[Launch Alert] Corrected Launch Alert

[Brian Webb]

		ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

				     Brian Webb
		  	   Ventura County, California
			  E-mail: kd6nrp@earthlink.net
		  Web Site: http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp

	    Reaching more than 1,970 e-mail addresses worldwide
 				       
						  2003 June 7 (Saturday) 16:05 PDT
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			   MINUTEMAN LAUNCH WEDNESDAY

A Minuteman III strategic missile is scheduled for launch from
Vandenberg AFB early Wednesday morning, June 11th. The routine test
will send three unarmed warheads on a ballistic (non-orbital)
trajectory to the central Pacific.

The vehicle is slated to leave its silo at northwest Vandenberg at
01:01 PDT or sometime shortly afterward. The launch window extends
from 01:01 to 07:01 PDT.

The vehicle will quickly climb into the night sky and send its three
warheads on a 30-minute trip to the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein
atoll, some 4,200 nautical miles downrange.

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			   MINUTEMAN III FLIGHT EVENTS

The following table is a generic listing of flight events for
Minuteman III launches from Vandenberg AFB. The times, altitudes, and
distances may vary slightly for each launch.

								 Downrange
Time						Altitude	 Distance
mm:ss			Event			  (NM)	   (NM)
-----		------------------	--------	 ---------
00:00		Stage 1 ignition		     0		0
01:01		Stage 2 ignition		    16	     18
02:06		Stage 3 ignition		    49	    120
03:05		Stage 3 separation	   123	    210

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				   OBSERVING TIPS

The Minuteman III is bright during its boost (launch) phase. Weather
permitting Wednesday's launch should be visible to the unaided eye for
hundreds of miles.

Although the naked eye is a good instrument, you will see much more if
you use optical assistance. Binocular are good, but tripod-mounted
binoculars are even better. The best view will be through an
astronomical telescope.

One of the more interesting aspects of the launch occurs following
stage 1 - stage 2 separation at T+ 01:00. At that time, the spent
first stage will still be burning as it tumbles, creating a flashing
point of light.

Coastal low clouds and fog will likely be a problem at launch time.
If you live within 50 miles of the coast, try observing the launch
from the mountains above 3,000 feet.

If you see the launch, be sure to send me a detailed report.

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				MINUTEMAN III LAUNCH

	    The following is an edited version of a
	    Vandenberg AFB news release about Wednesday's
	    launch.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The 30th Space Wing's 576th Flight
Test Squadron and a task force from the 91st Space Wing, Minot AFB,
N.D., are scheduled to launch an unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday from North Vandenberg as
part of Force Development Evaluation. The launch window is scheduled
from 1:01 to 7:01 a.m.

Capt. Cory Hanna, 576th FLTS, will direct launch activities. Mission
Director for this launch is Lt. Col. Michael Fortney, 576th FLTS
commander. Col. Robert M. Worley II, 30th Space Wing commander, will
be the spacelift commander. Maintenance members from the 576th FLTS
conducted all maintenance activities for the launch.

The missile's three unarmed re-entry vehicles are expected to travel
approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a
pre-determined target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the western
chain of the Marshall Islands.

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			   ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

mm:ss	 Minutes and seconds
NM	 Nautical miles. A nautical mile is 6,076.115 feet in length.
	 The statute mile used in everday life is 5,280 feet long.
PDT	 Pacific Daylight Time