posted 07-21-2024 05:57 PM               

Since the 1950's, Range Safety Officers (RSOs) have monitored the paths of missile and rocket firings from the Cape. A RSO can terminate the flight of an erratic rocket should its flight path endanger life or property. Back in the day was the Central Control Building (CCB), also later known as the Range Control Center (RCC), which was the nerve center for the entire Air Force and NASA flight range. It was from here, located on the station's industrial area, where many operations of a missile launch and early flight were directed. On any given liftoff, Air Force officers and contractor civilian specialists coordinate all range activity and monitor instrumentation ships, aircraft, and on the down-range island tracking stations.

The RSO is the one person who has life or death control over a missile and must decide, often in a split second, whether a questionable rocket should be destroyed or allowed to continue on its flight. The safety of people and property has overriding priority at all times, and safety precautions will never be sacrificed or even compromised in order to launch a military, commercial, or space vehicle.

Signatures of range safety officers are seldom seen. The above first panel display depicts a Gemini 12 (GT-12) launch airmail cover signed by its primary RSO, Major N.L. Oexmann, the earliest RSO-autograph that I know of. The typed-written cachet cover at right was actually located (or placed) inside the RCC during the countdown and launch of shuttle Challenger on mission 41-G in 1984. Both the primary and senior RSOs hand-signed the envelope indicating that it had been located/signed at the RCC's range safety officers' main console, 8.5 miles away from the shuttle launch pad 39A. Only two covers were done (Bob Mcleod has the other one) for this particular launch, however, there are more "carried RSO covers" from other missions that we both have retained from that early shuttle program era.

The type-written letters below were mailed to me in 1970 when I was a junior high schooler in which the Range Missile Control Division at the Cape was kind enough in providing many RSO autographs.

posted 07-24-2024 02:55 PM               

My RSO-located covers are similar to the one you displayed for 41-G, with my earliest one for STS-5, signed by Major Nicholas Byrnside. Interestingly, he added that my cover was located with the Senior RSO checklist on the Range Safety System console in the Range Control Center.

Range Safety Officer Jerry D. Watson kindly handled and signed several of my RSO-located covers and it's probable that our signatures from him may be the only signatures he provided for collectors.

So we'd have to say that such RSO-located and signed covers are certainly (very) unusual and (very) seldom seen, and quite appropriate in any space autograph collection.

posted 07-25-2024 07:11 AM               

• Jerry D. Watson
  
• Nicholas C. Byrnside
  
• Gerald F. Bieringer
  
• H. Moore

posted 07-25-2024 11:52 AM               

• Major N.L. Oexmann (photo above)
  (Gemini/Titan II specialty)
  
• Lt. Col. Robert L. Barrowclough
  (senior Minuteman control)
  
• Major Ralph C. Taylor
  
• Captain Edward A. Fischel
  
• Captain William A. Kelley, Jr.
  
• Major Robert F. A. Arias
  
• Captain Richard E. Bowen
  
• 2nd Lt. Paul D. Wallace

posted 08-22-2024 01:51 PM               

This one below autographed by Air Force Captain Edward A. Fischel as the final Skylab RSO crew launch in November 1973. I believe as a high schooler it had been mailed to the Cape's Range Missile Control Division in which Captain Fischel nicely signed/inscribed a SL-4 emblem cover for me.

No others have been found thus far from my own space autograph collections, but there must be others out there.

posted 08-22-2024 09:52 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
...keeping track of range support aircraft and ships, along with other range operations.

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posted 08-22-2024 11:00 PM               

Take for instance one such letter in Nov. 1970, in part, "During all launches, range instrumentation, equipment, ships and aircraft information flow to the RCC," which are provided to those assigned RSO's. They help keep track of range support aircraft and ships in the area in relation to the vehicle before and in-flight, along with other similar range responsibilities (also by other non-RSO personnel; see below).

posted 08-23-2024 09:16 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
All such information, as I understand it, goes to the RSO group along with the Range Operations Commander.

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posted 08-23-2024 12:07 PM               

I think one problem may be that the RSO's "receive and monitor all such information" that might be helpful for a decision if needed in working any launch issues or concerns. I don't mean to say that the RSO's did in fact fully monitor by each minute those aircraft and ship movements, however, information of those activities were provided to the assigned RSO areas.

Feel free anytime, Jim, in stopping over sometime (just call in advance) as you are more than welcome in seeing my RSO folders from the USAF and involved contractor companies where I got all of this from.