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MiSSile Warning/MiSSile DefenSe A new satellite system, the Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, is also set to be online soon. “SBIRS will work alongside and eventu- ally replace DSP,” Colonel Moody said. “This system will provide the nation with critical missile defense and warning capa- bilities well into the 21st century.” SBIRS features a mix of geosynchronous earth orbit satellites, highly elliptical earth orbit payloads and associated ground hard- ware and software. The system will have both improved sensor flexibility and sensitivity, will cover short-wave infrared, and will have expanded mid-wave infrared and see-to-the-ground bands, allowing it to perform a broader set of missions compared to its predecessor, the DSP. The program is currently in the engineer- ing, manufacturing and development phase, with the first GEO satellite expected to launch in 2010. the huMan eleMent As effective and consistent as the U.S.’s missile warning and defense satellites and radars are, none of them would work with- out the Airmen who monitor them on a daily basis. “It’s truly the Airmen who make the whole system work,” Colonel Moody said. “It’s their dedication and professionalism that ensures these satellites and radars do what they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to.” Their human eyes are also needed to aid the electronic ones they are in charge of. “The satellites and radars only pick up and warn us of items in the earth’s atmosphere, so the Airmen are the ones who look at it and say, ‘Okay, that’s nothing to worry about,’ or ‘Hey, let‘s take a look at that,’” Colonel Edmondson said. For the Airmen who work with the satellites and radars, it’s a job they take seriously and are proud to do. “When I sit back and think about the fact that I’m contributing to the defense of the country, that makes me feel proud,” Lieutenant Veater said. “Sure, it’s easy to say all I do is push buttons or talk on the phone, but everything we do helps keep the nation safe. That’s a good feeling.” Working inside a 10-story Pave Phased Array Warning System, or Pave PAWS, the men and women of the 7th Space Warning Squadron continuously scan the horizon for missiles, satellites and other man-made objects in space. Mike Dalton tests the transfer of electrical power from the commercial grid to the on-site power plant at the 7th Space Warning Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. Mr. Dalton is a contract power plant operator. J may-June 2009 19