Posted: 7/9/2011 6:14:07 PM EDT
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When the Shuttle, or something like the ARES capsule is sitting in a hangar between missions, being refurbushed or whatever, are there armed guards in the immediate vicinity, to visually monitor the ship and keep anyone who doesn't have any business there from touching them?
Or do they just rely on securing the building the vehicle is residing in? |
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Quoted:
Yes, they have UH1h's with m60's also space shuttle door gunner training mission. |
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I was just at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. While at the observation deck for Pad 39-A, we were waiting to board another bus to go to the Apollo portion of the tour. While standing in line, a crew cab Chevy pulls up, 2 guys in flight suits with no insignias, just velcro where patches should go hop out the truck and start talking to some of the staff at the observation pad. These guys had drop leg holsters with Glocks and a bunch of spare mags. The driver stayed in the truck. In the back seat and in the bed of the truck were lots of bags, some looking like rifle bags.
This was one of many similar trucks we saw driving all over the KSC. Not to mention uniformed security. While waiting for the launch on Friday, we saw 2 F-15's making several passes, Coast Guard helicopters at various altitudes, and a NASA Huey like the one posted above. This was just what we could see. I'm sure there were a lot of security boats as well and other resources I never saw. In a law enforcement magazine I read not too long ago, they had a story on KSC security/response team. Pretty interesting article. I'll see if I can locate it. Edit- found a link http://www.tactical-life.com/online/tactical-weapons/nasa-ert-spaceport-protectors/ |
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I was just remembering that episode years ago in Washington state, IIRC, where some peace activsts got on a Navy sub base and started hammering away at a missile hatch on a boomer...they had to find someone to arrest them, again IIRC.
I guess you can't have a guard watching everything, all the time. |
| The KSC is huge. And the security team there is one of the best trained and best equipped on the planet. Just stop and think about what they do there, how much what they do there costs, and the security takes on a whole new dimension. Not to mention the DOD assets and payloads that transit through there. |