[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

Sat Jun 30 20:51:03 EDT 2007

                             LAUNCH ALERT

			            Brian Webb
		         Ventura County, California
		             kd6nrp at earthlink.net
	               http://www.spacearchive.info

				             2007 June 30 (Saturday) 10:37 PDT
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		       VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
			       As of 2007 June 30

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

Summer	     To be announced	    Minuteman III         ---
The vehicle will probably send one or more unarmed warheads on a
ballsitic trajectory to an impact area in the Central Pacific. The Air
Force will anounce the launch date and window a few days in advance.

Fall		     To be announced	    Delta II              SLC-2W
Payload is the Worldview 1 commercial Earth imaging satellite. The
booster will use the Delta-7420-10C configuration and insert the
payload into a sun-synchronous orbit

NET NOV 8	     To be announced	    Delta II              SLC-2W
Payload is the Missile Defense Agency's Block 2010 satellite

2007?		     To be announced	    Delta II              SLC-2W
Payload is the GeoEye 1 commercial Earth imaging satellite. The
booster will use the Delta-7420-10C configuration and insert the
payload into a 425-mile (684-kilometer), 98°, sun-synchronous orbit
with a 10:30 a.m. equator crossing time

2007?		     To be announced	    Atlas V               SLC-3E
Classified National Reconnaissance Office payload. The DoD will
announce the exact launch time several hours in advance. NROL-28

2007?		     To be announced 	    GBI                   ---
An anti-missile interceptor launched from Vandenberg AFB will attempt
to intercept a mock warhead launched from Kodiak, Alaska. This test is
very similar to the test conducted on 2006 SEP 1. Test delayed from
December-January to allow for software changes and upgrades to the
interceptor. The test was attempted on MAY 25, but was aborted after
the target missile malfunctioned following launch.

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	                   ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS
			            2007 July
                Computed for Los Angeles, California

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

JUL 1		    18:00		  Conjunction
Venus 0.8° south of Saturn. Time of closest approach and separation
computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly depending
on your location

JUL 5		    23:45		  Occultation
The Moon passes in front of the +3.8 magnitude star lambda Aquarii.
The star reappears at 23:45:28. The disappearance is not visible. Time
computed for downtown Los Angeles and will vary for other locations

JUL 7		    09:54		  Last Quarter Moon
Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon

JUL 12	    07:00		  Venus Maximum Brightness
The planet Venus attains its maximum brightness (magnitude -4.4)

JUL 14-15	    ---		  Dark Sky Weekend
Best time this month to observe faint objects. Amateur astronomers may
hold observing sessions at dark sites

JUL 14	    05:04		  New Moon
Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and is invisible. Moon rises
at sunrise and sets at sunset

JUL 16	    08:00		  Conjunction
Venus 2° south of the star Regulus. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location

JUL 16	    16:00		  Conjunction
The Moon passes 0.04° south of Saturn. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location

JUL 20	    08:01		  Mercury Western Elongation
Mercury attains its greatest angular separation from the Sun and is
visible low in the east at dawn.

JUL 21	    23:29		  First Quarter Moon
Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight

JUL 29	    17:48		  Full Moon
Moon rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and is visible all night

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                 VENUS AND SATURN CROSS PATHS JULY 1
                   Astronomy Magazine News Release

Appearing together for one night, the two planets will put on a nice
evening show.

WAUKESHA, WI - Families can cap off a fun-filled weekend by seeing
Venus and Saturn close together in the evening sky July 1.

For about 2 hours after sunset, the two planets appear separated by
about 1½ Full-Moon widths (0.8°) from our perspective on Earth.
Astronomers call such a close pairing a conjunction.

A planetary conjunction occurs when a planet is aligned from our line
of sight with another object, such as a star, the Moon, or another
planet.

Venus and Saturn, located in Leo the Lion, make a stunning show as
darkness falls. Venus glows low in the west at magnitude -4.6, the
brightest "star" after sunset, while Saturn shines 120 times fainter
but still bright enough to see without the aid of binoculars or a
telescope. All viewers, not just seasoned astronomers, can enjoy this
planetary display.

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                   LAUNCH IMAGES AND MOVIES POSTED

Many of you probably recall the 2005 dusk launch of a Minotaur rocket
from Vandenberg AFB. This impressive event placed the Streak satellite
into orbit and was visible across the U.S. southwest and western
Mexico.

Photos and time-lapse movies of the launch were recently posted on the
Space Archive web site. To view them, go to:

  http://www.spacearchive.info/minotaur-streak.htm

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                          WEB SITE UPDATES

The following news stories were recently added to the Space Archive
web site:

  Mars Rover Ready For Descent Into Crater
  http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2007-06-28-jpl.htm

  QuikSCAT Marks Eight Years in Orbit
  http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2007-06-19-batc.htm

  Nanotechnology Sensor Tested in Space
  http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2007-06-18-arc.htm

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