LAUNCH ALERT
Brian Webb
Ventura County, California
E-mail: kd6nrp@earthlink.net
Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info
2006 January 2 (Monday) 18:16 PST
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VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE
As of 2006 January 2
Launch
Time/Window
Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo
----------- --------------- ---------- --------
2006 To be announced Delta IV SLC-6
Classified National Reconnaissance Office payload. The DoD will
announce the exact launch time several hours in advance. NRO L-22
2006 To be announced Delta IV SLC-6
Payload is the DMSP F-17 military weather satellite
NET Mid-FEB ~02:00 Delta II SLC-2W
Payload is the CloudSat and CALIPSO environmental satellites
Mid-FEB? 10:00-13:00? Falcon I SLC-3W
Payload is the Naval Research Laboratory's TacSat-1 satellite. The
vehicle will carry the ashes of U.S. astronaut Gordon Cooper, Star
Trek actor James "Scotty" Doohan and several other people into space.
The launch window is fixed and does not change if the launch date
changes.
FEB 15 To be announced Minuteman III LF-10
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads. Impact area is the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. The Air Force will announce the launch window a few
days in advance.
FEB 28 05:57:21-07:19:21 Pegasus XL Offshore
Payload is JPL's SpaceTech 5 microsatellites. Possible twilight effect
because launch window opens during morning twilight and payload will
be placed in a 2,800-mile-high orbit
MAR? To be announced Minuteman III ---
ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is one or more unarmed
warheads. Impact area is the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein in the
central Pacific. The Air Force will announce the launch window a few
days in advance.
MAR 31 Unknown Minotaur SLC-8
Payload is COSMIC and Taiwan's FORMOSAT-3 scientific satellites
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS
for 2006 January
Time
Date (PST/PDT) Event
-------- --------- -----------------------------
JAN 3 00:00-05:30 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
Observers in dark locations should see several meteors per hour. The
shower is predicted to peak on JAN 3 at 10:00 PST.
JAN 6 10:56 First Quarter Moon
Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight
JAN 9 11:02 Jupiter Dual Shadow Transit
The shadows of Jupiter's moons Europa and Ganymede are visible on
planet's disk.
JAN 14 01:48 Full Moon
Moon rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and is visible all night
JAN 15 01:57 Spacecraft Reentry
NASA's Stardust sample return spacecraft reenter the atmosphere as it
heads for a landing in Utah. The event might be visible to the unaided
eye from north-central Nevada. http://reentry.arc.nasa.gov/index.html
http://reentry.arc.nasa.gov/viewingforum.html
JAN 15 05:11 Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 3.8° north of Saturn. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location
JAN 22 07:14 Last Quarter Moon
Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon
JAN 23 12:20 Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 4.7° south of Jupiter. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location
JAN 25 04:06 Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 0.03° south of Antares. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location
JAN 27 14:48 Saturn Opposition
Saturn is opposite the Sun with respect to Earth and rises at sunset.
JAN 28-29 --- Dark Sky Weekend
Best time this month to observe faint objects. Amateur astronomers may
hold observing sessions at dark sites
JAN 29 06:15 New Moon
Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and is invisible. Moon rises
at sunrise and sets at sunset
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WEB SITE UPDATES
A 2006 astronomical events calendar has been uploaded and is
available at http://www.spacearchive.info/astrosked.htm.
Sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset, and astronomical twilight start/end
times are now available for 22 Southwest U.S. cities. In past years,
this data was only given for Los Angeles. The information is posted at
the following locations:
www.spacearchive.info/sunrise-sunset.htm
www.spacearchive.info/twilight.htm
www.spacearchive.info/moonrise-moonset.htm
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Copyright © 2006 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
not be reprinted or posted elsewhere without prior permission.
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