NVG Mission
Lt. Col. Robert Weichert, a C-17 evaluator pilot with the 313th Airlift Squadron at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., looks out over the ice after the first-ever night vision goggle-assisted landing on Pegasus Ice Runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Sept. 11. Colonel Weichert is part of a crew testing the concept of using night vision technology in combination with reflective cones to land safely on the ice runway after dark. The mission was flown as part of Operation Deep Freeze, commanded by U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica. Headquartered at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and led by 13th Air Force, JTF SFA's mission is to provide air- and sealift support to the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program. (US Air Force photo / Master Sgt. Chris Vadnais)