Posted on 10/24/2008 4:53:14 PM PDT by cabojoe
Under beautiful clear skies, countdown preparations are underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-2 for this evening's liftoff of the Delta 2 rocket carrying Italy's COSMO 3 spacecraft.
The 177-foot tall mobile service tower has been retracted from the United Launch Alliance-built rocket. The gantry was used to stack the two-stage vehicle, the four strap-on solid rocket motors and the COSMO payload atop the pad's launch mount. The tower also provided the primary weather protection and worker access to the rocket during its stay at the oceanside complex on North Vandenberg.
Ground teams will spend the next couple of hours getting the pad secured in advance of the Terminal Countdown. Launch remains targeted for exactly 7:28:25 p.m. local (10:28:25 p.m. EDT; 0228:25 GMT).
Avanti, Cosmo-3!
Pings to y’all!!!
I saw it a few years ago without knowing what it was. It was stunning, the stage separation was completely visible from San Diego.
This one should catch the light from the set sun. It has a one second window, so if it doesn’t go off today it goes off same time tomorrow.
The one I saw went up right after nautical twilight. I happened to be in my yard and saw it all, racing up from north to south over San Diego. (It was being injected into a polar orbit.) It went up with no advance notice. My first thought was a meteor, then a second later no, it’s rising, it must be an ABM, launching to take out an incoming ICBM! (San Diego is home to several carriers, many subs etc. It’s the 2nd biggest naval base on the planet.) A second after that thought the stages separated and it kept going. The gases in the upper atmosphere caught the last sunlight, and it was like a purple, red and yellow aurora borealis. These rocket gas northern lights stayed visible for a long time. This rocket was seen as far east as Phoenix, so I had a “front row seat” in coastal San Diego.
I write all this to strongly encourage anyone in the viewing area to take the time to see it!! A video camera would be a good idea as well.
Saw it last time from our compound here in Lakeside. Had no idea what I was watching but man it was cool!!
Sweet! I’m in O.C. and just set an alarm to remind me to get up on my roof and watch it.\
Video and still cameras will be ready for action.
I live in Vegas. I wonder if we’ll be able to see it from here?
I don’t know about Vegas, but some in Arizona have seen these launches.
0143 GMT (9:43 p.m. EDT; 6:43 p.m. PDT)
T-minus 15 minutes and holding. Clocks have entered the first of two planned hold periods during the final portion of the Terminal Countdown. This pause will last 20 minutes in duration.
These holds are designed to give the launch team a chance to deal with any problems and catch up on work that could be running behind schedule.
But United Launch Alliance says everything is proceeding smoothly with no problems to report on this night.
Thanks for the ping! I saw it!
I saw it too in Huntington Beach... right up to Main Engine Cutoff... my neighbors didn’t believe me that the light in the sky was a rocket, until I said, OK... watch the light go off in a minute... and right on schedule - MECO, and the light went off. He believes me now.
Hope you saw it with clear skies!
Saw it from the San Fernando Valley. It was a bright glow, no spectacular lights like I’ve seen in the past.
How was it?
Rats,...I missed it....
Thanks for the ping!
0228:25 GMT (10:28:25 p.m. EDT; 7:28:25 p.m. PDT)
LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the third COSMO-SkyMed spacecraft for Italy’s civil and security Earth-observing system.
Here in San Diego it was low on my horizon but I saw what looked to be an engine cutoff.
Same from Newport Beach, picked it up early, very low to the west, orange red with a small tail. Changed to bright white while speeding up, when it finally blinked out it was nearly due south.
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