[Launch Alert] Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

[Launch Alert]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
			      Brian Webb
		  launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
	                www.spacearchive.info
		       
				  2019 December 1 (Sunday) 11:47 PST
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		   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

         All launch dates and times are subject to change.

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

SEP 2020          Unknown                Delta IV Heavy      SLC-6
The vehicle will carry the classified NROL-82 payload into orbit 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.

NET: No earlier than

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

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CALIPSO was launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. in 2006 - Editor

 NASA, FRENCH SPACE LASER MEASURES MASSIVE MIGRATION OF OCEAN ANIMALS
                          NASA News Release
                             2019 NOV 27

Every night, under the cover of darkness, countless small sea
creatures – from squid to krill – swim from the ocean depths to near
the surface to feed. This vast animal migration – the largest on the
planet and a critical part of Earth’s climate system – has been
observed globally for the first time thanks to an unexpected use of a
space-based laser.

Researchers observed this vertical migration pattern using the
Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations
(CALIPSO) satellite -- a joint venture between NASA and the French
space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales -- that launched in
2006. They published their findings in the journal Nature Wednesday.

“This is the latest study to demonstrate something that came as a
surprise to many: that lidars have the sensitivity to provide
scientifically useful ocean measurements from space,” said Chris
Hostetler, a scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton,
Virginia, and co-author on the study. "I think we are just scratching
the surface of exciting new ocean science that can be accomplished
with lidar.”

The study looks at a phenomenon known as Diel Vertical Migration
(DVM), in which small sea creatures swim up from the deep ocean at
night to feed on phytoplankton near the surface, then return to the
depths just before sunrise. Scientists recognize this natural daily
movement around the world as the largest migration of animals on
Earth in terms of total number.

The cumulative effect of daily vertically migrating creatures on
Earth's climate is significant. During the day, ocean phytoplankton
photosynthesize and, in the process, absorb significant amounts of
carbon dioxide, which contributes to the ocean's ability to absorb the
greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Animals that undergo DVM come up
to the surface to feed on phytoplankton near the ocean’s surface and
then swim back down, taking the phytoplankton carbon with them. Much
of this carbon is then defecated at depths where it is effectively
trapped deep in the ocean, preventing its release back into the
atmosphere.

"What the lidar from space allowed us to do is sample these migrating
animals on a global scale every 16 days for 10 years," said Mike
Behrenfeld, the lead for the study and a senior research scientist and
professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. "We've
never had anywhere near that kind of global coverage to allow us to
look at the behavior, distribution and abundance of these animals."

Zeroing in on tropical and subtropical ocean regions, researchers
found that while there are fewer vertically migrating animals in
lower-nutrient and clearer waters, they comprise a greater fraction of
the total animal population in these regions. This is because the
migration is a behavior that has evolved primarily to avoid visual
predators during the day when visual predators have their greatest
advantage in clear ocean regions.

In murkier and more nutrient-rich regions, the abundance of animals
that undergo DMV is higher, but they represent a smaller fraction of
the total animal population because visual predators are at a
disadvantage. In these regions, many animals just stay near the
surface both day and night.

The researchers also observed long-term changes in populations of
migrating animals, likely driven by climate variations. During the
study period (2008 to 2017), CALIPSO data revealed an increase in
migrating animal biomass in the subtropical waters of the North
and South Pacific, North Atlantic and South Indian oceans. In the
tropical regions and North Atlantic, biomass decreased. In all but
the tropical Atlantic regions, these changes correlated with changes
in phytoplankton production.

This animal-mediated carbon conveyor belt is recognized as an
important mechanism in Earth’s carbon cycle. Scientists are adding
animals that undergo DVM as a key element in climate models.

"What these modelers haven't had is a global dataset to calibrate
these models with, to tell them where these migrators are most
important, where they're most abundant, and how they change over
time," said Behrenfeld. "The new satellite data give us an opportunity
to combine satellite observations with the models and do a better job
quantifying the impact of this enormous animal migration on Earth’s
carbon cycle."

The satellite data are also relevant to global fisheries because the
migrating animals are an important food source for larger predators
that lurk in the depths of the ocean. Those predators are often species
of fish that are attractive to commercial fisheries. The larger the
DVM signal, the larger the population of fish that can live in the
deep sea.

Though CALIPSO's laser was designed to measure clouds and atmospheric
aerosols, it can penetrate the upper 20 meters of the ocean's surface
layer. If the migrating animals reach this layer, they are detected by
CALIPSO.

NASA uses the vantage point of space to understand and explore our
home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. The agency’s
observations of Earth’s complex natural environment are critical to
understanding how our planet’s natural resources and climate are
changing now and could change in the future.

For more information about NASA’s Earth science activities, visit:

                      https://www.nasa.gov/earth

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 THE WOMEN OF THE MOON: TALES OF SCIENCE, LOVE, SORROW, AND COURAGE

    Daniel Altschuler and Fernando Ballesteros (Oxford University
    Press; $26.95; 299 pages, hardcover, ISBN 978-0-19-884441-9)

                      Reviewed by Brian Webb

When the clerk at the post office handed me a box from the Oxford
University Press, I was hoping it contained another excellent book
from this prestigious publisher. I was not disappointed.

As I skimmed through The Women of the Moon over lunch, I was quickly
intrigued with the book's concept. Although there are 1,586 lunar
craters named for scientists and philosophers, only 28 are named for
women, and the authors embarked to tell their stories.

The book begins with an overview of our solar system, the moon's
features and characteristics, and early telescopic observations of our
neighbor. This is followed by a chapter on the history of the naming
of lunar features.

The core of the book consists of 28 biographies which describe the
life, challenges, and contributions of each woman with a crater named
in her honor. The biographies are well written and most of have a map
showing the location and a spacecraft image of the crater bearing the
woman's name.

I found all the biographies to be engaging and informative. For
example, take the story of Hypatia of Alexandria (355 or 370-415 AD).
I was a serious lunar observer in my youth and I remember seeing the
crater Hypatia on my maps.

Before reading The Women of the Moon, I had no idea of what, or who,
Hypatia was named after. I subsequently learned the crater was named
for Hypatia, an accomplished mathematician, astronomer, and
philosopher who lived through turbulent times and eventually met a
grisly death.

The biographies are followed by appendices covering the moon's vital
statistics and its role in creating the tides. The book's clear
writing style is complemented by relevant, high-quality graphics and
photos. Finally, the quality of the printing, paper, and binding give
The Women of the Moon the look and feel of a fine book.

Astronomy and science history enthusiasts should consider adding this
informative and interesting read to their book shelf or buying it for
a young woman interested in STEM.

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

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Copyright 2019, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
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