ROTC professor leads Air Force Space Command Immersion Program
by Michelle Saport |
Air Force ROTC Cadets tour the SpaceX facilities in California during the three-week Space Immersion Program. (Photo courtesy of Lt. Col. Robert Schabron)
Lt. Col. Robert Schabron, professor of aerospace studies at UAA, had the unique opportunity to guide 16 Air Force ROTC cadets through a three-week Space Immersion Program this summer.
Cadets from around the country were hand-selected to travel to five different Air Force bases with varied space-related missions. Gen. Jay Raymond, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Commander, initiated this program as a professional development opportunity to immerse cadets in the AFSPC mission. Cadets were exposed to several mission areas including Satellite Control, Space Situational Awareness, Space Defense and Launch Operations in the military spectrum. In addition, cadets got a peek at how satellites are built at Lockheed Martin's Facility in Colorado and how they are put into space at Alliance and Space X facilities in California.
Cadet Erik Yamada, a junior at Virginia Tech, shared, "What really impressed me was the vast breadth of this program. We have been able to walk through the world of Space Command and see it from many different angles, from junior enlisted to general officers, across five different bases. This has been insightful and inspiring, and I have learned so much about space, the Air Force and what lies ahead for us."
Cadet Nathaniel Lyons, a senior at the University of West Florida, explained, "The Space Summer Internship program was an incredible opportunity to be fully immersed into the realm of space. My fellow cadets and I had a great opportunity to truly see why the space domain is the future of our military and I look forward to sharing my experience with cadets at my university."
The Space Immersion Program is just one of many professional development experiences available to Air Force ROTC cadets.