[Launch Alert] Taurus XL Launch Scheduled

Sun Feb 22 13:18:20 EST 2009

                             LAUNCH ALERT

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

                               2009 February 22 (Sunday) 10:10 PST
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                     TAURUS XL LAUNCH SCHEDULED
                    Vandenberg AFB Media Advisory
                          2009 February 20

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A Taurus XL rocket, carrying the
NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) satellite, is scheduled to
launch at approximately 1:50 a.m. Tuesday from Space Launch Complex
576-E here.

Col. David Buck, 30th Space Wing commander, will be the Western Range
launch decision authority for this mission.

The OCO is the first spacecraft dedicated to the study of carbon
dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. The goal of the satellite is to
increase scientific understanding of not only where carbon dioxide
comes from, but also where it ends up.

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                  LAUNCH VISIBILITY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Since the Taurus XL rocket scheduled for launch on Tuesday will
lift-off during darkness and the vehicle uses solid fuel, the initial
portions of the event should be visible to the unaided eye for a
radius of at least 200-miles (weather permitting). For information on
launch viewing, go to:

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

For advice on photographing Tuesday's launch, go to:

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

Although this page is somewhat out of date, much of the information is
still valid. For specific Taurus XL exposure data, refer to the table
titled "Peacekeeper Time Exposure Data" (I believe the Taurus XL first
stage is actually the same as the stage that was used on the
Peacekeeper).

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			        COUNTDOWN STATUS

A good source of countdown status for the Taurus XL/OCO 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/taurus/oco/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 may also provide coverage of the launch. To access NASA TV
over the Web, go to http://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
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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

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                        E-MAIL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Launch-Related Questions

   Many questions about launch viewing can be answered by re-reading
   your Launch Alert or consulting:

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

   For information regarding photographing launches, go to:

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

2. Address Changes, Subscribing, and Unsubscribing

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3. Photographs

   If you have a launch or other photo that you would like to submit
   for publication on my web site, please observe the following
   guidelines:

   - Only submit images that are of publication quality or are in some
     way unique.

   - Limit the total size of your e-mail plus attachments to 1 MB

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