9/21/2002: Minuteman trail

lhand · 09-23-2002, 02:57 PM

I live in Lancaster, CA--moved there last year. I saw this as I was getting in my pool. It was late enough that the stars were out. At first I thought there was a crane in the street behind my house being lit by the streetlight. It was straight, white at the top and orange lower down. As I watched it got longer and there was a burst of light (as the second or third stage ignited I now realize).

I climbed out of the pool and walked over to the block wall at the back of my yard and realized that it was a lot farther than I first thought. I finally figured out it was a missle. I looked for a burning plane (maybe they shot down a plane?) or something the missle was being shot at. I still didn't realize it was 150 miles away! Over the next several minutes the trail began to be distorted by the wind and it looked like the picture about 10 minutes after the launch.

My wife called the police--they had no idea, but had lots of calls to the station. Nothing on the news. It wasn't until the next day I heard what it was: a Minuteman III launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base at a target in the Marshall Islands. They usually launch between 1 and 4 AM. They launched early because the weather was so good.

The coloring is because the trail is so high that it is lit by sunlight. The change in color is because of the change in altitude and the sun's angle. It was still sunny at the top and dusk at the middle of the trail. I wish I'd thought to get some pictures on that crystal clear night. :-(

Still, it was a little scary during this time of "High Terrorist Alert." At least now I have the Vandenburg launch page bookmarked (http://mocc.vandenberg.af.mil/launchsched.asp) so I can watch out for the next one (in December).

09-23-2002, 02:57 PM	#1
lhand Dry Nurse Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Lancaster, CA Posts: 23	What a sight I live in Lancaster, CA--moved there last year. I saw this as I was getting in my pool. It was late enough that the stars were out. At first I thought there was a crane in the street behind my house being lit by the streetlight. It was straight, white at the top and orange lower down. As I watched it got longer and there was a burst of light (as the second or third stage ignited I now realize). I climbed out of the pool and walked over to the block wall at the back of my yard and realized that it was a lot farther than I first thought. I finally figured out it was a missle. I looked for a burning plane (maybe they shot down a plane?) or something the missle was being shot at. I still didn't realize it was 150 miles away! Over the next several minutes the trail began to be distorted by the wind and it looked like the picture about 10 minutes after the launch. My wife called the police--they had no idea, but had lots of calls to the station. Nothing on the news. It wasn't until the next day I heard what it was: a Minuteman III launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base at a target in the Marshall Islands. They usually launch between 1 and 4 AM. They launched early because the weather was so good. The coloring is because the trail is so high that it is lit by sunlight. The change in color is because of the change in altitude and the sun's angle. It was still sunny at the top and dusk at the middle of the trail. I wish I'd thought to get some pictures on that crystal clear night. :-( Still, it was a little scary during this time of "High Terrorist Alert." At least now I have the Vandenburg launch page bookmarked (http://mocc.vandenberg.af.mil/launchsched.asp) so I can watch out for the next one (in December).

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