[Launch Alert] Interceptor Launch Scheduled

Sat Dec 11 17:17:10 EST 2010

                             LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                        Post Office Box 6484
                    Thousand Oaks, CA 91359-6484
                          ATTN: Launch Alert

                 launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
                    http://www.spacearchive.info

                             2010 December 11 (Saturday) 14:07 PST
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                   MISSILE DEFENSE TEST SCHEDULED
                    Vandenberg AFB News Release
                         2010 December 10

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The Missile Defense Agency plans
to conduct a flight test involving the launch of a ground-based
interceptor from the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site here Dec.
14 with a launch window of 8 a.m. to noon. 

The ground-based interceptor test will defend against an
intermediate-range ballistic missile target launched from Kwajalein
Atoll, Marshall Islands. 

The operationally-configured interceptor is designed to intercept and
destroy a ballistic missile warhead as part of the Ground-based
Midcourse Defense element of the integrated Ballistic Missile Defense
System. 

This will be the fourth launch of an operationally configured
ground-based interceptor from Vandenberg AFB. 

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                          LAUNCH VISIBILITY

The powered phase of the December 14 launch will produce a dense,
white some trail. Persons unaware of the launch may accidentally see
it as far away as 25 miles. Depending on the weather, observers who
know exactly where to look may see the launch as far away as 100 miles
(perhaps further).

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                     COUNTDOWN AND LAUNCH STATUS

Since this a test of a high-priority U.S. military system, countdown
status will probably not be available to the general public.

   Web Sites with Countdown Status: None known

   Webcasts: None announced

   Satellite Feeds: None announced

   Twitter Updates: None announced

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This meteor shower should be visible from the suburbs - Editor

                       A GEM OF A METEOR SHOWER
                    Astronomy Magazine News Release
                           by Matt Qandt
                          2010 December 9

One of the finest meteor showers of 2010, the Geminids should put on a
rousing show the night of December 13/14.

WAUKESHA, WI -- One of the most prolific annual meteor showers makes
its appearance in mid-December. The Geminid shower peaks the night of
December 13/14. Although many people consider it to be a poor cousin
to August's Perseid shower, the Geminids often put on a better show.
This year, observers can expect to see upward of 100 "shooting stars"
per hour - an average of nearly two per minute - under a dark sky.

"Conditions should be wonderful for the Geminids this year," says
Astronomy magazine senior editor Michael Bakich. "The First Quarter
Moon sets around midnight local time, leaving the prime viewing hours
after midnight free from any unwanted natural lighting." 

The only potential drawback is cloud cover, which, unfortunately,
tends to be fairly common this time of year. Rates for this shower
remain decent a day on either side of the peak, so target the morning
of December 13 or 15 if the weather looks bad on the 14th.

Any stray light in the sky tends to drown out fainter meteors, so find
an observing site far from the lights of the city. A large field is
ideal because you then can let your eyes roam across the whole sky.
December nights tend to be cold, however, so bundle up in layers.
Reclining in a lawn chair is a great way to take in a lot of the sky
at once, but be sure to get up and walk around occasionally. It also
helps to drink some hot coffee or tea.

The Geminids begin as tiny specks of dust that hit Earth's atmosphere
at 78,000 mph (126,000 km/h), vaporizing from friction with the air
and leaving behind the streaks of light we call meteors. The meteors
appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini the Twins (hence their
name), near the bright stars Castor and Pollux. This spot, called the
radiant, remains visible all night and passes nearly overhead around
2 a.m. local time. Although the meteors seem to originate in Gemini,
they can appear anywhere in the sky and actually leave longer trails
the farther they are from the radiant.

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