[Launch Alert] Vandenberg Launch Schedule
Brian Webb
[email protected]
Sat, 20 Mar 2004 07:18:19 -0800
LAUNCH ALERT
Brian Webb
Ventura County, California
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info
2004 March 20 (Saturday) 07:00 PST
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VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
As of 2003 March 20
Launch
Time/Window
Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo
-------- ----------- ---------- --------
MAR Unannounced Minuteman III LF-09
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads (probably Mk-12). Impact area is in the Reagan Test Site at
Kwajalein in the central Pacific. Glory Trip 184GM
APR 9? 09:39-10:02? Taurus SLC-576E
Payload is Taiwan's ROCSAT-2 satellite. The launch window is an
educated guess by the editor.
APR 17 10:09:12 Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's Gravity Probe B satellite. In the event of a
postponement, launch time occurs 4 minutes earlier each day
JUN Unannounced Minuteman III LF-10
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads (probably Mk-12). Impact area is in the Reagan Test Site at
Kwajalein in the central Pacific. Glory Trip 185GM
JUN 17 03:01:48 Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is NASA's AURA scientific satellite
JUL Unannounced Peacekeeper LF-02
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is unarmed warheads (probably
Mk-21). Impact area is in the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. Glory Trip 33PA?
AUG-SEP 10:00-13:00 Falcon I SLC-3W
Payload is the Naval Research Laboratory's TacSat-1 satellite. The
launch window is fixed and does not change if the launch date changes.
SEP Unannounced Minuteman III LF-04
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads (probably Mk-12). Impact area is in the Reagan Test Site at
Kwajalein in the central Pacific. Glory Trip 185GM?
Mid-SEP ~03:00? Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is NOAA's NOAA N environmental satellite
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VANDENBERG PAYLOAD REVEALS BENEFITS OF SANTA ANAS
Jet Propulsion Laboratory News Release
(Editor's Note: QuikScat was launched from Vandenberg AFB in 1999)
Southern California's legendary Santa Ana winds wreak havoc every
year, creating hot, dry conditions and fire hazards. Despite their
often-destructive nature, a study of the "Devil Winds," conducted
using data from NASA's Quick Scatterometer (Quikscat) spacecraft and
its SeaWinds instrument shows the winds have some positive benefits.
"These strong winds, which blow from the land out into the ocean,
cause cold water to rise from the bottom of the ocean to the top,
bringing with it many nutrients that ultimately benefit local
fisheries," said Dr. Timothy Liu, a senior research scientist at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and Quikscat
project scientist. Santa Ana consequences include vortices of cold
water and high concentrations of chlorophyll 400 to 1,000 kilometers
(248 to 621 miles) offshore.
Liu and Dr. Hua Hu of the California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, in a paper published last year in Geophysical Research
Letters, revealed satellite observations of the Santa Ana effects on
the ocean during three windy days in February 2003. According to the
findings, Quikscat was able to identify the fine features of the
coastal Santa Ana wind jets. It identified location, strength and
extent, which other weather prediction products lack the resolution
to consistently show, and which moored ocean buoys lack sufficient
coverage to fully represent.
Quikscat's high-resolution images of air-sea interaction were used to
measure wind forces on the ocean. Other satellites and instruments,
like the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, onboard a National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration polar orbiting weather satellite, were
used to measure the temperature and biological production of the
ocean surface, which respond to the wind.
The latter instrument showed sea surface temperatures dropped four
degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) during the February 2003
Santa Anas. That was a sign that upwelling had occurred, meaning,
deep cold water moved up to the ocean surface bringing nutrients.
Images from SeaWiFS confirmed the increased biological productivity
by measuring chlorophyll concentrations in the surface water. It went
from negligible, in the absence of winds, to very active biological
activity (more than 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter) in the presence of
the winds.
"There really is no other system that can monitor Santa Ana winds
over the entire oceanic region," Liu said. "Scatterometers such as
Quikscat have a large enough field of view and high enough resolution
to easily identify the details of coastal winds, which can affect the
transportation, ecology and economy of Southern California."
High pressure develops inland when cold air is trapped over the
mountains, driving the dry, hot and dusty Santa Anas (also called
Santanas and Devil's Breath) at high speeds toward the coast. The
winds, occurring in fall, winter and spring, can reach 113 kilometers
(70 miles) per hour. They happen at any time of day and usually reach
peak strength in December. Telltale signs on the coast include good
visibility inland, unusually low humidity and an approaching dark
brown dust cloud.
The Quikscat satellite, launched in June 1999, operates in a
Sun-synchronous, 800-kilometer (497-mile) near-polar orbit. It circles
Earth every 100 minutes and takes approximately 400,000 daily
measurements over 93 percent of the planet's surface. It passes over
Southern California about twice a day, skipping a day every three or
four days.
Quikscat is part of an integrated Earth observation system managed by
NASA's Office of Earth Science. The NASA enterprise is dedicated to
understanding the Earth as an integrated system and applying Earth
System Science to improve prediction of climate, weather, and natural
hazards using the unique vantage point of space.
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"FAB FIVE" MAKE RARE APPEARANCE IN NIGHT SKY
Jet Propulsion Laboratory News Release
Like a busy urban family, planets rarely get together all at once.
Later this month, however, the five so-called naked-eye planets -
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - will reunite in the night
sky, giving spectators a unique chance to see Earth's closest
companions in one easy sitting.The gathering will be visible every
night for an hour after sunset, beginning around March 22 and lasting
about two weeks. While other opportunities to catch a five-planet
rendezvous will take place in the next few years, both at dawn and
dusk, this one is not to be missed.
"This particular planetary grouping will quite possibly offer the best
nighttime views until 2036," says Dr. Myles Standish, an astronomer at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
For early risers, there will be another chance to see all five
naked-eye planets together just before sunrise in December of this
year and early January 2005.
Since ancient times, the naked-eye planets have intrigued and inspired
onlookers all over the world. But only sporadically, usually every few
years or so, do their orbits take them to the same side of the Sun.
When this happens, the planets stretch across the morning or evening
skies depending on which side of the Sun they reside. More rare are
planetary alignments in which the five planets assemble in a very
small corner of the sky.
"Every so often the five visible planets will collect on one side of
the Sun," says Standish. "Only when conditions are right, will they
all be clearly visible at either dusk or dawn."
The Details
To catch the planetary get-together, you'll need a good view of the
sky, free of buildings and bright city lights (you should still be
able to see the planets through urban light pollution). The show
begins around March 22 and lasts through early April, when Mercury
fades from sight. The finest views will take place during the last 8
to 10 days of March.
Begin by looking to the western horizon each evening just after
sunset. Seated in a row up and across the sky will be Mercury, Venus,
Mars and Saturn. Saturn will lie almost directly overhead. Following
the line of the planets, Jupiter will be close to the eastern horizon.
Together, the planets will span about 135 degrees. About an hour after
dusk, Mercury will dip below the western horizon.
The Moon will also be attending the festivities, mingling through the
planets in an orderly fashion. On March 22, it will take a seat next
to Mercury, and then climbing up the night sky, it will end its tour
on April 1 right above mighty Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar
system. As the Moon slides from planet to planet, it will grow in size
from a slender crescent to a nearly full circle of white.
Note that Venus is currently brighter than usual because of where it
lies in relation to Earth and the Sun.
The Moon and planets will appear to follow nearly the same path
through the stars. This is because their orbits around the Sun occupy
planes that are close to that of Earth's orbit. The plane Earth moves
in is called the ecliptic.
If for some reason you miss the "Fab Five," another set of orbiting
bodies will soon make a grand debut. In April and May of this year,
two naked-eye comets, C/2001 Q4 and C/2002 T7, will grace the twilight
skies. To spot the cosmic balls of dust and ice look to the west at
dusk or dawn. A pair of binoculars will help to initially locate the
comets because they may be slightly washed out by the Sun. On May 12
to 16 look out for a mini-reunion with the naked-eye planets, when
comet C/2001 Q4 lines up with Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter.
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