Team Seymour supports shuttle launch Published July 11, 2011 By 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The 4th Fighter Wing added to its historic lineage after supporting the 135th and final space shuttle mission July 8. First flown in 1981, the space shuttle is the world's first reusable spacecraft. Seymour Johnson aircrew flew F-15E Strike Eagles and enforced a Federal Aviation Administration temporary flight restriction around Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in the hours leading up to the launch. When required, the aircrew intercepted, identified and escorted any aircraft that violated the restricted flight area. This mission is part of Operation NOBLE EAGLE and "is vital to the defense of the United States and is a duty that the Air Force accomplishes daily," said Lt. Col. David Moeller, 335th Fighter Squadron commander. "Supporting Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission highlights the unique relationship between air and space and is one that we will always remember," Moeller said. "Seymour Johnson AFB Airmen are very proud to have been a part of this historic milestone in our national space program."