Vandenburg Missile test

Minuteman-3 Tested from Vandenberg

An unarmed Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile was test-launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The missile’s single, unarmed re-entry vehicle traveled approximately 8,200 km (5,100 miles), striking a pre-determined water target near Guam in the Northern Mariana Islands. The launch was part of a developmental test to demonstrate the weapon’s effectiveness at an extended range. The Minuteman-3 missile originated from the 564th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.

www.missilethreat.com...

A little after 6 am on the 7th, my husband was working on top of a wine storage tank. He witnessed what he is convinced was the bright flash and extensive smoke of a missile exploding due west of us here in central California. He said that it looked exactly like depictions of the Challenger disaster, only occurring in semi darkness. The smoke remained in the air for quite awhile and other employees also saw it. They were later told that it was from the Vandenburg launch (about 300 miles southwest of us).
Could this have been a normal rocket stage - or is the Air Force covering something up, and why are they practicing for extended ranges?
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[edit on 8-4-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]

[edit on 8-4-2006 by lamb]

normally you wouldnt see them due to the fact you're so far away and plus they hardly ever launch except at like 1 am.

I lived 40 miles from vandenburg for 5 years and tried like 10 times to stay up and watch the liftoff, every time they postponed it. But when those suckers go, man what a show. They leave awesome contrails. No coverup, you can subscribe to an email alert system which tells you every single launch. So there ya go.

Train

Why keep testing?
Why keep shooting things at long distances?
Why schedule tests to coincide with Iran getting all uppity about their nuke program?
Why keep testing when the Russia or North Korea could still lob one at us any minute?

I don't know. Haven't we achieved Pax Americana yet?
What's taking so long?

Originally posted by Enkidu
Why keep testing?
Why keep shooting things at long distances?
Why schedule tests to coincide with Iran getting all uppity about their nuke program?
Why keep testing when the Russia or North Korea could still lob one at us any minute?

I don't know. Haven't we achieved Pax Americana yet?
What's taking so long?

One needs weapons readiness tests, such as the recent Minuteman-3 test, to verify ones capabilities; everyone does it. There's no point claiming that you've got a weapons system (especially a wepons system as potent as potent as an ICBM) in your inventory if, when it comes time to use it, the thing doesn't launch.

Who knows, maybe the Americans were using the launch to test out some new subsystems on the Minuteman-3 or missile warning systems.