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An interesting article in Air Commando Journal (Winter 2014 Vol 3 Issue 1, pg. 28) about the USAF's plans to recover the Space Shuttle orbiters astronauts if they were to go down in an unfriendly country. In 1981 the launch of the first orbiters in the direction of Africa brought about concern of the orbiter going down in Libya or some other unfriendly places and how they would get the astronauts out if the country was unwilling to cooperate in handing them over.
An MC-130E was on standby with a Combat Control Team and a number of Fulton Skyhooks. The plan was to locate the astronauts, drop in CCTs, remove the astronauts from the orbiter and Skyhook them out, CCTs violently 'expose' of the wreckage, and Skyhook out themselves. The astronauts, according to the article were briefed on this procedure. Crews of the MC-130E's for this mission were on standby for a number of missions until the orbiters reliability proved sufficient enough to abandon their readiness alert.
https://aircommando.org/sites/journal/air_commando_journal_042014.pdf
An MC-130E was on standby with a Combat Control Team and a number of Fulton Skyhooks. The plan was to locate the astronauts, drop in CCTs, remove the astronauts from the orbiter and Skyhook them out, CCTs violently 'expose' of the wreckage, and Skyhook out themselves. The astronauts, according to the article were briefed on this procedure. Crews of the MC-130E's for this mission were on standby for a number of missions until the orbiters reliability proved sufficient enough to abandon their readiness alert.
https://aircommando.org/sites/journal/air_commando_journal_042014.pdf
