[Launch Alert] Friday Vandenberg Launch

Thu Apr 13 22:25:29 EDT 2006

                          LAUNCH ALERT

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

				            2006 April 13 (Thursday) 19:18 PDT
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                      FRIDAY VANDENBERG LAUNCH

In spite of an unfavorable weather forecast, tomorrow's launch of a
Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg AFB appears to be on schedule. The
booster is slated to lift-off from south base during a launch window
that runs from 17:10 to 20:10 PDT.

The vehicle will climb vertically at first followed by a gradual turn
towards the south. The Minotaur will then head in a southerly
direction as it races downrange. If all goes well, the booster will
insert the COSMIC scientific satellites into orbit.

The visibility of the launch will vary tremendously depending on the
time of day.

If lift-off occurs near the start of the window, the Sun will be above
the horizon. Given clear skies, the trail from the rocket will likely
be easily visible to the naked eye for a distance of 50 miles from the
pad. Some observers may be able to barely see the trail as far away as
120 miles.

If the launch occurs late in the window during evening twilight, the
Minotaur's exhaust may be illuminated at high altitude by the Sun,
creating an impressive visual display visible for hundreds of miles.

For information about launch viewing and photography refer to the
following pages:

   www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm

   www.spacearchive.info/vafbphoto.htm

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			       COUNTDOWN STATUS

A good source of countdown status for the Minotaur/COSMIC launch
is the Spaceflight Now web site. Space journalist Justin Ray is now
providing current countdown status on a web page devoted to this
launch. Point your browser to:

   http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/cosmic/status.html

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.

NASA TV (NTV) may also provide coverage of the launch. To access NTV
over the Web, go to www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA TV is available on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via
satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040
MHz, vertical polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, they are on AMC-7 at
137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal
polarization. For digital downlink information, visit
www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NTV is reportedly also available on Dish TV channel 213 and Direct
TV channel 376.

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              U.S.-TAIWAN CONSTELLATION OF SATELLITES
              National Science Foundation News Release

A globe-spanning constellation of six satellites expected to improve
weather forecasts, monitor climate change, and enhance space weather
research will head into orbit on Fri. April 14, 2006. Barring delays,
a Minotaur rocket is scheduled to launch the array at 5:10 p.m.
Pacific time from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central Calif.
coast.

The low-orbiting satellites will be the first to provide atmospheric
data daily in real time over thousands of points on Earth for both
research and operational weather forecasting. The satellites will
measure the bending of radio signals from the U.S. Global Positioning
System (GPS) as the signals pass through Earth's atmosphere.

Called COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology,
Ionosphere and Climate) in the United States and FORMOSAT-3 in Taiwan,
the $100 million satellite network is the product of an agreement
between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and
Cultural Representative Office in the United States. The array is
based on a system design provided by the University Corporation for
Atmospheric Research (UCAR).

Temperature and water vapor profiles derived from the GPS data will
help meteorologists observe, research, and forecast hurricanes,
typhoons, and other storm patterns over the oceans and improve many
areas of weather prediction. The stability, consistency, and accuracy
of the measurements will provide critical new information to
scientists quantifying long-term climate change trends, say
atmospheric scientists.

COSMIC's measurements also will improve analysis and forecasting of
space weather--the geomagnetic storms that can interrupt sensitive
satellite and communications systems and affect power grids on the
ground.

"The satellites will convert GPS measurements into a precise worldwide
set of weather, climate, and space weather data," said Jay Fein,
program director in the U.S. National Science Foundation's Division of
Atmospheric Sciences, which funded COSMIC. "The resulting new
information will have a tremendous impact on geosciences research and
weather prediction, and will be an important contribution to global
Earth observations."

COSMIC relies on a technology known as radio occultation. Just as the
water molecules in a glass change the path of visible light waves,
molecules in the air bend GPS radio signals as they pass through the
atmosphere. By measuring the amount of this bending, scientists can
determine underlying atmospheric conditions, such as air density,
temperature and moisture, and electron density.

"This is the first time the technique of radio occultation has been
used on a large scale in real time to provide nearly continuous
measurements of worldwide atmospheric conditions at all altitudes,"
said William Kuo, director of the UCAR COSMIC office.

While several single-satellite systems have used GPS signals
experimentally over the past decade, COSMIC's unique six-satellite
array is the first to provide the high-density global coverage
required for both research and operational forecasting.

"Centers around the world will have access to this new information for
both research and operational forecasting," said UCAR president
Richard Anthes. "User-friendly versions of the data will enable those
with less sophisticated systems to benefit as well."

Orbiting at an altitude of 500 miles (800 kilometers), COSMIC
satellites will take approximately 2,500 measurements every 24 hours
in a nearly uniform distribution around the globe. The system will
provide novel and independent data over vast stretches of the oceans
where there are no weather balloon observations. The data's high
vertical resolution will complement the high horizontal resolution of
other weather satellite measurements.

Because the satellites' radio signals pierce thick cloud cover and
precipitation, weather conditions will not interfere with data
gathering, as is often the case for remote sensing platforms. The
satellites will not need to be recalibrated and the instruments'
accuracy and sensitivity will not change during the five-year
mission--common problems with Earth-observing satellites over their
lifetime. The data will be available to researchers and forecasters
within a few hours of the observations.

"The COSMIC mission would not have been possible without the broad
support of U.S. sponsors and the partnership with Taiwan," says Fein.

Taiwan's National Science Council and National Space Organization
provided more than $80 million for the system. The U.S. National
Science Foundation, lead agency for COSMIC science activities, and its
partners provided the rest of the support. Major partners include
NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program, the Office of Naval
Research, and the Department of Defense Space and Missile Systems
Center's Rocket Systems Launch Program of the U.S. Air Force, which
provided logistical support.

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			           TIME FORMAT

All times in this newsletter are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format based on military time. Under this system, regular time is
expressed as follows:
                                            24-hour
		            Regular Time        Format
                    ---------------------   -------
		        12:00 a.m. (midnight)    00:00
		        6:00  a.m.		   06:00
		        12:00 p.m. (noon)        12:00
                    6:00  p.m.               18:00

No distinction is made between Pacific Standard Time and Pacific
Daylight Time.

For assistance in converting military time to regular time, go to:

	http://www.spacearchive.info/military.htm

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