[Launch Alert] Wednesday Launch

[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 2,280 e-mail addresses worldwide
 				       
				          2003 September 13 (Monday) 06:01 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                      MISSILE LAUNCH WEDNESDAY

A Titan II missile is scheduled for launch this Wednesday morning from
Vandenberg AFB. The vehicle is slated to leave SLC-4W at south base at
09:17 PDT, the start of a 10-minute launch window.

Several minutes later the Titan will place a DMSP military weather
satellite into a low altitude polar orbit selected to give the
spacecraft's sensors global coverage.

For up-to-date countdown status and further information regarding this
launch, go to the Spaceflight Now web site at:

      http://www.spaceflightnow.com/titan/g9/status.html
      http://www.spaceflightnow.com/titan/g9/031012saga.html
      http://www.spaceflightnow.com/titan/g9/031010ascent.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                       TITAN II SET TO LAUNCH
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release

(Vandenberg AFB, OCT 10) The era of Titan II space boosters comes to
a close Wednesday as the last Titan II blasts off of Space Launch
Complex-4 West here. The launch window is from 9:17 to 9:28* a.m. The
rocket will carry a 4,200-pound Defense Meteorological Satellite
Program payload into low Earth orbit approximately 458 nautical miles
above the Earth. This is the first DMSP launch in four years. The DMSP
satellite constellation monitors the Earth's atmosphere and oceans
providing nearly complete coverage of global cloud distribution every
six hours. This final launch is a joint effort between the men and
women of the 30th Space Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center,
Lockheed Martin, and Aerojet. The Titan program is being phased out as
the Air Force moves toward the more cost-effective, efficient evolved
expendable launch vehicle program.

* A reliable source indicates the launch window closes a minute
  earlier at 09:27 - Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     TITAN II LAUNCH VISIBILITY

Observing Wednesday's Titan II launch will be a challenge - even if
you're relatively close to the launch site. The Titan's engines
produce a transparent, colorless flame. This is also a daylight
launch and that will further limit the launch's visibility.

Still, if you know exactly where to look, you might be able to see the
launch for a radius of up to 75-miles.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

		                  GLOSSARY

DMSP	         Defense Meteorological Satellite Program

Nautical Mile  A unit of measure used in the maritime, aviation, and
               astronautics communities. 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 Savings Time

SLC-4W         Space Launch Complex 4 West. A launch pad