Titan IV launched successfully at 21:32 UTC

Ted Molczan (molczan@fox.nstn.ca)
Mon, 13 May 1996 01:19:56 -0400

VAFB has confirmed a successful launch at 21:32 UTC.

Earlier, Ron Lee wrote:

>The elements provided by Bjorn for a 1900 UT launch were
>adjusted using Dave Ransom's ADJ2LINE program for a 
>1932 UT Launch.   If Bjorn or Ted provide other elements,
>I would go with theirs!  Submittal time is 1815 UT 12 May

Nice try Ron, but you were confused about the launch
time, it was 21:32 UTC, not 19:32 UTC. Don't feel 
bad, we all make mistakes. 

Phil Chien reports that the coordinates to be
avoided by sailors and pilots were south east
of the launch site, which rules out a Kh launch,
which would have traveled slightly west of due 
south.

Below are my original NOSS 2-3 r and Lacrosse 3 r
elements, with Bjoern's estimated mean anomaly, 
adjusted for the actual launch at 21:32 UTC:

NOSS 2-3 r      15.0  4.0  0.0  4.2
1 80000U 80000  A 96133.89722222  .00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    05
2 80000  63.4175 273.4170 0291700 163.0000 322.0000 15.33000000    08
Lacrosse 3 r    15.0  4.0  0.0  4.2
1 80001U 80001  A 96133.89722222  .00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    07
2 80001  67.9810 269.6470 0187200 179.0000 308.0000 15.06000000    04

I believe the NOSS 2-3 r orbit is the more probable of the two,
because the relationship of this launch plane to the NOSS 2-1
and 2-2 planes is identical to that of the Titan IV that exploded
on 2 Aug 1993.

The orbit will be entering morning visibility at my
latitude, about 44 N, over the next few days.

bye for now