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Show Sun-Advocate, Price, Utah-Thursday, December 19, 1968 'Countdown Man in Range Control Never Sees Missiles Fire GREEN RIVER - "... six, five, four, three, two, one, zero ), "Missile away!" The countdown originates in the Range Control Center of the Utah Launch Complex of White Sands Missile Range, near Green River. It is heard over a command network stretching from southeastern Utah to southern New Mexico. The voice: giving the countdown is that of John A. (Jack) Worner, a resident of Moab, range controller for WSMR's Utah Launch Complex for the past three and a half years. Oddly enough, he has never seen a missile firing. The word that the missile is on its way comes from another voice, speaking into a transmitter at an observation point overlooking the launch site. The missile is an Army two-stage Pershing artillery ballistic weapon, a highly mobile system that has been operational since 1963. It is being launched from Utah to New Mexico in the off-range firing program as one of three types of rounds. Annual service practice (ASP) rounds are fired by operational troop units. Graduation rounds are fired by troops completing their training. Service test rounds are fired for testing new components or, systems. If the missile is being .fired from Gilson Butte, near Hanks-ville, the launch site is some 40 miles from Worrier's control panel. The panel is in a semi-permanent van on "ROD Hill" at Green River. If the missile is being fired from Black Mesa, near Blanding, Wo-mer's station is in a mobil van eight miles from the launcher. In either case, he cannot see the missile as it blasts from its launcer in a great cloud of flames and smoke and roars into the sky above the Utah desert. Neither the center on ROD Hill nor the van near Black Mesa has windows near the control panel. And anyway, Womer is too busy during a firing to divert his attention from his microphone and headset, telephone, switches, dials and blinking lights. Just as busy, sitting alongside him; is an associate range con-toller. Bernard J. (Bernie) Far-rell, a resident of Price, has been employed in Range Control at Green River since June 1966. "Without him I could not do the job," Womer declares. "This is more than a one-man operation." Also on hand for some of the firings, having traveled to Utah from his office in the Range Control Center at White Sands Missile Range, is Wayne E. Woltz of El Paso, Texas, senior range controller. The last 45 minutes of the five-hour pre-launch countdown, are UTAH RANGE CONTROLLERS ... Range controllers for the '.Utah Launch Complex of White Sands Missile Range, N.M., near Green River work at their control panel during tii'e11 ewwtdown for an- off-range mis- sile firing. Left is John .A. (Jack) Wormer of Moab. Right is Bernard J. (Bernie) Farrell of Price. Both are former members of the U.S. Air Force and are now civilian, employees of the U.S./Army. U.S. Army Photo critical. Tension mounts as the "T" (takeoff) time approaches. But there is little if any apparent easing of tension in the control center immediately after takeoff. The post-launch count-up begins from T-time, or from actual liftoff, and runs for something less than 10 minutes while the missile is in flight to the New Mexico range. Then comes the word from down-range that the final stage is on target-usually described as "in the pickle barrel." Now the range controllers may relax and take a breather-if they are not already counting down for another firing. Their station is the same, their duties only slightly different, for firings in another off-range program. U. S. Air Force Athena multi-stage missiles, launched from Green River in the Air Force's Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems (ABRES) program, are supported by WSMR organizations and Army and Air Force contractor personnel in much the same manner as the Pershing firings. For Athena launchings, the range controllers serve primarily as a liaison between the firing project and the range. For all Utah firings they monitor schedules and pre-f light checkouts. They monitor communication and instrumentation networks during countdowns. The range controllers are responsible for evacuations of residents from booster impact zones in Utah prior to firings. They check on roadblocks, manned by military policemen and local law enforcement officers, in safety areas near impact zones, from 90 minutes before T-time until they give the all-clear after the firing. Womer came to the Utah Launch Complex in July 1965. Since then he has given the countdowns for some 50 of the 60-odd Pershings that have been fired in Utah. He has been involved in all except the first 13 of the Athena firings, which numbered 108 missiles after three launch-ings Dec. 5. .: Will he get to watch a takeoff some day? "I doubt it," he says, "for as (Continued on Page Six) |
