This C-119J Flying Boxcar made the world’s first mid-air recovery of an object returning from space. In August 1960, it caught the Discoverer XIV satellite using recovery gear lowered from the open rear door. This mechanism snagged the satellite’s parachute, and a winch slowly reeled the film capsule into the aircraft. “Satellite catching” became an important and regular U.S. Air Force operation to recover secret reconnaissance satellite film. | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force