[Launch Alert] Launch Delayed

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 20:48:07 -0800

                             LAUNCH ALERT

			           Brian Webb
		         Ventura County, California
		        E-mail: [email protected]
	         Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

	   Reaching more than 2,340 e-mail addresses worldwide

				         2003 December 13 (Saturday) 20:44 PST
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		          VANDENBERG LAUNCH DELAYED

Monday's launch of a Lockheed-Martin booster from Vandenberg AFB has
been postponed. It is now scheduled for the morning of Thursday,
December 18th during a 6-hour launch window that begins at 10:00 PST.

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			       LOW TECH ASTRONOMY

Three planets are currently visible in the evening sky to the naked
eye. Mars is high in the south at dusk and looks like a bright orange
star. It will be hard to miss because it's the brightest object in
that part of the sky.

The brightest object in the sky during evening twilight is Venus. To
find it, look in the west for a bright silvery-white point of light.

The third naked eye planet is one that many people never see during
their lifetime. If the sky is very clear and you have an unobstructed
western horizon, you should be able to spot elusive Mercury.

The best time to look is between 30 and 45 minutes after sunset. First
locate Venus, then look to the right and then down. You should see
what looks like a faint star or very distant airplane. Watch it for a
few minutes to verify it isn't an aircraft. If it doesn't move much,
it's probably Mercury.

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			        SPOT AN ASTEROID

December provides an opportunity for suitably equipped observers to
see the asteroid Ceres. The magnitude +7.4 body passes within 1/4
degree south of the star Pollux between December 15th and 19th
Pacific Time.

Ceres will be faintly visible in 7x50 binoculars from a dark site. A
small telescope will be required to see it from the suburbs. Look for
a faint, star-like object moving very slowly from southeast to
northwest.

To positively identify Ceres, sketch the star field south of Pollux
and look for the asteroid's telltale motion over several hours or a
few nights.

For more information, refer to page 71 of the December issue of
Astronomy magazine.

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                             CORRECTIONS

The previous issue of Launch Alert erroneously gave the time of this
month's Atlas II/NRO launch from Vandenberg AFB as 02:02 PST. Lift-off
actually occurred two minutes later at 02:02.

Also, I incorrectly stated that I was a junior in high school when I
witnessed my first Vandenberg rocket launch from on-base. I was a
senior.