Hi All: I was at Vandenberg AFB for this morning's Delta II/Gravity Probe B launch. We were about 3.9 miles from the pad. The weather was clear with minimal cloudcover and haze. Through my 135mm telephoto lens, the launch was impressive. Not only could I clearly see the various parts of the vehicle while it was on the pad, I could see them as the vehicle climbed. It was quite a sight. According to a NASA public affairs officer, Gravity Probe B is large - about the size of a delivery truck. I imagine that would translate to a fairly bright visual magnitude. The intended orbit was to be as close to polar as possible. After launch, the mission scientist told us the spacecraft was inserted into an orbit that missed the Earth's poles by only 300 meters! Regards, Brian Webb www.spacearchive.info ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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