[Launch Alert] Wednesday Minuteman Launch

Mon Jun 12 22:00:42 EDT 2006

                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

				               2006 June 12 (Monday) 18:57 PDT
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                        MINUTEMAN III LAUNCH
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – An unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for launch from North
Vandenberg Wednesday morning. The six-hour launch window is from 1:01
a.m. to 7:01 a.m. PST. The purpose of the launch is to verify the
continued safety, reliability and accuracy of the Minuteman III ICBM.

The missile will launch under the direction of the 576th Flight Test
Squadron here.

Col. Jack Weinstein, 30th Space Wing commander, is the spacelift
commander. The mission director is Lt. Col. S.L. Davis, 576th FLTS
commander. Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking, telemetry and
command destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet safety
requirements.

The missile's single unarmed re-entry vehicle is expected to travel
approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a pre-determined
target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the western chain of the
Marshall Islands. The nation’s ICBMs are a key component of global
stability – a safe, secure and affordable weapon system that delivers
deterrence.

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                      MINUTEMAN LAUNCH VIEWING

Wednesday morning's Minuteman III launch comes just three days after
the full Moon. The resulting bright sky will make launch viewing more
difficult and diminish the display.

The missile's first stage burn, the brightest portion of the launch,
should be visible to the naked eye at least as far away as Monterey,
Fresno, and Long Beach.

The fainter second and third stage burns should be visible over a
much wider area provided you use a dark observing site and binoculars
or other optical assistance. Tripod mounted binoculars are a good
choice. Perhaps an even better option would be a large astronomical
telescope.

Since Wednesday's launch is a military weapon system test, there will
be no publicly available countdown status.

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                        E-MAIL CONSIDERATIONS

In the days leading up to a launch, I'm often very busy and have a
hard time answering questions via e-mail. Many questions about launch
viewing and photography can be answered by reading the following
pages:

   www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm

   www.spacearchive.info/vafbphoto.htm

Following a launch, I receive anywhere from a handful to literally
hundreds of e-mails. However, just when I may be under a deadline and
trying to send an important e-mail, I can be flooded with incoming
launch observations and photos any my e-mail access incapacitated.

To prevent any problems, I ask that you do the following:

   - Only send images that are of high quality

   - Send no more than three images

   - Do not send any photo, video, or other attachments larger than
     750 kB.

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