The scheduled launch of the NROL-71 Delta-IV Heavy off of SLC-6 at Vandenberg AFB this evening at 5:44pm PST will offer some good lighting conditions to see and photograph the exhaust plume. The rocket gets up into sunlight at T+4m20s, just 20 seconds after the BECO where the two side core boosters shut down and separate. The center core burn, shutdown, staging and fairing separations will all be up in sunlight at altitude with darkness on the ground for all of California and points eastward. Trajectory plots for selected locations can be seen at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/xb70man/albums/72157674674958597 If the launch gets delayed until Thursday 12/20, the lighting conditions are even better, with much of the 3-core 1st-stage burn visible. The two previous (and only) Delta-IV Heavy launches from Vandenberg can be seen at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/xb70man/albums/72157635356568650 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/xb70man/albums/72157625888556270 Clear skies! Rick Baldridge Campbell, CA _______________________________________________ Seesat-l mailing list http://mailman.satobs.org/mailman/listinfo/seesat-lReceived on Wed Dec 19 2018 - 12:57:07 UTC
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