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375th Air Mobility Wing adds Explorer II model aircraft to its collection

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class De'Quan Simmons
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Team Scott added another model aircraft to its historic collection on March 6, 2023, at the 375th Air Mobility Wing Headquarters. 

Marc Hornkohl of the American Model Builders delivered a model of the U.S. Army Air Corps Explorer II balloon to the headquarters, adding to the collection of the 375th Air Mobility Wing's Heritage Program. 

Explorer II was part of a partnership between the U.S. Army Air Corps and the National Geographic Society, and its mission was to collect data on the composition of the atmosphere. The crew set the world record for altitude and were the first to photograph Earth's curvature.

The two-man crew, U.S. Army Air Corps Captains Albert W. Stevens and Orvil A. Anderson, both of Scott Field, received national coverage, Distinguished Flying Cross Medals, the Air Corps’ Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year, and the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal for distinction in exploration, discovery, and research.