[Launch Alert] Atlas Launch Visibility

[Launch Alert]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                  launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
                        www.spacearchive.info
		       
                              2014 August 11 (Monday) 19:36 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                       ATLAS LAUNCH VISIBILTY
                            by Brian Webb

An Atlas V rocket carrying the WorldView 3 commercial Earth imaging
satellite is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg AFB late on the
morning of August 13.

Plans call for the Atlas to lift off from Space Launch Complex 3
(SLC-3) at south Vandenberg at 11:29 PDT, the start of a 15-minute
launch window. However, issues such as technical problems, bad
weather, or ships or aircraft straying into the range can cause the
launch to happen at any time during the window or to be rescheduled
for another day. 

At liftoff, the Atlas will rise vertically for several seconds before
it slowly begins to pitch over and head southward. The vehicle will
briefly produce a contrail as it passes through a zone that extends
roughly from 33,000 to 38,000 feet above sea level.

The Atlas V rocket variant for slated for launch on Wednesday uses
liquid propellant engines, but no strap-on solid rocket motors.
Unlike solid motors, which produce a brilliant flame, liquid
propellant engines produce a much fainter flame.

At launch time, the Sun will be high above the horizon, creating a
bright sky background. The rocket's use of liquid propellants and the
bright sky will greatly diminish the visibility of the launch. 

Under the best of circumstances, the Atlas V will probably only be
visible for the first few minutes of flight from liftoff to first
stage cutoff and stage 1/2 separation. 

Under good conditions, observers within seven miles of the launch pad
should enjoy a nice display. For launch watchers in outlying areas,
the display will be subdued. 

Under very good conditions, the first stage flame may be visible to
the naked eye as far away as Ventura, Pismo Beach, and Taft. The short
contrail from the first stage may be visible to the unaided eye as far
away as Pasadena, King City, and Bakersfield.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                       LAUNCH WEATHER FORECAST

For August 13 (planned launch date):

     Overall probability of violating weather constraints: 40%

     Area of concern: Clouds below 2,000 feet

For August 14 (backup launch date):

     Overall probability of violating weather constraints for 24 Hour
     Delay: 40%

     Area of concern: Clouds below 2,000 feet

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     LAUNCH AND COUNTDOWN STATUS

For launch and countdown status for the Atlas V/WorldView 3 launch,
consult the following sources:

   Web Sites with Countdown Status:

      http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av047/status.html

   Webcasts:

      http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av044/status.html

      http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Multimedia_Webcast.shtml

   Satellite Feeds:

      Satellite: AMC-1

      Transponder: 15 C SLOT A

      Band: C-Band Digital

      Orbital Position: 103 degrees west

      HD Bandwidth: 18 MHz (half transponder 'AB')

      Downlink Freq: 3991 MHz (Horizontal)

      Uplink Freq: 6216 MHz (Vertical)

      Symbol Rate: 13

      FEC: 3/4

      Data Rate: 17.9705

      DVBS-QPSK

      MPEG-2

      Audio Embedded

   Twitter Updates:

      http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/

      http://twitter.com/30thSpaceWing

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                              RESOURCES

For additional information related to the Atlas V/WorldView 3 launch,
go to the following sources:

   Launch Vehicle

      http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Products_AtlasV.shtml

   Payload

      http://worldview3.digitalglobe.com/

   Launch Viewing

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

   Photographing Launches

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                           SECURITY POLICY

Launch Alert does not intentionally publish sensitive, potentially
sensitive, or inside information. All information comes from open
sources or is approved for public release.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                       LAUNCH ALERT WEB PAGE

For information about this newsletter, including how to:

   - Subscribe, unsubscribe, or change addresses

   - Handle a forgotten or lost password

   - Make a donation

Point your browser to www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2014, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.