[meteorite-list] OT ALERT: Delta 4 launch from VAFB in a little over 2 hours!

[Matson, Robert]

Hi All,

For those who live in the southwest U.S. and aren't already aware of
it, a Delta 4 Medium+ carrying NRO payload NROL-22 is scheduled to
launch out of Vandenberg at 8:14pm PDT this evening -- a little over
2 hours from now.  This is the first launch of a Delta 4 out of
California.  Since the payload is going into a Molniya-type orbit,
the launch direction is to the south-southeast -- perfect for viewing
from southern California.  The launch may also be visible from
Nevada and Arizona.

The timing is excellent for backlighting of the exhaust plume since
the sun will set (in SoCal) shortly before launch.  Skies will of
course be darker for those in Arizona and Nevada, so I expect a
large number of "meteor" and/or "UFO" sightings this evening.

--Rob