AFRL VPP agreement

From left to right: Kriss VanderHyde, Air Force Research Laboratory Detachment 7 Integration and Operation Division deputy, Mike Huggins, AFRL Space and Missile Propulsion Division chief, George Amaya, American Federation of Government Employees base president, Col. Michael Platt AFRL Det. 7 commander, Dr. Ashwani Vij, AFRL Voluntary Protection Program manager, hold up the VPP recommitment agreement signed April 7. (Air Force photo by Ray Dyakon)

Aurora High School, Aurora Robotics Team A, watches as their robot completes the Mini-Urban Challenge course during Regional Competitions

Aurora High School, Aurora Robotics Team A, watches as their robot completes the Mini-Urban Challenge course during Regional Competitions at McLin Gymnasim on the Wright State campus. The team went on to win the competition and now will travel to Washington D.C. to compete in the 2011 National Competition at the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History on May 21, in Washington, DC. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Altitude chamber training begins at the new 711th Human Performance Wing complex

Master Sergeant Michele Armstrong (foreground) guides the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine’s (USAFSAM’s) altitude chamber flight at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio. Airman Kristyn Gonzales (background) operates the altitude chamber. (U.S. Air Force photo by Chris Gulliford)

Altitude chamber training begins at the new 711th Human Performance Wing complex

Future flight surgeons begin an altitude chamber flight at the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). The altitude chamber simulates the effects of high altitude on the human body. It is the latest USAFSAM class to transition to WPAFB from Brooks City-Base, Texas as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). (U.S. Air Force photo by Chris Gulliford)

Human Performance Wing helps develop standardized approach to space training

Staff Sgt. Jason Wassom, 3rd Space Operations Squadron, sits at a student station in the new Standard Space Trainer (SST) Integrated Training Center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado following the ribbon cutting and official opening of the new system. The technology concept for the SST was developed by scientists and engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Readiness Research Division, Continuous Learning and Performance Assessment Branch (711 HPW/RHAS). (U.S. Air Force photo/Dennis Rogers)

Thermal batteries are powerful for their size, and have a long shelf life. (AFRL image)

Thermal batteries can remain inert for years, delivering instantaneous power when activated. They also have a high power output relative to their size, making them ideal for many strategic weapons systems. (AFRL image)