[Launch Alert] Launch Observed

[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 2,260 e-mail addresses worldwide
 				       
			               2003 September 16 (Tuesday) 19:24 PDT
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		          MINUTEMAN LAUNCH OBSERVED

The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III strategic missile from
Vandenberg AFB last Wednesday morning. My friend Jay and I took a trip
to the mountains north of Santa Barbara to observe and photograph the
pre-dawn event.

I awoke as scheduled at 01:45 PDT on Wednesday morning, got dressed,
and called Jay to make sure he was awake. After quickly packing my
equipment, I was on the road at 02:04.

The sky was clear for virtually all of the drive with the full Moon
and Mars visible high in the southwest. However, as I drove into the
Santa Ynez mountains, I entered a cloud deck. I became concerned that
the site might be in the cloud layer.

However, as predicted by my weather forecaster, the clouds only
extended up to 2,500 feet. After emerging into clear skies I could see
a vehicle about a mile ahead of me and correctly guessed it was Jay.

After arriving at the site, Jay and I quickly unpacked my equipment
and began setting up my three 35mm film cameras. I needed that many
cameras because I had several specific objectives:

  - I hoped to get an artistic time exposure like the one posted at
    http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/peacekeeper-gt-32pa-2.htm

  - Test the suitability of an ASA 100 film for making time exposures
    of the boost phase of a Minuteman III

  - Obtain refined camera aiming data for Minuteman III time exposures

Setting up the cameras was tedious because each tripod had to be
adjusted to make it perfectly vertical. Then each camera had to be
carefully aimed in azimuth and elevation and lined up parallel with
the horizon.

It seemed that setting up three cameras took twice the effort of
setting up two. Jay and I had a lot of problems and finished aiming
and aligning the last camera at T-4 minutes. I opened the camera
shutters at T-60, -45, and -30 seconds and stood back to enjoy the
display.

Launch was set for 04:31:00 PDT. A few seconds later Jay said
something to the effect of "Here it comes". I could see a bright glow
under the coastal clouds. It quickly grew in intensity and broke
through the cloud deck.

The Minuteman climbed rapidly and arced towards the west. The flame
from the first stage grew longer as the missile climbed. Stage 1/2
separation took place at about T+60 seconds. We could see the flashes
from the spent first stage as it tumbled end-over-end while it
continued to burn.

Using just the unaided eye, Jay and I followed the vehicle all the way
to third stage cutoff at about T+3 minutes. Shortly after the
Minuteman disappeared, we heard a faint, distant rumble from the
launch.

The launch was nice, but the bright sky caused by the full Moon
diminished the display. Still, the excursion produced some usable
photos plus data that will allow me to refine my photographic
technique.

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		       VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
		           As of 2003 September 16

		  Launch
		Time/Window
  Date	 (PST/PDT)		 Vehicle		Pad/Silo
--------	-----------		----------		--------

Late SEP	09:17-09:27		Titan II		SLC-4W
Payload is a DMSP military weather satellite  

NOV 20	Unannounced		Atlas II		SLC-3E
Payload is a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite(s).
NROL-18 

NOV 25	Unannounced		Taurus		SLC-576E
Payload is Taiwan's ROCSAT-2 satellite 

DEC 6		17:52:02		Delta II		SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's Gravity Probe B scientific satellite 

FEB 6		Unannounced		Delta II		SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's AURA scientific satellite 

MAR		Unannounced		Minuteman III	Unannounced
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is unarmed warheads. Impact
area is in the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the central Pacific.
GT-184-GM 

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format identical to military time (midnight = 0000, 1:00 p.m. = 1300,
11:00 p.m. = 2300, etc.) except for the colon. Military time does not
use colons to separate hours, minutes, and seconds, but this listing
does to improve readability. For a convenient table to convert from
military to local time, go to 

  http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/military.htm

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          LECTURE BRINGS GALILEO'S TRAVELS INTO FINAL FOCUS
            Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
                          September 16, 2003

Just a few days before NASA's Galileo mission makes its grand finale,
Dr. Rosaly Lopes, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will discuss the legacy of the mission
in two free lectures.  "Galileo's Odyssey - The Worlds of Jupiter"
will be presented Thursday, Sept. 18, at JPL, and Friday, Sept. 19, at
Pasadena City College.

"Galileo was a fantastic mission, and it returned great science
findings despite many challenges that at times seemed insurmountable,"
said Lopes, an expert in planetary volcanism and science team member
for the Galileo near infrared mapping spectrometer, an instrument that
has returned information about active volcanoes. "Personally, the best
thing for me was to work with a team that got around every difficulty
to make the mission a great success."

Galileo is one of NASA's most successful missions, providing
spectacular findings about Jupiter and its moons, from the sizzling
volcanoes of Io to the ice floes of Europa and the enigmatic icy
terrains of Ganymede and Callisto. Launched in 1989, Galileo flew past
Venus, Earth and two asteroids before arriving at Jupiter in 1995. The
mission was originally designed to observe Jupiter and its moons for
two years. Its remarkable resilience, due to its power source, allowed
the mission to continue for nearly six more years. Galileo leaves us
with a completely new view of these mysterious worlds before it ends
with a plunge into Jupiter's atmosphere on Sunday, Sept. 21.

Now a scientist working on NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn, Lopes has
worked on Galileo since 1991. She discovered numerous previously
unknown volcanoes on Io and co-discovered very high temperature
volcanism on this strange moon. Originally from Brazil, Lopes has a
degree in astronomy and a doctorate in planetary geology from the
University of London, England.

Both lectures are free, open to the public and begin at 7 p.m. 
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Thursday lecture
at JPL, located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, off the Oak Grove
Drive exit of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway, will be held in the von
Karman Auditorium. The Friday lecture will be in Pasadena City
College's Vosloh Forum, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.  For more information,
call (818) 354-0112 or go to

  http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/sep03.cfm ,

where the Thursday lecture will be webcast live and archived for later
viewing.

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   ASTRONAUT APPEARANCE TO HIGHLIGHT "NASA DAY" AT L.A. COUNTY FAIR
        NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.
                          September 15, 2003

NASA astronaut Tracy E. Caldwell will discuss her life as a member of 
NASA's astronaut corps during two special presentations Sept. 23 at 
the Los Angeles County Fair.

Caldwell's appearance will highlight "NASA Day" at the fair, centered 
around the NASA Centennial of Flight exhibit, part of the fair's 
"High Flying Fun" exhibition at this year's fair at the Fairplex in 
Pomona.  

Caldwell, a native of the Los Angeles area, will be giving two 
presentations in the theater area of the NASA exhibit. The first 
presentation is scheduled for about 11:15 a.m. and the second at 
about 3:45 p.m. Both programs will be about 45 minutes long and will 
include time for a question-and-answer session. 

Caldwell's appearance at the fair is in keeping with one of NASA's 
primary goals outlined in the agency's mission statement: "To inspire 
the next generation of explorers." Her presentations will focus on 
her experiences while training to become an astronaut and her life as 
a member of NASA's astronaut corps.

Caldwell, 34, was accepted for astronaut training as a space shuttle 
mission specialist in 1998. After initial training, she has worked in 
various technical assignments until she is assigned to a space 
flight. Among those assignments, she was a crew support astronaut for 
the fifth International Space Station crew, serving as their 
representative for technical and operational issues during their 
expedition, and also served as space station communicator inside 
mission control at the Johnson Space Center at Houston, Texas.

Born in Arcadia, Caldwell grew up in Beaumont, graduating from 
Beaumont High School in 1987. She earned a bachelor of science degree 
in chemistry in 1993 from California State University at Fullerton 
and received her doctorate in physical chemistry from the University 
of California at Davis in 1997. Her dissertation work focused on 
investigating molecular-level surface reactivity and kinetics of 
metal surfaces using electron spectroscopy, laser desorption and 
Fourier transform mass spectrometry techniques. She also performed 
additional graduate-level work in atmospheric chemistry at the 
University of California at Irvine.

Caldwell is a private pilot and is conversational in Russian and 
American Sign Language. Her recreational interests include a variety 
of athletic activities. She was the recipient of numerous honors and 
awards during her academic and professional career, and is a member 
of the Sigma Xi Research Society and the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science. She has presented her work in numerous papers 
at technical conferences and published in scientific journals.

NASA's Centennial of Flight exhibition forms the centerpiece of The 
Final Frontier, one of four venues at the fair's "High Flying Fun" 
exhibition. Entitled "Powering Flight, Powering Dreams," the 
10,000-square-foot exhibit features information on NASA history as 
well as visions for the future.

Other components of the NASA exhibit include full size mock-ups of 
two of the International Space Station's modules and compartments and 
the Mad Science "Mission to Mars" stage show that features special 
effects, costumes, sets and audience participation.

For more information about the 2003 Los Angeles County Fair, visit 
the fair's web site at www.lacountyfair.com or call (909) 623-3111.

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     NASA, NOAA & LOCKHEED MARTIN INVESTIGATE SATELLITE ACCIDENT 
        NASA/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
                          September 9, 2003

On September 6, while performing work on the NOAA-N  Prime spacecraft,
being prepared to launch in 2008 for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the satellite was dropped.

Lockheed Martin, the contractor in charge of the construction and test
of the satellite in Sunnyvale, Calif., NASA and NOAA formed teams to
investigate the accident and assess impact. The 14-foot spacecraft was
about three feet off the ground in an upright stance, when it slipped
from a fixture, as it was being turned from a vertical to horizontal
position.

"NASA and NOAA are understandably concerned about this accident,
because the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft is vital to the continuity of the
polar-orbiting environmental satellite program. We are waiting for an
assessment of the damage from the investigation teams. We will have a
better idea of the extent of the impact on our satellite programs when
the results are available," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C.
Lautenbacher, Ph.D, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and
atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

NOAA's Satellite and Information Service operates two polar-orbiting
operational environmental satellites (POES), which are critical in
monitoring weather and climate.

NOAA-N Prime is under guard, and Lockheed Martin and NASA have secured
all records.

NASA develops the POES for NOAA on a reimbursable basis. NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md, performs program
management for the development of the satellites. 

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		                  GLOSSARY

ASA   Film speed (sensitivity to light). Films with an ASA of 400 or
      less are generally intended for use under outdoor daylight
      conditions. Those with an ASA above 400 are  designed for use
      under dim light.
DMSP	Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
GT-	Glory Trip. Name given to strategic missile test launches
	(GT-183GB, etc.)
LF-	Launch facility. A missile silo (such as LF-10).
mm	Millimeter
NOAA  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
POES  Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites
PDT	Pacific Daylight Time
PST	Pacific Standard Time
SLC-	Space Launch Complex. A launch pad (SLC-2W for example).
T+	Elapsed time since launch