Secret U.S. rocket launch

BigCon

Not sure if this is the right forum (or if there's any interest in this).

Happened to be in Orlando today and went out for a drive towards Cape Canaveral to see if we could see the space shuttle Endeavour (was moved there recently in preparation for the last shuttle flight next month).

Didn't see it, but found out that a secret U.S. rocket launch was taking place (http://www.space.com/11112-spy-satellite-blasts-secret-mission.html). Luckily enough we just happened to be there at the right time...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7309257@N04/sets/72157626247317376/

clln

BigCon wrote: »

Not sure if this is the right forum (or if there's any interest in this).

Happened to be in Orlando today and went out for a drive towards Cape Canaveral to see if we could see the space shuttle Endeavour (was moved there recently in preparation for the last shuttle flight next month).

Didn't see it, but found out that a secret U.S. rocket launch was taking place (http://www.space.com/11112-spy-satellite-blasts-secret-mission.html). Luckily enough we just happened to be there at the right time...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7309257@N04/sets/72157626247317376/

By military standards this launch is not considered to be all that sinister.

It is headed towards Geo-Sync orbit(meaning it will orbit at just the right height to 'appear ' to be standing still above one spot,like satellites that deliver TV do, it is called the Clarke belt named after the late Arthur C Clarke who first figured that this could be done.

From its orbit it will receive UHF signals from spy satellites in much lower orbit and relay the data to the satellite which in turn can download all the information to the US constantly,rather than wait for the lower orbit Sats to send their data only when they are above the US.

NoQuarter

Top secret alright!!

BigCon

clln wrote: »

By military standards this launch is not considered to be all that sinister.

It is headed towards Geo-Sync orbit(meaning it will orbit at just the right height to 'appear ' to be standing still above one spot,like satellites that deliver TV do, it is called the Clarke belt named after the late Arthur C Clarke who first figured that this could be done.

From its orbit it will receive UHF signals from spy satellites in much lower orbit and relay the data to the satellite which in turn can download all the information to the US constantly,rather than wait for the lower orbit Sats to send their data only when they are above the US.

Cool, where did you find this info, I had a quick search and couldn't find out much about it...

Tenger

BigCon wrote: »

Happened to be in Orlando today and went out for a drive towards Cape Canaveral to see if we could see the space shuttle Endeavour (was moved there recently in preparation for the last shuttle flight next month).

Didn't see it, but found out that a secret U.S. rocket launch was taking place (http://www.space.com/11112-spy-satellite-blasts-secret-mission.html). Luckily enough we just happened to be there at the right time...

If I had of known that I would have asked you for a lift to KSC!

This was the launch at about 1730 local right?
If so it wasn't very secret.
Had hoped to spot this from my hotel but didn't........

eilejh

Well it really is no secret here in Texas. Just every day stuff.

Dave!

Quick, someone post it over here for the laugh

clln

BigCon wrote: »

Cool, where did you find this info, I had a quick search and couldn't find out much about it...

From various websites BigCon.
They allow coverage of about 18 minutes of a 'secret' launch because a launch cannot be hidden!:)

their are patch's for even Military launch's and clues start there.
also the real pro's can tell by the launch window where it is headed approx.
also the version of the rocket that is used for a launch gives great clues as to how high the orbit will be.
if it was going into low Earth orbit a smaller version of the Delta would be used.
also the direction it launch's towards gives more clues as to were it will 'park' in space.

then there are leaks from Jnr members of the military and from United Launch alliance who are a private company that launch spacecrafts for any client.

once in orbit amateur satellite trackers always find these crafts and track them.

a jigsaw puzzle to put all the pieces together but fun!:)

clln

The 5th and final Satellite in this series of 'secret' Military launch's took place overnight.whatever i feel about the use of miltary purposes i have to admit this launch picture is a beautiful one!



or the launch video,well just because i enjoy launch's!:)

clln

Meanwhile those pesky civilians have twarted the Militarys secrecy about the fourth launch in the OP!:D

The mystery satellite shot into orbit atop the classified Delta 4 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral last month has been spotted and identified by hobbyist trackers.

The United Launch Alliance booster roared away from Complex 37 on March 11 in the Medium+4,2 configuration with a pair of strap-on solid motors.

It was a typical ascent that went into a news blackout just minutes after blastoff because of the covert payload being launched for the National Reconnaissance Office. The secretive agency operates the country's fleet of spy satellites.
As with all NRO launches these days, real-time information about a rocket's flight ceases when the protective nose cone is jettisoned. The public must wait until the satellite is seen in space and amateur observers compute the orbit to gain confirmation that the launch was successful. When the Delta left the Florida spaceport, the rocket headed eastward and made it a safe bet that the satellite was targeting an orbital perch 22,300 miles above the planet.

http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d353/

Rubecula

Is 22,300 miles a geosynchronous orbit?

clln

Rubecula wrote: »

Is 22,300 miles a geosynchronous orbit?

22.336 miles to be exact!:),they just round it off.



Geostationary orbit. To an observer on the rotating Earth (brown dot on the blue sphere), the satellite appears stationary in the sky.

backboiler

Rubecula wrote: »

Is 22,300 miles a geosynchronous orbit?

I'll go one further

Geosync orbit is when force on the satellite due to gravity is equal to the centripetal force due to the object's radial motion.

F = m*g = m*r*w^2, where:
- m is the satellite's mass (in kg)
- g is the acceleration due to Earth's gravity at that altitude (in m/s^2)
- r is the radius of the orbit (in m - what we want to find),
- w is the angular rate (in rad/s)

The m's cancel each other out (indicating that the radius of the orbit is independent of the satellite's mass), so we have:
g = r*w^2

Now,
g = G*M/r^2, where
- G is the universal gravitational constant (6.67*10^-11 units of ugly),
- M is the mass of the Earth (5.97*10^24 kg)

So, we have:
G*M/r^2 = r*w^2, or solving for r:
r^3 = G*M/w^2,
r = (G*M/w^2)^(1/3) (i.e. cube root)

To be geosynchronous, in each period of 1 day (we'll use 24*60*60 = 86400 s) we need to make a full orbit (360 degrees or 2*pi radians in SI units). So w is 2*3.14/86400.

Now we have values for all the right-hand side variables, so plugging them in:

r = (6.67*10^-11 * 5.97*10^24 / (2*3.14/86400)^2)^(1/3), so:
r = 4.22*10^7 m, which is 42200 km.
Now, this is the distance from the centre of the Earth, which has a radius of about 6400 km, we get an altitude of 35800 km, which is about 22,200 miles.
A lot of rounding and approximations there but the answer is close enough!

clln

backboiler wrote: »

22,200 miles.

Oh no it is'nt!:p

A lot of rounding and approximations there but the answer is close enough!

You said it Backboiler! and what pray tell will be your next trick?
showing us all the calculations for the Space-time continuam?:D

See what you started Rubucula!:D

backboiler

42!

clln

backboiler wrote: »

42!

I wondered if you were a man or a mouse backboiler,your answer indicates that you are a mouse!;), but an expert on 'Life,the Universe,and everything'!:D

Just in case anybody thinks i am insulting backboiler and rips me to pieces,i better add this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zCCpeGjAJw

Episode 4 "Deep Thoughts": Arthur Dent learns the true purpose of the Earth from the Magrathean coastline designer, Slartibartfast, and then meets up with Zaphod, Ford and Trillian and a couple of mice, whereby they are given the enormous task of finding the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.

backboiler

No insults taken here.

The thing I was trying to demonstrate was that even something as apparently complicated as computing an orbit can be approached with junior cert maths and physics, even if the numbers themselves are a bit unwieldy.

clln

backboiler wrote: »

No insults taken here.

Well backboiler i did not expect You to be insulted,but anyone who has never read the book or seen the TV show would be be even more puzzled by '42' than your post before that!:)

and just to round off the thread if it is left unfinished,
news is in already about the latest launch:
It explains why the Atlas had only one single Solid Rocket Booster strapped to it at lift-off, ie, it did not need a higher orbit for its payload:

The National Reconnaissance Office has successfully deployed vital replacement spacecraft over the past seven months to rejuvenate nearly all of its satellite constellations, most recently putting an ocean surveillance duo into orbit last week

Rubecula are you any wiser now?
Cos damned if i am!:)

2cool4school

BigCon wrote: »

Didn't see it, but found out that a secret U.S. rocket launch was taking place

no such launch ever took place now move along please nothin to see here lol