[Launch Alert] Launch Schedule
Brian Webb
[email protected]
Mon, 18 Aug 2003 20:38:02 -0700
ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Brian Webb
Ventura County, California
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp
Reaching more than 2,220 e-mail addresses worldwide
2003 August 18 (Monday) 20:24 PDT
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VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
As of 2003 August 17
Launch
Time/Window
Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo
-------- ----------- ------------- --------
SEP Unannounced Minuteman III LF-10
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is at least one unarmed
warhead. Impact area is in the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. GT-181GM
SEP 14 09:17-09:27 Titan II SLC-4W
Payload is a DMSP military weather satellite
NOV 13 19:30 Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's Gravity Probe B scientific satellite
NOV 20 Unannounced Atlas II SLC-3E
Payload is a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite(s).
NROL-18
JAN 15 Unknown Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's AURA scientific satellite
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RECENT LAUNCH OBSERVATIONS
The following are observations of recent Vandenberg AFB missile
launches. They have been reformatted for readability.
Minuteman III
Launched 2003 August 6 02:06 PDT
Jim Alber
Observing from Palos Verdes Penninsula, Calif.
"Some high clouds plus some marine layer.
All timing is approximate. I didn't check a watch while observing.
Picked up bright red plume very low on horizon at approximately 2:07
PDT, visible for about 30 seconds before disappearing into clouds.
It then reappeared 10-20 seconds later and shortly thereafter
jettisoned the first stage. The 2nd stage plume was more orange and
longer and thinner than the 1st. The upper stages disappeared into the
clouds within about 5 seconds.
The tumbling first stage maxima were very bright with a 2-3 second
period and were visible for approximately 15 seconds.
Upper stages reappeared briefly a little while later and then
disappeared back into the clouds until reappearing farther to the west
and higher as a small orange dot for about 20 seconds before
burnout..."
Yves Konigshofer
Observing from Palo Alto, Calif.
"...the weather forecast here for Tuesday night had changed
repeatedly from Monday to Tuesday evening. Initially, clear skies
had been forecast, which switched to cloudy skies as of Tuesday
morning.
However, the forecast Tuesday evening called for partly cloudy skies
so I set the alarm for 1 a.m. in the hope that I would see the
launch. Using Streets and Trips, I also plotted the course of the
missile to determine where I would need to look at various times after
launch (based on the stage ignition numbers).
At 1 a.m., most of the sky was clear -- except for a giant mass of
clouds that extended southward. At 1:30 a.m., the first half of the
missile's projected path was obscured but being able to see stars
through some of the high-altitude clouds gave me hope that the
missile would also be visible.
At about 2am, with the clouds constantly shifting and sometimes
covering up the latter parts of the path as well, I could not be sure
that the launch had not already taken place but I decided to wait a
bit longer.
Just after 2:07 a.m., I noticed a bright yellow object with a short
tail move quickly though a gap in the clouds and then reappear 20
seconds later. It disappeared exactly where stage 3 separation should
have taken place. Seconds prior to that, it appeared to get dimmer and
then briefly lit up again.
Overall, I got to see about a minute's worth of the launch and was
impressed. It's too bad that the clouds obscured the first and second
stage separations."
Todd Walker
Pismo Dunes, Calif.
"Alarm stirs me up at 1:20 and I make the 1 mile journey down to the
Pismo Dunes to watch the launch. It was a beautiful fog-free night and
I could clearly see the Milky Way stretching across the sky. I found
a recently abandon beach fire pit and kept warm by the glowing red
embers still simmering.
Launch time came and went without incident but I had faith and stuck
it out. Mars looked dazzling and I was able to count three Perseid
meteors during my wait.
Launch occurred sometime after 2:00 a.m. with the layer of fog near
the pad lighting up. I could make out two long bright yellow-orange
flames coming from the nozzles on the engines with my binoculars as it
rose above the clouds.
I took a moment to notice how bright the beach was and how I could see
the hordes of vehicles with camping tourist oblivious to what was
happening and the waves breaking all the way down the beach towards
the pad.
As stage 1 neared the end of its service, the flame color shifted
towards white. After separation and the usual tumbling/blinking of the
first stage falling away, I noticed something I've never seen in
previous launches.
Right as stage 2 ignites, the flames display several colors from white
near the engine to light blue then blue then several shades of purple
near the tip of the flame. I would love to get a picture of that!
Similar colors are seen in the flame with stage 3 as it starts with a
poof and begins to draw a luminescent blue cloud for 10 degrees of
sky.
This is the time the delicious thud..rumble starts to reach my inner
ear and increases my adrenalin flow even more. The self-lit blue
line shapes itself into an 'S' pattern and lasts for several minutes.
I really do enjoy these shows!"
Pegasus XL/SciSat-1
Launched 2003 August 12 19:10 PDT
Jim Albers
Onserving from Sunnyvale, Calif.
"Observation from hill near Sunnyvale water treatment plant,
approximately 37.42, -122.02.
Picked up booster about halfway between some thick high clouds right
above the southern ridgeline and some thinner ones several degrees
higher.
Booster moved quickly upward and somewhat left. Once it reached the
thinner clouds, contrail was too dim to be seen without binoculars.
With binoculars it could be seen extending a couple more degrees into
some thicker clouds. Lower contrail stayed visible for at least 10
minutes as the winds dispersed it."
Brian Lockett
Observing from the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara,
Calif.
"I observed the SciSat launch from West Camino Cielo above Refugio
Pass this evening. The launch trail is just visible on the left side
of this photo. The launch trail appeared through the gap below the top
layer of clouds right at 7:10. The bright point of flame streaked
upward sharply, trailing a faint exhaust trail that was nearly lost in
the glare of the setting sun. The rocket passed directly in front of
the sun. The upper stages left almost no exhaust trail. Just the flame
of the rocket was visible, ascending toward the south."
Ed Morana
Observing from Mountain View, Calif.
"I observed Pegasus from the third floor patio at my work in Mountain
View, CA (naked eye). The launch was early, so as I looked up at 19:10,
Pegasus was already en route.
The first thing that caught my attention was that the jagged
wind-blown trail low in the southwest above the mountains. As I
followed the trail up, I could make out the head as it formed climbing
up to maybe about 6 or 7 degrees (estimate) above the horizon.
I was able to follow the head for about 30 seconds, then the trail
stopped forming, presumable due to first stage burnout. I tried to
pickup the second stage, but could not.
There were cirrus clouds blocking the view to the area in the sky
where the rocket was headed. The jagged trail was visible in the sky
for at least 2 minutes after. This was particularly satisfying since I
was unable to view the last Pegasus launch in June.
I thought maybe the mountains were too high, but today's observation
proves otherwise."
Todd Walker
Observing from Pismo Dunes, Calif.
"From our point of view at the entrance to Pismo Dunes, the Pegasus
flight path went directly across the center of the setting sun (I'm
still seeing spots!).
I didn't expect to see anything from this far away, so I was
pleasantly surprised. We couldn't see the flame however, but a puff
from the first staging event was visible as the contrail covered about
a 50 degree portion of the sky.
The sun has just about set and the contrail has now turned into what
looks like some fancy unreadable handwriting.
Brian Webb
Observing from Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
I was at Vandenberg AFB covering this launch for a news organization.
We first went to base operations (the control tower) and watched the
preflight preparations and take-off of the L-1011 launch aircraft and
F/A-18 chase plane. After that, we drove to the NASA building at south
base to monitor the launch.
My original plan was to go outside prior to launch, aim my tripod-
mounted binoculars in the right direction, and look for the Pegasus XL
rocket as it raced down the coast. Instead, I stayed in the viewing
gallery behind the NASA operations center and listened to launch
communications and watched live video from the L-1011 and the Pegasus.
About an hour after launch, I drove from the NASA building to
the south base visitor's center. It was getting dark. Low on the
southwestern horizon I could see the twisted squiggle of the rocket's
sunlit exhaust. I expected it to be higher in the sky. Perhaps the
high-altitude winds blew if further out to sea.
The squiggle-shaped contrail was still visible when I emerged from the
visitor's center at 20:30 PDT.
Prototype EKV Booster Launch
Launched 2003 August 16 11:00 PDT
Bill Goodart
Observing from Marina del Rey, California
"...It went right on schedule and I got a good view from Marina del
Rey (just south of Santa Monica). That rocket sure did haul. It
really went fast. Saw staging. The contrail spanned about 90 degrees,
but only lasted a few seconds. Looking forward to the next one."
Brian Lockett
Observing from the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara,
California
"I observed the launch of the Orbital Sciences Exoatmospheric Kill
Vehicle (EKV) from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:00 this morning.
The bright flame of the rocket engine climbed out of the marine layer
haze right at the beginning of the launch window. It appeared to rise
from the north end of the base, where the old Minuteman silos are
located.
It ascended on a completely different trajectory than I have
photographed before. It accelerated very quickly and didn't arc over
at all. It just headed up and slightly toward the south.
The transition to the second stage was clearly visible as the exhaust
trail suddenly grew fainter. The upper stages left no trail, but the
rocket's flame and its expanding plume were visible against the dark
sky. It burned out much higher in the sky than any other launch I have
seen.
A few minutes after burnout, the sound of the ascending rocket reached
my position in the Santa Ynez Mountains north of Santa Barbara. It was
a faint rumble from high in the sky."
Brian Webb
Observing from Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
I was at the La Punta observation area at northwest Vandenberg, a high
hill about three miles from the beach and 400 feet above sea level.
The sky was clear and haze was at a minimum. Luckily, rather than
being obscured by coastal hills, the silo was visible several miles
away.
I took still photos and viewed the launch through a 135mm (2.6x)
telephoto lens. Ignition and lift-off were impressive and I managed to
get the photo I wanted. The vehicle climbed quickly, leaving a thick,
white smoke trail behind it.
What surprised me was the vehicle's flight heading and how steeply it
climbed. All of the silo launches I've seen head almost due west
towards the central Pacific. However, this missile headed towards the
south-southwest.
Other silo launches attained a maximum elevation of about 45 degrees
as they headed downrange. This vehicle climbed very steeply and
attained a maximum elevation of about 75 degrees. It was so high in
elevation, I had problems looking through my camera's viewfinder.
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GLOSSARY
DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
EKV Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle. The anti-missile interceptor
for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system designed to
destroy missiles in space during the middle (midcourse)
portion of their trajectory.
GT- Glory Trip. Name given to strategic missile test launches
(GT-183GB, etc.)
LF- Launch facility. A missile silo (such as LF-10).
PDT Pacific Daylight Time
PST Pacific Standard Time
SLC- Space Launch Complex. A launch pad (SLC-2W for example).
x Power (magification)