Public Domain Picture: Ascension Island Green Way

Mr. Damien Cuello with his head and shoulder inside the cleaned crankcase of a V-12 Mitsubishi S12U turbocharged diesel engine he can better see in the piston, connecting rod, and counterweight assembly he has to work on at the power production facility of the 45th Operations Group, Detachment 2, at Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF), South Atlantic Ocean on June 27, 2009. The bore and stroke of this engine is 10 1/4 inch X 9 1/2 inch. Each piston and connecting rod assembly weighs 175 pounds. They are connected to a 3,500 pound crankshaft. Compared to automobiles, this is many times bigger. The engine drives a 1900kW generator that supplies power to the electrical grid for the airfield, Space Command sites and facilities, and a royal air force airfield facility on the island. Mr. Cuello is a Computer Sciences Raytheon contract associate in charge of maintenance for 6 wind turbines and 5 diesel generators. Wind turbines, that also feed the electrical grid, were designed to work in parallel with the diesel generators to form a hybrid power production solution. The wind turbines lower the load on the engines, extend their life cycle and lower emissions. Ascension AAF's award winning economical self-sufficiency solutions also includes drinking water production and waste water treatment. The mission of Det. 2 is support of eastern range space launches by collecting and disseminating radar, telemetry and tracking data. Ascension island is 35 square miles in a remote location midway between Brazil and Angola. The nearest country is Liberia - 1000 miles away.

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October 17, 2012