return a payload from orbit. A timing error caused the reentry capsule to land near the island of Spitzbergen, Norway, rather than Hawaii. A joint US-Norway recovery operation was mounted, but it was unsuccessful. The Soviet Union operated mines under lease on the island and may have recovered the capsule. That claim is disputed.
Discoverer 3 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 3 June 1959 at 20:09:20 GMT, the third of three test flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series. The first Discoverer mission to carry live animal passengers, Discoverer 3 was lost when its carrying Agena-A booster crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
Discoverer 5, also known as Corona 9002, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 13 August 1959 at 19:00:08 GMT, the second of ten operational flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series. Though the satellite was successfully orbited, the onboard camera failed within the first orbit, and the film-return capsule failed to deorbit.
Discoverer 6, also known as Corona 9003, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 19 August 1959 at 19:24:44 GMT, the third of ten operational flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series. Though the spacecraft was orbited successfully, the onboard camera ceased operating by the second orbit, and the film-return capsule could not be recovered.
Discoverer 7, also known as Corona 9004, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 7 November 1959 at 20:28:41 GMT, the fourth of ten operational flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series. Though the satellite was orbited successfully, its film capsule failed to separate from the main satellite.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .