[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule
Launch Alert
launch-alert at mailman.qth.net
Sat Oct 15 17:13:42 EDT 2011
LAUNCH ALERT
Brian Webb
Ventura County, California
launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
www.spacearchive.info
2011 October 15 (Saturday) 14:09 PDT
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VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
As of 2011 October 15
Launch
Time/Window
Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo
-------- ----------------- ------------- --------
OCT 27 02:48:01-02:57:11 Delta II SLC-2W
Vehicle will launch the NPP environmental satellite for NASA and NOAA.
The vehicle will also launch one or more university satellites as
secondary payloads
Unk To be announced Minuteman III ---
The vehicle will probably send an unarmed warhead on a ballistic
trajectory to the central Pacific. The Defense Department will release
the launch window and other details a few days in advance. Postponed
from SEP 21 pending completion of analysis of the failed July 27
Minuteman III launch. The launch has not yet been rescheduled.
MAR 29 To be announced Delta IV SLC-6
Vehicle will launch the classified NROL-25 payload for the U.S.
National Reconnaissance Office
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.
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GALAXY MERGERS NOT THE TRIGGER FOR MOST BLACK HOLE FEEDING FRENZIES
University of California, Santa Cruz News Release
2011 October 13
SANTA CRUZ, CA--A survey of distant galaxies using the Hubble Space
Telescope has put another nail in the coffin of the theory that
galaxy mergers are the main trigger for turning quiescent supermassive
black holes into radiation-blasting active galactic nuclei.
Led by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the
new study examined the morphology and structure of distant galaxies
hosting active central black holes. The researchers found that these
galaxies were no more likely to be involved in an ongoing merger than
non-active galaxies of similar mass.
"Theoretical models show that a merger is a great way to trigger an
active galactic nucleus, because it funnels a lot of gas to the center
of the galaxy. But we found that most of the host galaxies did not
look disturbed. They look like disk galaxies, and a disk would be
destroyed by a merger," said Dale Kocevski, a postdoctoral researcher
at UC Santa Cruz and first author of a paper on the findings to be
published in the Astrophysical Journal.
A supermassive black hole (millions or even billions of times the mass
of the sun) sits at the core of most if not all large galaxies. But
only a fraction of these are the bright radiation sources known as
active galactic nuclei, which light up when the central black hole is
actively gobbling up nearby gas clouds. The galactic center glows
brightly at all wavelengths because the gas heats up as it falls into
the black hole and emits intense radiation.
"The problem has been how to get the gas into the center of the
galaxy, rather than orbiting around in the disk," said coauthor Sandra
Faber, University Professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa
Cruz.
The study used new images from Hubble's WFC3 infrared camera taken as
part of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy
Survey (CANDELS). Faber, who leads the CANDELS project, said the
images include galaxies at distances of nearly 11 billion light years.
Looking deep into space gives astronomers a window back in time,
revealing earlier stages in the evolution of the universe. This study
covered a period when the brightest active galaxies, known as quasars,
were at their peak, and theoretical models predicted that galaxy
collisions would be an important trigger, Faber said. "Theory says
that collisions should be more important, but we did not find that,"
she said.
These are not the first findings to suggest that violent galactic
mergers are not needed to fuel active black holes. Earlier imaging
studies of galaxies at distances of up to 8 billion light years had
also failed to find evidence that mergers were triggering most active
galactic nuclei. More recently a team of astronomers reached the same
conclusions based on an analysis of the distribution of active
galaxies out to almost 11 billion light years. But only Hubble's WFC3
could provide images showing the morphologies of galaxies at that
distance.
"We were surprised to see that they look a lot like galaxies much
closer to us," Faber said.
If galaxy collisions are not responsible for triggering active
galactic nuclei, it suggests less violent processes within galaxies
may play a greater role in feeding black holes, Kocevski said. "We
call these secular processes. They happen randomly about ten percent
of the time and are common in the local universe, such as when a star
or a giant gas cloud gets too close and falls into the black hole."
Alternatively, the black holes may be fueled by a process that is
unique to the early universe. "Recent theories suggest distant
galaxies are fed by streams of cold gas, which can lead to violent
instabilities in disk galaxies that result in large amounts of gas
being funneled to the central black hole," Kocevski said. "Only with
further study will we know for sure."
Kocevski and Faber worked with an international team of scientists
from 21 institutions on the study, which was supported by NASA through
a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). The
paper's 38 coauthors are affiliated with UCSC, STScI, Max Planck
Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Imperial College of Science,
Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, Durham University,
Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, University of Nottingham, Hebrew
University, University of Edinburgh, University of Maryland, National
Observatory of Athens, University of Massachusetts, Carnegie
Institution of Washington, University of Arizona, National Optical
Astronomy Observatories, University of Missouri, UC Riverside,
Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
About CANDELS
The Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey
(CANDELS) is a powerful imaging survey of the distant universe being
carried out with the Hubble Space Telescope. It is the largest project
in the history of Hubble, with 902 assigned orbits of observing time.
CANDELS makes use of the near-infrared WFC3 camera and the
visible-light ACS camera. Together, these two cameras give
unprecedented panchromatic coverage of galaxies from optical
wavelengths to the near-infrared. The power to look deeper into space
and further back in time will enable CANDELS to construct a "cosmic
movie" of galaxy evolution that follows the life histories of galaxies
from infancy to the present time. This work will cap Hubble's
revolutionary series of discoveries on cosmic evolution and bequeath a
legacy of precious data to future generations of astronomers. CANDELS
will also test the reality of cosmic dark energy by measuring the
brightness of type Ia supernovae.
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NPP SATELLITE READY FOR LAUNCH OCT. 27
NASA Media Advisory
2011 October 12
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The launch of the NPOESS
Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance
Delta II rocket is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 27. Liftoff from
NASA's Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB),
Calif., is targeted during a nine-minute, 10 second launch window
that opens at 2:48:01 a.m. PDT (5:48:01 a.m. EDT). The spacecraft's
final circular polar orbit will be 512 miles (824 kilometers) at an
inclination of 98 degrees.
NPP, a NASA Earth-observing satellite, represents a critical first
step in building the next-generation of U.S. polar-orbiting climate
and weather monitoring spacecraft. NPP is the bridge between NASA's
Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites. The mission will test
key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions.
The second of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa,
missions also will be launched on the Delta II. These auxiliary
payloads are small satellites called CubeSats. Each is designed and
created by university and college students. Five satellites will be
deployed on ELaNa-2.
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NASA TO SEEK APPLICANTS FOR NEXT ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE CLASS
NASA News Release
2011 October 3
HOUSTON -- In early November, NASA will seek applicants for its next
class of astronaut candidates who will support long-duration missions
to the International Space Station and future deep space exploration
activities.
"For scientists, engineers and other professionals who have always
dreamed of experiencing spaceflight, this is an exciting time to join
the astronaut corps," said Janet Kavandi, director of flight crew
operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This next class
will support missions to the station and will arrive via
transportation systems now in development. They also will have the
opportunity to participate in NASA's continuing exploration programs
that will include missions beyond low Earth orbit."
For more information, visit:
http://astronauts.nasa.gov/
A bachelor's degree in engineering, science or math and three years of
relevant professional experience are required in order to be
considered. Typically, successful applicants have significant
qualifications in engineering or science, or extensive experience
flying high-performance jet-aircraft.
After applicant interviews and evaluations, NASA expects to announce
the final selections in 2013, and training to begin that August.
Additional information about the Astronaut Candidate Program is
available by calling the Astronaut Selection Office at 281-483-5907.
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