From kd6nrp at earthlink.net  Sat Sep  3 22:02:52 2005
From: kd6nrp at earthlink.net (Brian Webb)
Date: Sat Sep  3 22:07:44 2005
Subject: [Launch Alert] Wednesday Minuteman Launch
Message-ID: <ILEIKIDGMILNBLGDAFBMIEHBFFAA.kd6nrp@earthlink.net>


                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				         2005 September 3 (Saturday) 18:53 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     VANDENBERG TO LAUNCH MMIII
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. ? An unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled to launch from North
Vandenberg Wednesday morning. The six-hour launch window is from 1:01
to 7:01 a.m. PST*.

The mission tests the reliability and accuracy of the weapon system.
The launch is a team effort by members of the 30th Space Wing and the
576th Flight Test Squadron here and the 91st Space Wing from Minot
AFB, N.D.  The task force from the 91th Space Wing from Minot AFB,
N.D., led by Capt. Carl Bottolfson, will launch the missile under the
direction of the 576 FLTS.  Capt. Rod Smith, 576 FLTS, is the launch
director.

The mission director is Lt. Col. Stephen Davis, 576 FLTS commander.
The spacelift commander is Col. Jack Weinstein, 30th Space Wing
commander.

Members of the 576 FLTS performed maintenance activities to include
missile emplacement and installation of unique missile tracking,
telemetry and command destruct systems to collect test data and meet
safety requirements.

The missiles? two unarmed re-entry vehicles are expected to travel
approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting pre-determined
targets at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein Atoll in the
western chain of the Marshall Islands.

Designated Glory Trip 187-1, this operational test launch continues a
long history of Western Range launches used to verify, validate and
improve the capability of the nation?s ICBM force--a key component to
continued global stability.

* To eliminate any confusion, be advised that the launch is scheduled
  for Wednesday, September 7, between 1:01 to 7:01 a.m. PDT - Editor

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright ? 2005 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
not be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.

From kd6nrp at earthlink.net  Wed Sep  7 09:21:13 2005
From: kd6nrp at earthlink.net (Brian Webb)
Date: Wed Sep  7 09:26:48 2005
Subject: [Launch Alert] Minuteman III Launched
Message-ID: <ILEIKIDGMILNBLGDAFBMOEKMFFAA.kd6nrp@earthlink.net>


Be advised that the Minuteman III was launched from Vandenberg this morning
at 01:53 PDT.

Brian Webb

From kd6nrp at earthlink.net  Mon Sep 12 22:41:45 2005
From: kd6nrp at earthlink.net (Brian Webb)
Date: Mon Sep 12 22:48:08 2005
Subject: [Launch Alert] Wednesday Vandenberg Launch
Message-ID: <ILEIKIDGMILNBLGDAFBMMEBEFGAA.kd6nrp@earthlink.net>


                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				          2005 September 12 (Monday) 19:35 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     WEDNESDAY VANDENBERG LAUNCH

A Minuteman ICBM carrying one unarmed warhead is scheduled for launch
from Vandenberg AFB this Wednesday, September 14. The Minuteman III is
slated to lift-off from a silo at north Vandenberg at 01:01 PDT, the
start of a six-hour launch window.

Unlike most Minuteman launches, the launch command for this flight
will be issued from an E-6B aircraft.

Following lift-off, the Minuteman will head west with the powered
portion of the flight lasting more than three minutes. The
reentry vehicle (warhead) will fly an arc-shaped trajectory and cover
about 4,800 statute miles before plunging back into the atmosphere
and arriving at its target at Kwajalein.

Weather permitting, the launch should be visible to the naked eye for
at least 300 statute miles. Sharp-eyed observers who know exactly
where to look may be able to see the event from as far away as central
Arizona, southwest Utah, and Reno.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   MINUTEMAN III LAUNCH SCHEDULED
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. ? An unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled to launch from North
Vandenberg Wednesday morning. The six-hour launch window is from 1:01
to 7:01 a.m. PST*. The mission tests the reliability and accuracy of
the weapon system.

The launch is a team effort by members of the 30th Space Wing and the
576th Flight Test Squadron here and the 91st Space Wing from Minot
AFB, N.D. The task force from the 91st SW, led by Capt. Carl
Bottolfson, will launch the missile under the direction of the 576th
FLTS. Capt. Rasheem Wright, 576th FLTS, is the launch director. The
576th FLTS falls under the 595th Space Group which reports to the
Space Warfare Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.

The mission director is Lt. Col. Stephen Davis, 576th FLTS commander.
The spacelift commander is Col. Jack Weinstein, 30th Space Wing
commander.

Members of the 576th FLTS performed maintenance activities to include
missile emplacement and installation of unique missile tracking,
telemetry and command destruct systems to collect test data and meet
safety requirements.

The missile?s unarmed re-entry vehicle is expected to travel
approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a
pre-determined target at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein
Atoll in the western chain of the Marshall Islands.

Designated Glory Trip 189GM, this operational test launch continues a
long history of Western Range launches used to verify, validate and
improve the capability of the nation?s ICBM force--a key component to
continued global stability.

* This should say "PDT" - Editor

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright ? 2005 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
not be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.

From kd6nrp at earthlink.net  Wed Sep 14 09:08:03 2005
From: kd6nrp at earthlink.net (Brian Webb)
Date: Wed Sep 14 09:14:38 2005
Subject: [Launch Alert] Minuteman III Launched
Message-ID: <ILEIKIDGMILNBLGDAFBMMEDEFGAA.kd6nrp@earthlink.net>


Be advised that the Minuteman III lifted-off from Vandenberg this morning
on-time at 01:01 PDT. Launch Alert readers in San Mateo, Calif. and Phoenix,
Ariz. reported seeing the event.

Regards,

Brian Webb

From kd6nrp at earthlink.net  Tue Sep 20 07:41:48 2005
From: kd6nrp at earthlink.net (Brian Webb)
Date: Tue Sep 20 07:49:22 2005
Subject: [Launch Alert] Vandenberg Dusk Launch
Message-ID: <ILEIKIDGMILNBLGDAFBMAELEFGAA.kd6nrp@earthlink.net>


                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				         2005 September 20 (Tuesday) 04:36 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                       VANDENBERG DUSK LAUNCH

The first Vandenberg AFB dusk launch in nearly three years is slated
for Thursday, September 22. The Minotaur booster is scheduled to lift-
off from south Vandenberg at 19:24 PDT, the start of a 16-minute
launch window.

Several minutes later, the rocket will place the Defense Advanced
Research Project Agency's Streak satellite into a polar orbit.

As seen from Santa Barbara, lift-off occurs 29 minutes after sunset.
The Minotaur is expected to climb into sunlight during the second
stage burn at about T+90 seconds. The exhaust plume will be
illuminated by the sun and may create a nice display visible across a
large part of the Southwest and western Mexico.

The launch may be visible until nearly T+13 minutes. For information
on launch viewing and photography, refer to:

  www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm
  www.spacearchive.info/vafbphoto.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                      MINOTAUR LAUNCH SCHEDULED
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. ? Team Vandenberg is set to launch a
Minotaur rocket Thursday from Space Launch Complex-8 on South
Vandenberg.  The launch period is from 7:24 to 7:40 p.m. The rocket
will launch the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency?s Streak
spacecraft.

30th Space Wing Commander Col. Jack Weinstein will be the spacelift
commander, or final ?go for launch? authority, for Thursday?s launch.

The Minotaur rocket is a ground-based variant of the Orbital Sciences
Corp. air-launched Pegasus rocket. It is capable of launching up to
3,000 pounds into a low-Earth orbit and up to 800 pounds into
geosynchronous transfer orbit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

			       LAST PEACEKEEPER

It's now safe to assume that the last scheduled Peacekeeper ICBM test
launch is not going to happen. Known as Glory Trip 34PA, the launch
was scheduled to occur from Vandenberg AFB earlier this year. It was
apparently delayed so long that the test was no longer needed.

The launch was intended to test the reliability and accuracy of the
Peacekeeper. However, the Air Force had a ceremony yesterday to mark
the retirement of the Peacekeeper from the U.S. land-based ICBM force.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                      ROCKET WATCHER PASSES ON

The Editor was informed last week of the death of Launch Alert
subscriber Daniel Bent. He was a launch enthusiast and an amateur
radio operator (callsign KF6IQL).

His brother Ben wrote "Once we traveled to Vandenberg to watch a
launch but unfortunately it was scrubbed. Dan and I had planed to try
again real soon but I guess he's going to have a better view than me
this time."

Daniel died September 12th from a heart attack.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright ? 2005 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
not be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.

From kd6nrp at earthlink.net  Thu Sep 22 08:31:35 2005
From: kd6nrp at earthlink.net (Brian Webb)
Date: Thu Sep 22 08:39:32 2005
Subject: [Launch Alert] Launch Remains On Schedule
Message-ID: <ILEIKIDGMILNBLGDAFBMAEOMFGAA.kd6nrp@earthlink.net>


                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				        2005 September 22 (Thursday) 05:26 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     LAUNCH REMAINS ON SCHEDULE

Tonight's scheduled launch of a Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg AFB
appears to be on schedule for a dusk launch at 19:24 PDT, the start
of a 16-minute launch window.

According to a computer analysis by space analyst Rick Baldridge, the
rocket will climb into sunlight at T+78 seconds during the second
stage burn. That may create a fine display visible across a wide
portion of the Southwest and Mexico.

I'll be heading into the field later today to photograph the launch
and will be unable to provide any updates for several hours. However,
Spaceflight Now should provide updated launch status at:

  www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/stpr1/status.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright ? 2005 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
not be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.

