ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Brian Webb, KD6NRP Ventura County, California E-mail: 102670.1206@compuserve.com Web Page: http ://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rawhide_home_page 1998 September 30 (Wednesday) 18:20 PDT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday Vandenberg Launch The launch of the STEX satellite from Vandenberg AFB is now set for the morning of October 2nd. The Taurus booster is slated to leave Space Launch Complex 576 East at 03:11:04 PDT. Following launch, the Taurus will climb vertically for several seconds and then turn southward. Several minutes later the STEX satellite should be in a polar orbit. Weather permitting, the predawn event should be visible for at least 300 miles. There's a good chance that the launch will be visible as far away as Reno, Nevada; Saint George, Utah; and Tucson, Arizona. For launch status, call the Vandenberg Launch Update recording at 805-734-8232 extension 61857. More timely countdown status can be obtained from a Public Affairs officer at extension 63595. The Public Affairs office should be manned on Friday morning from about 02:30-03:45 PDT. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taurus/STEX Launch Technical Data Launch Date (UTC): 1998 OCT 02 Launch Time (UTC): 10:11:04 Launch Window Duration: 42 sec. Launch Window Daily Change: Opens/closes 6 min. 15 sec. earlier each day Launch Pad: Vandenberg AFB SLC-576E Launch Pad Latitude (approx.): 34 deg. 43 min. 30 sec. North Launch Pad Longitude (approx.): 120 deg. 36 min. 00 sec. West --------------------------------- END OF MESSAGE -------------------------------