From: Brian Webb <102670.1206@No-Spam>
Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur
Subject: 18 JAN Western U.S. Light Show
ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Brian Webb, KD6NRP
Ventura County, California
E-mail: 102670.1206@No-Spam
Web Page: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rawhide_home_page
1999 January 16 (Sunday) 15:00 PST
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Missile Defense Test To Be Visible Across Southwest
A missile launch scheduled for 18:01 PST on January 18th should be visible in
at least four (perhaps as many as eight) western states and northwestern Mexico.
The U.S. Air Force will launch an MSLS missile (a modified Minuteman II) from
Vandenberg AFB, California. The missile will send an unarmed warhead and warhead
decoy on a ballistic (non-orbital) trajectory towards the central Pacific.
While the warhead and decoy are in flight, a second missile carrying a Kill
Vehicle (KV) will be launched from the Marshall Islands. The KV will attempt to
detect, track, and collide with the warhead.
The missile to be launched from Vandenberg will fly a steep ballistic arc
towards the west-southwest and reach a maximum altitude of about 900 miles. If
the missile is launched on time, the sky will be either in deep evening twilight
or dark, depending on your location.
About a minute after launch, when the missile reaches the upper atmosphere and
emerges from the Earth's shadow, its smoke trail and exhaust plume will be
backlit by the sun. This will create an impressive sight that could be visible
as far away as southern Oregon and Idaho, southwestern Colorado, and western New
Mexico.
The launch window runs from 18:01 to 22:00 PST.
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Launch Photography
Besides providing a fine visual display, the launch should also be a great photo
opportunity. All you'll need is a 35mm camera, tripod, cable release, and Fuji
400 or 800 color print film.
If you're within 200 miles of Vandenberg, a 50mm lens will probably work best.
For distances greater than 200 miles, a 105 to 180mm lens is prefered. Set the
iris (f/stop) to 2.8 (if your lens won't open to f/2.8, try f/4*).
When you shoot your photos, place the center of your viewfinder on the brightest
part of the exhaust plume and use your light meter to get an exposure reading.
*If you need to use f/4, you might want to play it safe by using only ASA 800
film.
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Launch Status
For the status of Tuesday's launch, consult the following sources:
Joint Pacific Area Scheduling Office
http://mocc.vafb.af.mil/launchsched.asp
This is the official Vandenberg AFB launch schedule and is usually only
updated during normal working hours Monday through Friday.
Vandenberg Launch Update Line
30th Space Wing Public Affairs Office
805-606-1857
A tape recorded message regarding the status of the next scheduled launch.
It is NOT updated during the countdown or in the event of a hold.
Vandenberg Launch Net (VHF)
WB6OBB Repeater
147.000 MHz, +600 KHz Offset, 131.8 Hz PL
Countdown updates for ham radio operators and scanner listeners by way of
the WB6OBB ham radio repeater west of Santa Barbara. This repeater's signal
reaches from Thousand Oaks to San Luis Obispo. This net will be convened at
17:30 PST on launch day.
Vandenberg Launch Net (HF)
3,815.5 KHz LSB
For the benefit of hams in outlying areas, a second launch net will be
conducted on HF (shortwave) in the 80-meter ham band. Hams who are within
range of the Santa Barbara repeater and can operate on 80-meters will be
asked pass information from the local VHF net over to this net. This net
will also start at 17:30 PST.
--
Mark Wagner
Visit the S.F. bay area's spot for active observational
astronomers - The Astronomy Connection http://www.seds.org/TAC