[Launch Alert] Minuteman III launched

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

			             2008 August 13 (Wednesday) 08:04 PDT
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                  VANDENBERG LAUNCHES MINUTEMAN III
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release
                           2008 August 13

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A Minuteman III intercontinental
ballistic missile configured with a National Nuclear Security
Administration, or NNSA, test assembly was launched from North
Vandenberg today at 1:01 a.m.

The missile's three unarmed re-entry vehicles traveled approximately
4,220 nautical miles to pre-determined targets near the Kwajalein
Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

The missile launched under the direction of the 576th Flight Test
Squadron. Operational tasks were conducted by maintenance and
operations task force personnel from the 341st Missile Wing,
Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking,
telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data
and meet safety requirements.

Col. David J. Buck, 30th Space Wing commander, was the spacelift
commander. Lt. Col. Lesa K. Toler, 576th Flight Test Squadron
commander, was the mission director for this test launch.

“I’m very proud of the team of professionals involved in making this
test a success.” Colonel Toler said. “Their technical expertise,
dedication and adherence to ‘perfection as the standard’ have ensured
our nation’s ICBM fleet is capable and extremely accurate.”

The data collected will be used by the entire ICBM community,
including the United States Strategic Command planners and the
NNSA/Department of Energy laboratories.

“For the past 50 years Vandenberg has been at the forefront of testing
and improving American ballistic missiles,” Colonel Buck said. “Thanks
to the hard work of Team Vandenberg, we continue a proud legacy of
assuring the readiness and reliability of our ICBM fleet.”

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                         LAUNCH OBSERVATIONS

The Editor has received the following observations of this morning's
launch:


  "FWIW, I just spotted this from the SF Bay Area (Sunnyvale, in the
   south bay.)"

   Robert Walsh, Sunnyvale, Calif.


  "Clear view of launch, from Palo Alto. 37.41 N, 122.15 W

   Disappeared (end of burn?) just above Jupiter, approx azimuth
   214, elev 24 deg.

   Messing with great circle calculators, looks like slant range
   from here was 470 km, altitude 210 km."

   Rick Rairden, Palo Alto, Calif.

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                      ARE YOU A SPACE PIONEER?

Were you or someone you know involved with the early days of the space
program? If so, I'd like to publish your memoirs on my Space Archive
web site.

I'm specifically looking people who worked on space or rocket/missile
projects at venues in the American Southwest (Wite Sands, Vandenberg
AFB, Point Arguello, Point Mugu, North American Aviation in Downey,
Calif. etc.).

If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please contact
me at kd6nrp at earthlink.net.

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