LIVE: Atlas V - NROL-34 - April 14, 2011

• #100 by TitanFan on 15 Apr, 2011 07:41
• Quote from: Chris Bergin on 15 Apr, 2011 06:42

  Quote from: Seattle Dave on 15 Apr, 2011 05:58

  That's great how it lights up the condensation and ice falling off it.  Needs one of those MaxQ videos 
  

  
  There's an idea. Atlas V needs a Shuttle-style MaxQ rock video and another of Chris' "OMG, that's hardly my taste in music" suggestions
  
  Lyrics work, excuse the title (not literal, obviously - Lady Gaga's done far worse)
  
  "The city sleeps beneath me
  Unrested, the longest night drives
  The city sleeps tonight
  
  A thousand miles by night, straight as the crow flies
  
  Chasing right and wrong, countless miles from home
  Without an end in sight, this is a battle song"
  
  
  

  
  A "soundtrack" to this launch?  Gotta be "Heaven's On Fire" by KISS
  
  "Feel my heat takin' you higher,
  burn with me, Heaven's on fire
  Paint the sky with desire,
  angel fly, Heaven's on fire"
  
• #101 by DaveJes1979 on 15 Apr, 2011 18:59
• Here is what it looked like from the South Base gate:
  
  

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• #102 by robertross on 15 Apr, 2011 19:29
• Quote from: DaveJes1979 on 15 Apr, 2011 18:59

  Here is what it looked like from the South Base gate:
  

  
  Nice!
• #103 by sdsds on 17 Apr, 2011 03:59
• Adam Ince captured a time-lapse photo of the launch from "approximately 200 miles away."
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamince/5621283708
• #104 by Galactic Penguin SST on 17 Apr, 2011 05:44
• Interesting. The payload may turn out to be an NOSS pair, instead of a HEO ELINT sat as some guessed before...
  http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2011/0202.html
• #105 by Skyrocket on 18 Apr, 2011 06:11
• Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 17 Apr, 2011 05:44

  Interesting. The payload may turn out to be an NOSS pair, instead of a HEO ELINT sat as some guessed before...
  http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2011/0202.html
  

  
  That is a very interesting development. Observations have confirmed two NOSS satellites:
  http://satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2011/0202.html
  
  NOSS pairs were put into orbit using a two burn profile for Centaur with a rather long coast phase . The second burn failed during the NROL-30 mission. Now it seems, they have added a booster so that the mission can be conducted with a single burn of Centaur to avoid a second burn after a longer coast phase.
  
  I wonder, if this change has cosequences for other future LEO missions like the NROL-41 type (FIA-Radar ?) satellites.
• #106 by William Graham on 22 Apr, 2011 15:57
• I think FIA used a direct ascent anyway, so it probably wouldn't be affected.
  
  This also means that the two upcoming 401 launches are probably SDS.
• #107 by jcm on 23 Apr, 2011 01:27
• The second USA 229 payload has now been cataloged by the US as 37391,
  and named "USA 229 DEB" (i.e. "debris"- hello JSPOCchio, did I just see your nose get longer by another couple of inches??)
  
  It is being tracked by hobbyists in a 1017 x 1205 km x 63.4 deg orbit.