ON THE JOB SPACE OPERATIONS CENTRE
MATHEW
Matthew is an ASOS ( AS ) currently working at RAF Fylingdales . As an operator and supervisor , he is responsible for providing a Ballistic Missile Early Warning Service ( BMEWS ) to the United Kingdom and United States governments .
“ I FEEL MY WORK HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE DAY-TO-DAY RUNNING OF SPACE OPERATIONS AT FYLINGDALES , AND BENEFITS THE EVER-INCREASING RELIANCE OF SOCIETY ON THE UTILISATION OF SPACE ”
“ RAF Fylingdales is not only responsible for providing BMEWS , we also detect , track and identify any satellite that comes into view from our Solid State Phased Array RADAR . In a typical day I can find myself tracking objects of high importance , such as the International Space Station , foreign intelligence gathering satellites , or objects that have broken up in orbit and could cause damage to any friendly orbiting assets ( think of the blockbuster film Gravity ). I ’ m currently working in the Mission Support Flight , where I evaluate the on-duty crews to ensure that they can effectively execute their primary and secondary missions . Because of the nature of this role I find that no two days are the same , partly due to the ever changing and constantly evolving status of the space and missile domain . The most enjoyable aspect is designing and implementing training scenarios which test the duty crews , often involving a simulated missile attack against the UK , Europe or North America . As an SAC in this post I enjoy the increased level of responsibility and authority , and I feel my work has a direct impact on the day-to-day running of space operations at Fylingdales , and benefits the everincreasing reliance of society on the utilisation of space .”
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