[W6YRA] Fwd: [Launch Alert] Delta Launch Visibility

[Dennis Yeh]

Oh, man!  I think I'm going to drive to the beach just to see if I can
catch a glimpse - thanks for the heads up, Ryan!

-Dennis

On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 8:07 PM, Ryan Caron <rcaron at igpp.ucla.edu> wrote:

>
>
>
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject: [Launch Alert] Delta Launch Visibility
> Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:59:42 -0800
> From: Launch Alert <launch-alert at mailman.qth.net>
> Reply-To: launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net, launch-alert at mailman.qth.net
> To: Launch Alert <launch-alert at mailman.qth.net>
>
>
>                              LAUNCH ALERT
>
>                               Brian Webb
>                      Ventura County, California
>                   launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
>                         www.spacearchive.info
>
>                                 2015 January 26 (Monday) 19:50 PST
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                        DELTA LAUNCH VISIBILITY
>                             by Brian Webb
>
> A Delta II rocket carrying a NASA scientific satellite and three small
> secondary payloads is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg AFB on
> Thursday morning, January 29. The Delta is set to lift-off from Space
> Launch Complex-2 West at 06:20:42 PST, the start of a three-minute
> launch window.
>
> Following lift-off, the Delta will climb vertically for several
> seconds, gradually nose over, and head south over the ocean.
>
> The Delta II uses liquid propellant first and second stages. For this
> launch, three solid rocket motors are strapped to the first stage for
> added thrust.
>
> The first stage main engine and strap-on motors will ignite on the
> launch pad. The solid rocket motors will burn out at +1:05* and be
> jettisoned at +1:39. The first stage liquid propellant main engine
> will continue to burn until main engine cutoff (MECO) at +4:22.
>
> Stage 1/2 separation occurs at +4:28 followed by second stage ignition
> at +04:36. Several minutes later, the second stage containing NASA's
> SMAP satellite and three small payloads will reach orbit.
>
> Weather permitting, the first few minutes of the launch should be
> visible to the unaided from King City, Fresno, western Ventura County,
> and coastal Los Angeles County. Under good conditions, the event could
> be visible over a much wider area.
>
> For the first minute of flight, the rocket will have a bright orange
> flame due to the solid rocket motors. When the solid motors burn out,
> the delta will decrease in brightness and resemble a moving white
> star.
>
> Liftoff occurs 42 minutes before sunrise as seen from Vandenberg AFB.
> According to independent space analyst Rick Baldridge, the rocket will
> climb into sunlight during the first stage burn at +2:50 for a 06:20
> PST liftoff and +2:40 for a 06:23 PST liftoff. Observers along the
> coast from King City to Long Beach should see the sunlit first stage
> exhaust plume suspended against the dawn sky during the last minute of
> the first stage burn.
>
> Under good conditions, the launch could be visible to the unaided eye
> until first stage main engine cutoff. Second stage ignition and the
> second stage burn will probably not be visible without optical
> assistance.
>
> *All flight events are expressed in minutes and seconds after liftoff.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                      LAUNCH AND COUNTDOWN STATUS
>
> For launch and countdown status for Thursday's Delta II launch,
> consult the following sources:
>
>    http://spaceflightnow.com/
>
>    http://www.nasa.gov/smap
>
>    http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/
>
>    http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/
>
>    http://twitter.com/30thSpaceWing
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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-- 
Dennis Yeh
University of California, Los Angeles
B.S. Aerospace Engineering, 2015
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