Slashdot Mirror
Vandenberg AFB Missile Launches
Anonymous Coward writes "Hi All: My Space Archive web site covers the activities of Vandenberg AFB, a military and civilian spaceport on California's central coast. After several weeks of work, I have finished extensively revising and expanding the Viewing Vandenberg AFB Launches page on my site. I've been observing and photographing these launches for several years. Some are visible over much of the western U.S., but there is little information about them. As far as I know, this is the only article ever written on observing these launches. Regards, Brian Webb"
Some of the launches are published on-line from Vandenberg AFB. And there are hobby sites tracking them. Not new.
Aviation Week & Space Technology (trade magazine) has run numerous articles on the activities at VAFB. There are regular ICBM launches from VAFB to test/train missile crews and to test the reliability of the ageing ICBMs in the USAF arsenal. The warheads are removed from the ICBM and replaced with a telemetry and range safety package.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
There are actually a few good viewing sites on or around the base that are accessible to the general public, including the viewing stands at the base weather station.
I run the website that hosts the official base launch schedule (http://mocc.vandenberg.af.mil), and I've tried a number of times to get Public Affairs to compile - or allow me to compile - a list of these sites and related information, but I haven't had any luck so far. I get email from people all the time asking about this, and usually all I can do is direct them to Brian's page.
The commercial launch operators are usually pretty good about releasing information on launch schedules, payloads, and so on. The military is understandably more restrained, and you won't even see all of the military launches listed on the schedule. They are generally listed on a number of sites like Brian's, though.
Now, before anyone starts freaking out about classified information, it should be noted that even the classified launches have an unclassified launch window published. There's simply no way to keep such an operation secret. The real launch window, though, is often classified. For example, a launch might have a published 8-hour window, even though the real window could be a few minutes or less. (For the record, I don't deal with classified schedules. Even when I'm spending the night working launch support, I often don't know the exact launch time until I hear the countdown on the radio.)
If you're ever in the area for a Delta or Atlas launch especially, it's worth watching. Of course, they're even cooler to watch when they blow up. Liquid-fuelled rockets turn into huge fireballs, and solid-fuelled rockets fragment into thousands of little tiny shooting stars of burning fuel. And then they start thousands of little brush fires if they're low enough, which isn't so cool.
No it's not.
VAFB has published information on unclassified launches on their website already. All the website talks about is what places are good to watch said launches from, what to look for, what laucnhes look most impressive, and what to bring. This is sensitive how?
Or I guess you didn't RTFA.
In the 70s my dad was stationed at Vandenberg AFB. He worked as a cable monkey running wire in the tunnels that connect the launch sites with the control room. He knew the days when they were going to do test launches so one launch he went out to the beach in Lompoc with some of his friends to photograph the launch. He was stopped by MPs and they took his film. This is probably why you don't see much info about the launches.