[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				             2005 August 1 (Monday) 20:26 PDT
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		       VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
			       As of 2005 August 1

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

AUG 25	To be announced		Minuteman III	    LF-26
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads. Impact area is the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. The Air Force will announce the launch window about
36-hours in advance.

SEP 7		To be announced		Minuteman III	    LF-04
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads. Impact area isthe Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. The Air Force will announce the launch window about
36-hours in advance.

SEP 14	To be announced		Minuteman III	    LF-09
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads. Impact area isthe Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. The Air Force will announce the launch window about
36-hours in advance.

SEP 29	~03:00			Delta II	          SLC-2W
Payload is the CloudSat and CALIPSO environmental satellites

OCT?		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.

OCT 19	To be announced		Titan IV	          SLC-4E
Classified National Reconnaissance Office payload. The DoD will
announce the launch time about 24-hours in advance.

NOV		To be announced		Delta IV	          SLC-6
Payload is the DMSP F-17 military weather satellite

DEC		Unknown			Minotaur	          SLC-8
Payload is COSMIC scientific satellites

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	          Southern California Astronomical Events
			          for 2005 August

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

AUG 4			20:05			New Moon
Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and is invisible. Moon rises
at sunrise and sets at sunset

AUG 5			17:00			Mercury Inferior Conjunction
Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun and is lost in the Sun's
glare.

AUG 6-7		---			Dark Sky Weekend
Best time this month to observe faint objects. Amateur astronomers may
hold observing sessions at dark sites

AUG 7			~21:00		Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 1.2° north of Venus. Time and separation computed for
the Earth's center and may vary significantly for other locations

AUG 7			21:00			Neptune Opposition
Neptune is opposite the Sun with respect to Earth and rises at sunset.

AUG 12		00:00-04:40		Perseid Meteor Shower
Observers in dark locations should see several meteors per hour.
Shower is expected to peak at 10:00

AUG 12		19:38			First Quarter Moon
Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight

AUG 19		10:53			Full Moon
Moon rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and is visible all night

AUG 20		~05:00		Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 2° south of Uranus. Time and separation computed for
the Earth's center and may vary significantly for other locations

AUG 23		16:00			Mercury Western Elongation
Elusive Mercury attains its greatest angular separation from the Sun
and is visible low in the east at dawn.

AUG 26		08:18			Last Quarter Moon
Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon

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Copyright © 2005 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
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