Off Topic: Iridium/TRACE Info
Brian Webb (102670.1206@compuserve.com)
Sat, 28 Mar 1998 19:09:26 -0500
ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Brian Webb, KD6NRP
Thousand Oaks, California
E-mail: 102670.1206@compuserve.com
Web Page: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rawhide_home_page
1998 March 28 (Saturday) 14:00 PST
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Vandenberg Launch Rescheduled...Again
Thursday night's launch of a Delta II missile from Vandenberg AFB was can-
celled due to upper level winds. The launch is now scheduled for Sunday
night (March 29th). The main events of the launch will be as follows:
Time Elapsed
Event (PST) Time
Launch 22:02:46 00:00
Jettison Six Solid Rocket Motors 22:04:14 01:28
Jettison Three Solid Rocket Motors 22:04:57 02:11
First Stage Engine Cutoff 22:07:11 04:25
Something of interest to look for during a Delta II night launch is a brief
orange flash in the direction of Vandenberg at first stage ignition while
the vehicle is still on the pad. The sky lights up for about 2/10ths of a
second and then grows dark again. This was first reported by Ron Rennie who
was watching December's dawn launch from high up on the Palos Verdes Pennin-
sula, a distance of about 150 miles from the pad! Other events to look for
(and to atttempt to photograph) are the jettison of solid rocket motors from
the first stage.
Detailed information on this mission can be found at the Boeing web site at
www.boeing.com. Look in the commercial space area for the MS-8 Press Kit.
For the current status of this launch, call the Vandenberg Launch Update
Line at 805-734-8232 ext. 61857 and the Delta II 24 Hour Launch Information
Hot Line at 714-896-4770.
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Wednesday Dusk Launch
A Pegasus XL missile is scheduled to be launched off of California's central
coast at about 18:40 PST [1] this Wednesday (April 1st). The Pegasus will be
carrying NASA's TRACE satellite.
The missile will be air launched from an L-1011 aircraft flying at 39,000
about 70 miles southwest of Monterey. The coordinates of the drop point are
36.000 degrees north and 123.000 degrees west.
Since the launch will take place about 25 minutes after sunset, the
vehicle's exhaust plume should be brightly backlit by the sun when the Pega-
sus reaches high altitude. The impressive sight should be visible from as
far away as Santa Rosa, Ridgecrest, and Los Angeles.
If you're interested in photographing this launch, I would suggest using
Fujicolor 800 print film, a 50, 105, or 135mm lens, and a steady tripod.
When the exhaust plume appears, take exposure readings of the plume and
shoot at the indicated exposure [2].
For the current status of this launch, call the Vandenberg Launch Update
Line at 805-734-8232 ext. 61857.
Notes
1. This time is approxiate. Launch can occur a few minutes either way of the
planned time (note that launch can take place before the planned time).
2. You can't determine if your exposure was correct by looking at the
prints; look at the negatives. Even if you under- or overexpose shot, a
good photo lab technician can often compensate for it and produce a good
print.
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Launch Viewing Locations
I'm planning on traveling to Santa Barbara County to photograph Sunday's and
Wednesday's launches. Where I'll be will be determined by the weather and my
schedule. The candidate sites are as follows:
Cement Water Cistern This site is a water tank in the mountains
north of Santa Barbara on East Camino Cielo.
The altitude is about 2,800 feet above sea
level. This site is either immersed in
clouds or clear.
The directions to this location are: Take
highway 154 to East Camino Cielo.
Go east (uphill) on East Camino Cielo past
the Forest Service station and market. Con-
tinue going uphill for several miles. The
water tank is on the left.
Refugio State Beach Experience has shown that when low clouds
are present along the coast, the area be-
tween Goleta and Gaviota tends to be clear.
This is apparently caused by the mountains
to the north and Point Conception serving as
a barrier to the low clouds which tend to
flow off of the ocean from northwest to
southeast.
This site is on the west shoulder of highway
101 about 1 mile south of the entrance to
Refugio State Beach. To get there, do the
following:
Proceed south on the 101 past the Refugio
State Beach parking lot. Look for a sign
that says "End Freeway". At the first call
box, pull over on to the shoulder of the
road.
Parking on the shoulder of the highway may
be illegal. However, the shoulder of a high-
way is a hazardous place, so be careful.
Santa Ynez Peak This location is either shrouded in clouds
or very clear. When it's clear, this 4,200
foot high site is well above the marine lay-
er and offers a superb view.
To get there, take highway 101 to Refugio
Road.
Take Refugio Road east (uphill) for several
miles until you reach a T-intersection the
top of the mountain ridgeline. You should
see a stop sign, a sign for the La Scherpa
retreat, and a road with a white sign that
says "This road not maintained by Santa Bar-
bara County..."
Take the road with the "This road not main-
tained..." sign and travel uphill for sever-
al miles until you reach the gated road that
leads to the observatory. Park in the clear-
ing near the gate.
Be advised that the road leading up to this
site can be dangerous. Loose gravel, ice, or
not paying attention to your driving could
send you over the side to your death.
If you're interested in joining me to view either launch, you'll need to
know where I'll be. Listen for me on the 147.000 MHz Santa Barbara repeater
during my drive into the Santa Barbara area. If you don't have a VHF receiv-
er, then refer to the table below.
Day Event Sites
Sunday Delta II Night Launch Cement Water Cistern (first choice)
Refugio State Beach (second choice)
Wednesday Pegasus XL Dusk Launch Santa Ynez Peak (first choice)
Refugio State Beach (second choice)
As I drive north on the 101 on Sunday and Wednesday, I'll look up at the
mountains and see if my primary site is clear. If it is, I'll go there. If
not, I'll probably go to Refugio.
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Vandenberg Launch Nets
Local ham radio operators plan to hold Vandenberg Launch Nets for both Sun-
day night's Delta II and Wednesday evening's Pegasus XL launch. The purpose
of these nets is to pass along countdown status and to discuss the launch.
The nets will begin at the following times:
Net
Start
Day Event (PST)
Sunday Delta II Night Launch 21:30
Wednesday Pegasus XL Dusk Launch 18:00
The repeaters to be used are:
Freq. Offset Tone
Repeater (MHz) (KHz) (Hz)
Santa Barbara (Primary) 147.000 +600 131.8
Thousand Oaks (Secondary) 147.785 -600 127.3
For those of you who participate in these nets, please be aware that I'm
very busy from about T-10 minutes to T+8 minutes and I can't respond to your
calls on the radio.
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