Department of Defense Manned Space Flight Support Office The Department of Defense Manned Space Flight Support Office ( DDMS ) coordinated all United States Department of Defense ( DoD ) contingency support to United States NASA manned space flight programs . The office was inactivated in 2007 and replaced by a staff element that is part of the 45th Space Wing staff at Patrick Air Force Base , Fl . The commander of U . S . Strategic Command ( USSTRATCOM ) was the DoD Manager for Manned Space Flight Support Operations . The 45th Space Wing commander at Patrick AFB , Florida , was the Deputy DoD Manager . The DDMS offices and staff were located at Patrick and were responsible for the day - to - day operations and support to NASA ' s manned space flights . Additionally , DDMS maintained a Landing Support Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston , Texas . History . Chartered in 1958 by the Secretary of Defense , DDMS was originally formed with the express purpose of providing much needed DoD support to the U . S . initial manned space flight effort . . . putting people into space and returning them safely to Earth . Since those early days , the support office has continued to be the focal point for all DoD contingency support to Project Mercury , Gemini , Apollo , Apollo / Soyuz Test Project and Space Shuttle . This support included astronaut and space capsule recovery , worldwide communications , tracking and data relay , public affairs , and medical support . Responsibilities . In the current Space Shuttle Program , DDMS had the responsibility for astronaut rescue and recovery , contingency landing site support , payload security , medical support , coordination of airlift / sealift for contingency operations , as well as other support services required in the event of a shuttle emergency . To carry out these responsibilities , DDMS receives and validates NASA requests for DoD support . The support office then selects assets best able to provide the required support , tasks selected units through appropriate command channels , and provides tactical control of those DoD forces supporting a specific Space Shuttle mission . Assets . In the Kennedy Space Center area , U . S . Air Force air - refuelable HH - 60 Pave Hawk helicopters , HC - 130 tanker aircraft , pararescue and medical personnel ; and U . S . Navy and Coast Guard ships are deployed to support launch contingencies and astronaut recovery . Additionally , the Navy provides a KC - 130 tanker for helicopter air refueling , E - 2C aircraft for enhanced air traffic control and P - 3 Orion aircraft for search and rescue operations in the mid - Atlantic region . To support the potential for a Transoceanic Abort Landing ( TAL ) , NASA has selected four TAL sites in Spain and Africa . These sites are Morón and Zaragoza Air Base s in Spain ; Ben Guerir Air Base , Morocco ; and Yundum International Airport , Banjul , The Gambia . Three of these four TAL sites are activated for each shuttle launch . DDMS supports these TAL sites with C - 12 or C - 21 aircraft for on - scene weather reconnaissance and in - flight checks of Space Shuttle unique landing aids ; C - 130 aircraft with pararescue and medical support personnel ; and DoD fire / crash / rescue equipment and personnel . Operations . DDMS operates the DoD Support Operations Center at Patrick starting the day prior to a Space Shuttle launch and continuing through landing . Manned by DDMS staff officers , the Support Operations Center maintains 24 - hour contact with those DoD forces and facilities around the world supporting each mission . The center is the DoD focal point for managing a contingency response in the event of a shuttle emergency landing or astronaut bail out . The center , for example , played a key role in providing support to NASA in response to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003 . Responsibilities in Orbit . While a shuttle is on orbit , designated DoD sites worldwide are ready to support a shuttle contingency landing . The center receives status reports from these locations during mission support periods . On landing day , the Support Operations Center coordinates the DoD fire / crash / rescue support and medevac helicopters at Kennedy Space Center , Edwards Air Force Base , Calif . , and Holloman Air Force Base , N . M . Post Landing Support . After landing at locations other than Kennedy Space Center , the shuttle is ferried back to Florida on a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft . DDMS coordinates a U . S . Air Force C - 141 " Pathfinder " aircraft to transport NASA personnel and equipment supporting ferry flight operations . The office personnel fly with the NASA team on these ferry flights , providing specialized support en route at DoD installation stops . Due to the unique weather sensitivities of ferry flights , a dedicated weather support team is also assembled to monitor en route weather . This includes a DoD meteorologist to monitor weather conditions from the Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility in Florida , as well as a DoD meteorologist who travels with the ferry flight team , providing direct en route weather support .