Yesterday's Delta IV-Heavy rocket launch: a personal impression

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Yesterday's Delta IV-Heavy rocket launch: a personal impression

By Kunio M. Sayanagi | Last updated January 21, 2011 4:32 PM

Photo Credit Kunio Sayanagi

I went to see the Delta IV-Heavy rocket launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California on January 20. With the capacity to lift 23 tons of payload to low-Earth orbit, the rocket was the biggest to launch from the west coast of the United States to date, and it was a spectacular show.

The launch was delayed by two-and-a-half minutes from the initial schedule to avoid a piece of space debris, but otherwise it appeared to go flawlessly. As it was launching a National Reconnaissance Office payload, very little is public about the mission itself, including its destined orbit or how many satellites it was deploying. All we know is that they needed the ability to launch 23 tons to orbit.

The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg AFB

[wuzww]

Howdy...

WOW...! What a shot..!

I'm really impressed..!

As an old guy that used to read all about going to the moon in

the defunct Colliers magazine, as a teenager back when dirt was NEW..! I aspired to be an astronaut.

The closest I got to that dream, was being a private pilot.. I've owned a number of airplanes and have

flown all over the USA.. Great way to travel..!

Dang it.. I wish I lived closer to these launches..

I can only read and imagine how impressive they are from the descriptions in the aarticle...!

Thanks for making the post...!

wuzww