Get Geared up for the CUI and the Launch! Published Nov. 23, 2011 By Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Cotton PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I hope all of you had the opportunity to spend some quality time with family and friends. I know Marsha and I had a great time serving at the Tides before heading home to host some family and friends. We were able to serve up some of our world-famous deepfried turkey and also got a chance to catch up on some football. The R & R definitely was needed after the hectic past couple of weeks getting ready for the Consolidated Unit Inspection (CUI) and the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). I'm thankful and proud of everything Team Patrick has been doing to get us ready to host the AFSPC CUI team. We are in the home stretch before the team arrives on Dec. 2 and I need each and every one of you to remain focused and ready to show your stuff. Be sure to pay attention to the details and do the little things like cleaning up your own personal areas and straightening up your units. Remember, it's all about the 4Cs. Be Compliant, Competent, have Composure and be Committed. In addition to getting ready for the CUI, the wing has remained focused on our core mission of getting ready for another launch, currently scheduled for tomorrow between 10:02 and 11:45 a.m. If you have family and friends in the area on Saturday, be sure to point them towards the Cape and watch as the Atlas V delivers this mission to Mars. MSL is a unique mission in that it is five times larger and carries 10 times more weight than the previous NASA rover missions. It will assess whether Mars is a habitable environment able to support life; something that could pay big dividends to our space program years from now. Remember that the heavy work load combined with the holidays can bring on major stress for some of our folks. So keep an eye out and make sure to take care of one another. You are our #1 asset! Keep pushing, Sharks!