VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II rises above the clouds as Staff Sgt. Eric Thompson freefalls over Lompoc, Calif., June 7. The instructor with the 532nd Training Squadron planned his skydive to coincide with the launch carrying the Italian Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite. Both the launch and the dive were successful. (Courtesy photo)