[Launch Alert] Minuteman Launched
Brian Webb
[email protected]
Sun, 15 Jun 2003 20:04:17 -0700
ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Brian Webb, KD6NRP
Ventura County, California
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp
Reaching more than 2,010 e-mail addresses worldwide
2003 June 15 (Sunday) 20:00 PDT
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MINUTEMAN LAUNCHED
A Minuteman III strategic missile was successfully launched from
Vandenberg AFB early Wednesday morning (June 11th). Lift-off occurred
as scheduled at 01:01 PDT, the start of the six-hour launch window.
In spite of the inconvenient time, there were at least a few Launch
Alert readers looking for the launch.
Robin Weir of Phoenix, Arizona e-mailed me this report:
"My first successful non-twilight observation of a VAFB launch
from Phoenix. Using 15x70 Bear binos resting on a rearview mirror.
First picked it up about 80 seconds after 1:01 and about 7-10 degrees
up at Az = 279 degrees. Fairly bright yellow-orange irregular shape of
about 3 Jupiter diameters. Rose slowly, without changes, to about 20
degrees up at Az = 270 degrees. where at about 4 minutes into launch
it faded out over about 3 seconds. No subsequent staging seen. No
trails seen, only the single bright moving spot. So it is possible!
Thanks for the launch alerts!"
Utah resident Patrick Wiggins reported he wasn't as lucky:
"Did it launch?
The last launch we saw from here in Utah was really wild so I'd hoped
to see something this morning. Was out watching for most of an hour
starting at 01:00 your (Pacific) time. Saw nothing..."
Carl Merritt from northern California wrote:
"What was supposed to be a quick late night jaunt to a park to watch
the launch turned into a sprint up Mt. Hamilton racing time and cloud
cover to see the launch. The moon and stars finally came out at around
3400 ft, and I stopped at a nice SE facing turnout at 3550 ft, maybe
10 minutes from Lick Observatory. VAFB was bearing 151 degrees and 192
miles away according to my GPS. The ICBM was right on schedule and
clearly visible as it rose through a few scattered trees on a far
ridge line and into the night sky, a brilliant orange with small tail,
and the flashes of the stage separations were also clearly visible. It
arced slowly across the sky, and roughly 2 minutes into the flight
faded from view with one final flash just before its path intersected
the moon.
Video will be online here shortly:
http://www.zfilms.org/temp/VAFB "
James Young, an astronomer at Table Mountain Observatory in southern
California also reported seeing the launch.
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VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
As of 2003 JUN 15
This schedule is a composite of unclassified information approved for
public release public from government, industry, and other sources. It
is essentially accurate at the time of publication, but may disagree
with other launch schedules (including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule). This listing does not provide sensitive or potentially
sensitive information on military launches.
Launch
Time/Window
Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo
------- ----------- ----------- --------
JUN ~11:54 Pegasus XL Offshore
Payload is Orbimage's OrbView 3 commercial reconnaissance satellite.
Pegasus will be air-launched from an L-1011 staged from Vandenberg
AFB. The start time of the 13-minute launch window is not clear.
Launch will probably occur at about 11:54 +/- 10 minutes
JUL-SEP Unannounced EKV Booster Unknown
Test launch of a prototype booster for the EKV (anti-missile
interceptor). Vehicle will fly a ballistic (non-orbital) trajectory.
Launch being conducted for the Missile Defense Agency to develop a
ground-based, midcourse defense system against strategic missiles
JUL 19 09:17-09:27 Titan II SLC-4W
Payload is a DMSP military weather satellite
AUG Unannounced Minuteman III LF-26
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is at least one unarmed
warhead. Impact area is in the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein the
central Pacific. GT-183GB
AUG 2? 21:03:05-22:14:00? Pegasus XL Offshore
Payload is the Canadian Space Agency's SciSat 1 ozone monitoring
satellite. Pegasus will be air-launched from an L-1011 staged from
Vandenberg AFB
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
OCT-DEC Unannounced EKV Booster Unknown
Test launch of a prototype booster for the EKV (anti-missile
interceptor). Vehicle will fly a ballistic (non-orbital) trajectory.
Launch being conducted for the Missile Defense Agency to develop a
ground-based, midcourse defense system against strategic missiles
OCT 15 Unannounced Atlas II SLC-3E
Payload is a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite(s)
NOV 6 08:44? Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's Gravity Probe B scientific satellite
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WEB SITE UPDATES
Several improvements were made to my web site during the past several
days. Here's a list of some of the changes:
New Images
New images were added to the following locations:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp
http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/msls-ift-5-5.htm
Improved Image
The image previously posted on:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/iridium-ms-5-2.htm
was replaced with an image made from a better negative scan of the
same photo.
New Audio File
An interesting example of English language Soviet propaganda was
posted at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/library.htm
Look for "soviet_parade.mp3". A friend of mine was in Moscow in
November 1985 and witnessed the annual Soviet military parade during
the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. He happened to have his
radio-cassette recorder handy and captured this broadcast on tape.
It's rather entertaining.
Revised Page
Numerous corrections were made to the astronomical events calendar.
It's located at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/astrosked.htm