Yup - two big boosters. They glowed for a long time as they fell.
Posted on 04/29/2005 6:19:17 PM PDT by iso
0110 GMT (9:10 p.m. EDT Fri.)
With this successful delivery of the national security satellite payload into orbit aboard the final Titan from the Cape, a celebration is upcoming tonight.
"A lot of our VIPs and folks are gonna speak to the troops and thank them, kind of a farewell in that regard," said Ben Dusenbery, Lockheed Martin's director of Titan launch operations at the Cape.
0103 GMT (9:03 p.m. EDT Fri.)
"A great ending to a spectacular history," said Walt Yager, Lockheed Martin's vice president of the Titan program. This was the 168th Titan from the Cape.
Just one more rocket remains to fly -- a July 10th liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It will be the 200th West Coast Titan liftoff.
The program began flights of the Titan 1 ICBM in 1959 from the Cape.
0100 GMT (9:00 p.m. EDT Fri.)
"A very successful mission this evening," Lockheed Martin's spokesman in the launch center reports. "Congratulations to the entire team."
0059 GMT (8:59 p.m. EDT Fri.)
T+plus 9 minutes, 35 seconds. SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The Titan 4 rocket has released the top-secret National Reconnaissance Office satellite into space, completing tonight's ascent that ends five-decades of Titan launches from Cape Canaveral.
I just watched a big rocket launch from Kennedy about 10 minutes ago - it had two main boosters that fell off just like the shuttle.
A second staging event took place about 2 minutes later.
Another staging gave off a huge halo that I thought was too big for comfort.
Great view from my 2nd story balcony looking north from Hobe Sound. I didnt see ANYTHING on the Kennedy spaceport website about a launch.
Yeah that's Titan 4B .
Yup - two big boosters. They glowed for a long time as they fell.
Thanks for the pic.
0125 GMT (9:25 p.m. EDT Fri.)
We're receiving dozens of emails from folks up and down the U.S. East Coast who spotted the rocket as it ascended into orbit.
A report from Roger Guillemette at his home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on South Shore Beach in Little Compton, Rhode Island:
"Just saw the Titan!
"Through a high cloud deck - opaque enough to see the Big Dipper thru - I saw two comet-like objects, appearing to be large balls of glowing dust, rise above the eastern horizon. The first ball appeared to be glowing, moved very fast and headed due East up the Atlantic seaboard, the second cloud was trailing by an ever increasing distance and started to fade. The first glowing ball then faded out of sight, just about 8:59 PM.
"Amazing sight - the Titan heading into orbit with the trailing stage venting propellant."
I would guess that since the payload was a national security satellite, it wasn't publicized.
You are right .
You are right .
Ping
This was the last Titan. Great bird. Lot's of history.
I'm proud to have been part of many Titan launches in the past.
If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail not by posting to this thread.
very cool indeed!
Mystery Ship May Track....
Nice job.
Off subject a little but can the new spy sats really read the writing on a pack of cigarettes?
I remember when Challenger blew up, I had just been to the Cape on the previous launch to see a night liftoff. It is glorious!
>I didnt see ANYTHING on the Kennedy spaceport website about a launch
It was an Air Force launch. It was on the various space web sites, including spaceflightnow.com. It wasn't on the MSM because they didn't think it was news worthy.
Happy to say I worked at the plant that made most of the N2O4 for the Titan and the Shuttle. The plant is gone now and so is the Titan....the Shuttle? Who knows?
I don't see how you could have missed all the press on the "secret" payload. Warnings to Canadian oil platforms
in the Atlantic, next-to-last Titan4B, strange looking vessel in Portland, ME harbor (including photo and mention of
the "unconventional" orbit), etc.
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