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From: Brian Webb <102670.1206@compuserve.com> (by way of tonydinkel@clubnet.net) Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 17:18:18 -0800 |
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
1997 July 16 (Wednesday) 21:00 PDT
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Impressive Launch Still Set For Friday Night?
A Titan IV booster is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg AFB this weekend.
The vehicle and its classified payload is scheduled to leave SLC-4E at south
Vandenberg sometime between 22:00 PDT Friday and 02:00 PDT Saturday. The
Titan IV will leave the pad, climb vertically, and begin turning southward.
A short time later it will place its reconnaissance payload into a polar
orbit.
But late this afternoon, a nitrogen textroxide leak was discovered at the
vehicle. At 16:15 I was told that the leak may or may not delay the launch.
As of 21:00 PDT, the launch appears to be on schedule.
The Titan IV is the U.S.'s largest unmanned launch vehicle. It stands 204
feet tall, weighs 1.9 million pounds, and produces 3.5 million pounds of
thrust at launch.
Daytime Titan IV launches from Vandenberg have been seen as far away as
Victorville. This weekend's night launch should be impressive and visible
for a distance of at least 180 miles.
For those in coastal areas, summer nights are usually accompanied by late
night low clouds. If you live within 15 miles of the coast, try to find a
vantage point that's as high as possible so you'll be above any low clouds.
There are several possible viewing sights in the region. Here are a few:
Santa Ynez Peak: This site is actually a small parking area in the
road about 1/4 mile west of the peak. It's only 40 miles from the pad
and 4,000 feet above sea level. It's probably the best off-base vantage
point. But be careful - the road is in fairly good condition, but there
are steep drops and no guard rails. This road is a potential killer;
one mistake and you're dead. Be very careful driving up and down the
mountain. And be very careful if you back up your car in order to turn
around. It's easy to back up too far and accidentally go over the side.
To get to Santa Ynez Peak, take the 101 to Refugio State Beach. Exit on
Refugio Road and head north. Several miles later there's a T-shaped
intersection with a sign for La Sherpa Convention Center. There's a
road off to the side with a sign that reads "This road is not maintain-
ed by Santa Barbara County. Take this road uphill several miles. The
site is between the observatory and Santa Ynez Peak, which is covered
with radio antennas.
East Camino Cielo: This is also a good location. It's a concrete water
cistern in the mountains above Santa Barbara. The top of the tank is
solid concrete and makes a good camera platform. To get to this site,
go to the intersection of highway 154 and East Camino Cielo. Turn on
to East Camino Cielo. You'll pass a ranger station and general store.
Keep going up hill. Several miles later you should see the cement water
cistern on your left. Be careful while driving on this road.
West Portrero Valley: Take the 101 to Newbury Park. Exit on Wendy Road
and head south. After a few miles you'll reach an intersection. On the
right will be a sign pointing to Point Mugu and the state hospital.
Take this road west until it suddenly makes a right turn. Then park.
Del Cerro Park: Go to south Torrance and take Crenshaw Blvd all of the
way to the top of the penninsula.
The following table gives the exact position of each site, its distance
(range) from SLC-4E, and the direction (azimuth) to the launch pad (in
degrees from true north).
Latitude Longitude Elev. Range Azimuth
Site (deg min sec) (deg min sec) (ft) (mi) (deg)
Santa Ynez Peak, 34 31 42 N 119 58 58 W 3,900 40.0 292.7
Santa Barbara County
Water Cistern, 34 30 57 N 119 46 43 W 3,000 51.2 288.7
East Camino Cielo,
Santa Barbara County
West Portero Valley, 34 09 24 N 118 59 24 W 879 102.2 294.1
Ventura County
Del Cerro Park, 33 45 40 N 118 22 30 W 1,500 146.0 298.5
Rancho Palos Verdes
The actual launch time is classified, but the Air Force will probably re-
lease it late Friday afternoon or evening. If I have enough advance notice,
I'll post it on my web page. You might also begin calling the Vandenberg
Launch Update Line (805-734-8232 ext. 61857) early Friday evening to see if
the exact launch time has been released.
Beginning Friday evening, an attempt will be made to pass the exact launch
time and countdown status via amateur radio. If you own a scanner, or if
you're a ham, monitor the following repeaters for information:
Repeater Location Frequency (MHz) PL (Hz)
Mount Disappointment Near Mount Wilson 145.300 None
Oat Mountain North Los Angeles County 147.705 114.8
or
141.3
Sulphur Mountain Near Ojai 146.880 127.3
Broadcast Peak Santa Barbara 147.000 131.8
Several hams are planning to drive to Santa Ynez Peak on Friday night. The
talk-in frequency will be the 147.000 MHz Broadcast Peak repeater. The
146.520 MHz simplex calling channel will be the back-up frequency.
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Index: Missile & Rocket Launches
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