[Scan-DC] FW: Wallops launch on Friday night

[Clegg, Andrew W.]

Some more info about Friday evening's planned launch from Wallops. This comes from a colleague at USNO (the USNO will not be open for visitors!). The referenced Web page has some neat Google Earth graphics of what the launch will look like from various tourist sites around DC and other areas (even the Richmond International Speedway - helllllyeh, y'all!)

Not sure about scanner frequencies. I would presume there will be spotter planes and stuff up out near Wallops.

Happy viewing,
Andy


All:

On Friday night, Sept. 6 at 11:27 pm EDT NASA will launch an Orbital Sciences/USAF Minotaur-V rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore.  The payload will be the LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer), which will conduct research in lunar orbit this fall.  The launch window is quite short, extending only until 11:31 pm EDT.  If there's a scrub, they only have a brief time each night until Sept. 10 to launch before a month-long stand-down.

The Minotaur-V is a five-stage solid-propellant launcher based on the MX "Peacekeeper" ICBM with a first-stage thrust of ~360,000 lbf (1,607 kilonewtons).  Based on the long-range forecast this should be quite visible from the DC metro area as well as many locations along the east coast.

We should see the ascending first stage rise above the east-southeast horizon at about L+45 seconds.  Burnout of the first stage, staging, and ignition of the second stage occurs between L+54 and L+57 seconds.  The second stage burns out at ~L+110 seconds, followed by a brief coast phase before third stage ignition at L+135 seconds.  The third stage burns for 62 seconds; when that motor is depleted the vehicle enters an extended ballistic coast that will carry it below the horizon before fourth stage ignition.  At its highest, the third stage will be a glowing orange dot about 13° above the horizon.

My past experiences with Minotaur-I launches (which were based on the much smaller Minuteman-II ICBM) lead me to believe that this one should be quite spectacular, especially during the first/second stage burns.

Here's a link to Orbital's web page with basic facts and viewing circumstances for the launch.  Needless to say, the roof of USNO's Building 1 is an ideal place to watch it from, but the web page also shows several more good viewing spots.  In addition to these, the east terrace of the George Washington Masonic Temple in Alexandria is also very good.  If I'm not here at USNO I will be watching it from there.

<http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/MinotaurV/index.shtml>