Rocket Launch May Surprise Those on East Coast

On Monday December 11th, around 7:00 a.m. EST (The actual launch window extends for several hours beyond 7 a.m.) a Minotaur-I rocket is scheduled to be launched from Wallops Island, Virginia. This rocket will rapidly ascend to an altitude of 255-miles over the Atlanticin less than 10-minutes, to deploy two research satellites. From the Greater New York Area, the long contrails that the rocket leaves in its wake should be visible low toward the southern and southeast parts of the sky. Based on similar launchings from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the contrails may become weirdly twisted and contorted (due to high altitude winds) and may attract the attention of the general public -- especially since the launch is due to take place in the middle of a Monday morning rush hour! Because the launch will occur just prior to sunrise (in a twilight sky) visibility along much of the US East Coast is anticipated. Unfortunately, if the launch takes place well after sunrise, little or none of it may be seen. For complete sighting details, including links to the latest launch updates aswell as a live webcast of the liftoff from Wallops Island go to: http://tinyurl.com/yl6d3c -ERIC