[Launch Alert] Saturday Rocket Launch

Tue Jul 6 09:14:23 EDT 2004

                            LAUNCH ALERT

			           Brian Webb
		         Ventura County, California
		        E-mail: kd6nrp at earthlink.net
	         Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

				               2004 July 6 (Tuesday) 06:07 PDT
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                       SATURDAY ROCKET LAUNCH

NASA's Aura atmospheric chemistry satellite is scheduled for launch
from California's Vandenberg AFB during the pre-dawn hours of July 10.
The Delta II rocket carrying Aura is slated to lift-off from Space
Launch Complex 2 West at the start of a launch window that extends
from 03:01:57 to 03:04:57 PDT (10:01:57 to 10:04:57 UTC).

The rocket will rise vertically for several seconds before it begins
to head south. If the Delta functions normally, Aura will be inserted
into a 438-mile-high (705 km) circular orbit inclined 98° to the
equator.

Once Aura becomes operational, it will observe the portion of the
atmosphere between the Earth's surface and a height of 50 miles (80
km). The craft's advanced instruments will measure atmospheric
temperature and the concentration of selected gases and aerosols.
Information from the spacecraft could answer a variety of questions
including if the ozone layer is recovering, which processes control
air quality, and how the Earth's climate is changing.

Since the launch occurs before dawn, it could be visible for hundreds
of miles - perhaps as far away as portions of Nevada, Arizona, and
Mexico. Just before liftoff, the Delta's first stage main engine and
several strap-on solid fuel rocket motors will ignite. Observers may
see a flash on the horizon from the direction of the pad, a few
seconds of darkness, and then a rising orange orb or "star". The
brightness and color of the Delta at this point will be due to the
solid fuel motors' brilliant orange flames.

Two events to look for during the first stage burn are the jettison of
the solid rocket motors. The spent motors will still be burning and
will repeatedly flash as they tumble during free-fall. Six rocket
motors will be jettisoned about 1 minute 27 seconds after launch
followed by three more at about T+ 2 minutes 12 seconds. These events
should be visible to the naked eye for a distance of at least 100
miles (161 km).

After solid motor jettison, the liquid-fueled first stage main engine
will continue to power the Delta II. Since liquid fuel engines produce
a dimmer flame than solid fuel motors, the Delta will drop in
brightness.

Observers in dark locations may see the Delta's first stage exhaust
plume take on an elongated or jellyfish-like appearance as it expands
at high altitude. At T+ 4 minutes 24 seconds the first stage main
engine will cut-off and the vehicle will disappear into the darkness
as it heads downrange.

Although the naked eye is a good instrument for viewing the launch,
optical assistance will provide a better view. Binocular are good, but
tripod-mounted binoculars are even better. An astronomical telescope
will give the best view and may provide a dynamic, surreal light show.

The author witnessed such a display during the 2002 pre-dawn
Delta II/Aqua launch from Vandenberg AFB. Observing with an 8-inch
Newtonian telescope more than 100 miles to the side of the rocket's
path, the view was impressive:

"At its maximum development, the first stage engine's plume took up
8/10 of the telescope's field of view. I could see an orange speck
(the first stage engine) spraying curved lines - both thick and thin -
of light that formed a hemispherical plume.

Near the engine, the lines were blue-green in color. Further away the
lines were fainter and white in color. What was really interesting was
the motion visible in the plume. Within each line of the plume, there
were numerous areas that were brighter than others. I could see these
bright areas exit the engine and rapidly travel down the lines and
disappear. It was very much like looking at the water droplets
spraying from a sprinkler."

The visibility of the launch will depend almost entirely on the
weather. During the warmer months of the year, the weather in central
and southern California is fairly predictable. At launch time, the
coast and areas several miles inland are usually plagued by low clouds
extending up to about 1,500 to 2,000 feet (457 to 610 M). The
probability of coastal cloudcover varies from about 60 to 70%
depending on the location with Vandenberg AFB falling in the middle
of this range. However, the interior tends to be clear.

To view the launch, find a location that is as high as possible and
far from city lights. For the best view, find a spot in the coastal
mountains or hills parallel to the rocket's flight path and high
enough to be above any coastal low clouds.

A version of this article complete with graphics is available online
at:

  http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2004-05-26-brw.htm

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                        AURA LAUNCH COVERAGE
                  Kennedy Space Center News Release

The NASA Direct! Web site is featuring a live webcast event and launch
countdown coverage for the Aura spacecraft, NASA's upcoming mission to
study Earth's atmosphere. Coverage begins July 8 and concludes after
its launch, currently scheduled for July 10 from Vandenberg Air Force
Base, California.

The NASA Direct! webcast program, "Aura Mission Overview," begins at
5:30 p.m. EDT [2:30 p.m. PDT] July 8 with a presentation by NASA's
Associate Administrator for Earth Science, Dr. Ghassem Asrar. The
Aura launch weather officer, Capt. Paul Lucyk, then presents the
latest weather status at Vandenberg Air Force Base. After an
introduction by Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Dr. Woodrow
Whitlow, Host Tiffany Nail interviews NASA Launch Manager Chuck Dovale
concerning the readiness of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle
carrying the Aura spacecraft into orbit. Dr. Philip DeCola, Aura chief
scientist, then addresses the science and technology of the mission,
and Aura Chief Engineer Michael Tanner caps the program with a
discussion on the spacecraft and mission profile.

In addition to NASA Direct!, the KSC Web site provides live countdown
coverage from the Virtual Launch Control Center, located at
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/mission/vlcc.htm. Coverage will feature
real-time updating as milestones occur during the countdown, as well
as streaming video clips of countdown events. All videos are provided
in Real Video format.

AURA WEB COVERAGE SCHEDULE (all times are EDT and subject to change)
L-2 Days - Thursday, July 8, at 5:30 p.m. EDT [2:30 p.m. PDT] NASA
Direct! program: “Aura Mission Overview”
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/nasadirect/elv/aura/event1a.htm

L-0 Days - Launch Day, Saturday, July 10 at 4 a.m. EDT [1 a.m. PDT]
Live countdown coverage
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/mission/vlcc.htm

Although coverage events for this mission do not begin until three
days prior to launch, the Aura Web site at
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/mission/index.htm was activated
approximately one month before the anticipated launch date. KSC’s
Expendable Launch Vehicles site at
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/elv.htm serves as a starting point for
coverage of other NASA ELV missions.

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			        COUNTDOWN STATUS

In addition to NASA Direct! a good source of countdown status for the
Delta II/Aura launch is the Spaceflight Now web site. Space journalist
Justin Ray will probably provide current countdown status on a web
page devoted to this launch. Point your browser to:

  http://www.spaceflightnow.com

On launch day, this page will be updated frequently beginning at about
T-1 hour. Be sure to regularly hit the refresh button on your browser
to see the latest information.

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