Author Topic: LIVE: Atlas V 421 - MMS - March 12/13, 2015 (02:44 UTC/10:44 pm Eastern)  (Read 119145 times)

Offline catdlr

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As the vehicle passed over Vandenberg AFB, I went outside just as a lark and, sure enough there was some sort of visible venting event just as it passed the zenith around 9:18 PST!  A bright pinpoint of light expanded quickly to the size of a misty full moon then expanded into a diffuse cloud that passed right in front of a brightly shining Jupiter before dissipating completely after about 3 minutes. Great show and the first time I've seen a Centaur doing its thing.



Ah darn, wish I could have gone out and watched that myself.
Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline Damon Hill

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And ULA, by working hard, once again makes space launch appear easy and routine.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Centaur continues to coast.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Online Chris Bergin

Chris, we have confirmation that the Magnetospheric MultiScale probe quartet has been successfully deployed into a highly elliptical orbit to study our magnetic field in the coming days.

Yeah, I know - I was watching..... ;D
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Offline Steven Pietrobon

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This was a really hard mission to put together.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Mission control.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Another view of mission control.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline catdlr

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Liftoff of MMS

Published on Mar 12, 2015
The Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying four Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, spacecraft on a mission to study magnetic reconnection. Scientists believe MMS will provide insights into the fundamental process that occurs throughout the universe. Liftoff was at 10:44 p.m. EDT.

Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline kevin-rf

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Nothing yet in Boston, a bit haxy, but should be in earth shadow. Has blow down occured?

Helodriver, excellent eyes!
« Last Edit: 03/13/2015 04:03 am by kevin-rf »
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Offline kevin-rf

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It's out of shadow, almost due south straight up, cone shaped in binoculars. Awesome! Well worth getting out of bed for.
If you're happy and you know it,
It's your med's!

Offline Orbiter

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Is it still visible? I shouldn't have taken in my telescope so soon after launch!!
KSC Engineer, astronomer, rocket photographer.

Offline kevin-rf

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Is it still visible? I shouldn't have taken in my telescope so soon after launch!!
Yes about fourth mag. Naked eye, but binoculars and low power are better. Just destroyed my night vision, but happy.
If you're happy and you know it,
It's your med's!

Offline kevin-rf

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Crude sketch, did not prep pencils and pad in advance. Grabbed what I could.

Edit: Sketch covers FOV viewed from an 8" dia. scope with a  2000mm fl and a 2" 40mm eyepeice. North down, East right, dot at cone tracked with cloud and is most likely Centaur.
« Last Edit: 03/13/2015 06:02 am by kevin-rf »
If you're happy and you know it,
It's your med's!

Offline Helodriver

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Nothing yet in Boston, a bit haxy, but should be in earth shadow. Has blow down occured?

Helodriver, excellent eyes!

I truly expected nothing, but the NASA-TV coverage showed that the ground track was going to come right overhead so I went outside. I was looking more southerly when the flash and outgassing happened nearly directly above. I wish I'd brought a camera out, it was a very visible event and would have photographed well. Watching the cloud diffuse and surround Jupiter was a cool bonus.

Offline kevin-rf

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At this point it's all but a faint smudge in my C-8, but was well worth coming out for.

That makes me  being lucky enough to catch three Centaur fuel dumps, the other two being east coast NOSS launches.

Excellent job ULA!
If you're happy and you know it,
It's your med's!

Offline kevin-rf

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Kevin Fetter over on Seesat has posted a video of the dump,

http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Mar-2015/0146.html
If you're happy and you know it,
It's your med's!

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Offline input~2

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A first object has been catalogued by USSTRATCOM:

2015-011E/40486 in 557 x 70189 km @28.84° (epoch: March 13, 0356UTC)

Offline Rocket Science

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Congratulations to all the teams and epic coverage from NSF! Request for a Jim photobomb for posterity please... :)
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline satwatcher

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Great to hear some of you were able to see the CCAM and fueldump! Thanks for those.

Some pictures are also up at http://spaceweathergallery.com/index.html.

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