[Launch Alert] Fifty Years Ago Today

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                         kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                     http://www.spacearchive.info
		       
                              2009 October 31 (Saturday) 16:49 PDT
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                        FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY

Fifty years ago today - 31 October 1959 - the first U.S.
intercontinental ballistic missile armed with a nuclear warhead went
on combat alert.

The missile was an Atlas D at Vandenberg AFB site A. Given the range
of the Atlas and Vandenberg's location, my guess is that the missile
was programmed to strike a high value target in the Soviet Far East.

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                   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
                         As of 2009 October 31

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

NOV 18          To be announced         Minuteman III   ---
Vehicle will probably send one or more unarmed warheads on a ballistic
trajectory to the central Pacific  

DEC 7           06:10-06:23             Delta II        SLC-2W
Payload is the WISE scientific satellite. Launch occurs before sunrise
and may provide a Twilight Effect  

Unknown         To be announced         GBI             ---
Missile defense Ground-based Interceptor. Delayed from SEP 27  

Unknown         Evening                 Minotaur IV     SLC-8
First-ever Minotaur IV launch. Payload is the Space-Based Space
Surveillance (SBSS) satellite.  

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule,
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.). 

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

Dates and times are subject to change without notice.

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Copyright 2009, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may not
be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.