[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

Fri Apr 1 23:39:56 EST 2005

                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				               2005 April 1 (Friday) 20:22 PST
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		       VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
			       As of 2005 April 1

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

APR			~12:50-13:33		Minotaur		SLC-8
Payload is XSS-11 satellite

APR			To be announced		Minuteman III	---
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. The Air Force will announce the date
and launch window about 36-hours in advance.

APR 15		10:21:49-10:28:49		Pegasus XL		Offshore
Payload is NASA's DART satellite.

MAY			To be announced		Peacekeeper		---
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. The Air Force will announce the date
and launch window about 36-hours in advance.

MAY 11		03:21:01-03:31:01		Delta II		SLC-2W
Payload is the NOAA N environmental satellite

JUN			Unknown			Minotaur		SLC-8
Payload is STP-R1 satellite

JUN			To be announced		Minuteman III	---
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. The Air Force will announce the date
and launch window about 36-hours in advance.

JUN 30		To be announced		Titan IV		SLC-4E
Classified National Reconnaissance Office payload. The DoD will
announce the launch time about 24-hours in advance. NROL-20

NET JUL		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.

NET JUL 15		~03:00			Delta II		SLC-2W
Payload is the CloudSat and CALIPSO environmental satellites

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	        Southern California Astronomical Events
			         for 2005 April

			  Time
  Date		(PST/PDT)				Event
--------		---------		-----------------------------

APR 1			16:50			Last Quarter Moon
Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon

APR 3			02:00			Time Change
Daylight Savings Time begins. Set clocks ahead one hour

APR 3			09:00			Jupiter Opposition
Jupiter is opposite the Sun with respect to Earth and rises at sunset.

APR 5			06:36			Iapetus
Conjunction Saturn's moon Iapetus (magnitude +11.0) is in inferior
conjunction with the planet and easy to find in moderate-sized
amateur telescopes

APR 8			13:32			New Moon
Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and is invisible. Moon rises
at sunrise and sets at sunset

APR 9-10		---			Dark Sky Weekend
Best time this month to observe faint objects. Amateur astronomers may
hold observing sessions at dark sites

APR 15		~18:00		Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 5° north of Saturn. Time and separation computed for
the Earth's center. They may vary significantly for other locations

APR 15		21:38			Lunar Occultation
The Moon occults (passes in front of) the +4.2 magnitude star ZC1149.
Star disappears at 21:38. The reappearance is not visible. Time
computed for downtown Los Angeles and will vary depending on your
location

APR 16		07:37			First Quarter Moon
Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight

APR 21		19:00			Lecture
Free public lecture "The Ultraviolet Universe", JPL
www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/apr05.cfm

APR 21		19:47			Lunar Occultation
The Moon occults (passes in front of) the +4.0 magnitude star ZC1772.
Star disappears at 19:47. The reappearance is not visible. Time
computed for downtown Los Angeles and will vary depending on your
location

APR 22		19:00			Lecture
Free public lecture "The Ultraviolet Universe", Pasadena City College
www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/apr05.cfm

APR 24		03:06			Full Moon
Moon rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and is visible all night

APR 26		10:00			Mercury Western Elongation
Elusive Mercury attains its greatest angular separation from the Sun
and is visible low in the east at dawn.

APR 30		23:24			Last Quarter Moon
Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon

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                           WEB SITE UPDATE

A new page titled "Technical Photography with the Nikon D70" was
recently added to my web site. It is located at
www.spacearchive.info/nikon-d70.htm

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