NASA launches Black Brant

[Star Voyager]

A Black Brant XII launched from Wallops Island yesterday and generated U.F.O. reports all the way from Boston. Here's why:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090920/ap_on_sc/us_rocket_launch

 

[SiberianTiger]

Any pics, please?

 

[Bj]

Any pics, please?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Brant_(rocket)

 

[Star Voyager]

Concerning this flight, no announcement was made and no pictures were taken.

 

[Sky Captain]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Brant_(rocket)

It looks like overgrown model rocket.

Is there an Orbiter addon for it?

 

[Star Voyager]

I don't think so, but I could be wrong.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Brant_(rocket)

Thank you, although I meant if there were any pictures of the sightings over Boston taken by the eyewitnesses.

 

[tl8]

Yes, On my hard drive

Currently the payload model has bad aerodynamics and I haven't released it yet.

If there is enough interest I can send out a public beta

 

[Star Voyager]

Not that I read. Neither Spaceflightnow, nor NASA has anything on this. Very interesting...

 

[Ghostrider]

It's a sounding rocket, not exactly big news.

 

[tl8]

Not that I read. Neither Spaceflightnow, nor NASA has anything on this. Very interesting...

Not True, need to know where to look
http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code810/missions.html

 

[Star Voyager]

I'm not seeing it. Which mission is it?

 

[tl8]

No idea, but it is one of the ones due to launch in September. They haven't updated the site in a while

 

[Star Voyager]

The only ones that fit the rocket description were launhed from Alaska.

 

[tl8]

The sounding rocket program while managed by NASA is primarily run by the university. The best way to get more information about this mission is to contact the university that bought the Sounding Rocket.

Pretty much the only information NASA will put on their website is a basic overview of the payload and the trajectory of the rocket.

As I don't know who launched the rocket and what the payload was, I have no idea which mission it is. That said I can probably guess which ones it might be.

Analysing the Mission numbers there, indicates that no mission using the BBXII is launching this year. Now it is possible that the site hasn't been updated to show that mission, it is also possible that they have got the wrong sounding rocket.

The lack of solid information makes it hard for me to pick the correct mission.

 

[Star Voyager]

Okay, well I haven't found any pictures, which leads me to believe none were taken.

 

[tblaxland]

Not that I read. Neither Spaceflightnow, nor NASA has anything on this. Very interesting...

Okay, well I haven't found any pictures, which leads me to believe none were taken.

It made NASA Watch, it even drew a rant from Keith Cowing:
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2009/09/artificial_clou.html

Some info about the mission:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=29143

Wallops launch blog:
http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast/

YouTube video:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb45uBaj2Mc"]YouTube - NASA Black Brant XII / CARE Launch 9-19-2009[/nomedia]


There is a good chance the object moving across the bottom of the video during the aerosol release was the upper stage of the Cosmos 389 (Tselina-D electronic intelligence satellite) Soyuz launch vehicle. The time is close (within a few minutes) and the direction and speed seem correct.

 

[tl8]

I never thought to look on youtube for my rocket, it is good to know that my timing look ok.

 

[Star Voyager]

Intresting, I should start using those websites, too. Thanks tl8 !

---------- Post added at 06:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 AM ----------

NASA's article (finally!):

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/CARE.html

 

[tblaxland]

Some interesting information from Jonathan's Space Report:

The Charged Aerosol Release Experiment, CARE I, was launched from
Wallops Island on Sep 19, creating a cloud in the ionosphere that
was widely seen in the nightime sky in the eastern United States.
The rocket was a Black Brant XI (Talos-Terrier-Black Brant)
not a Black Brant XII (Talos-Terrier-Black Brant-Nikha) as had been
widely reported; it therefore got a BB-XI '39'-series flight designation,
NASA 39.009DR, rather that a BB-XII '40'-series number. The rocket
did indeed have a Nikha motor, but not as a fourth stage - the
motor nozzle was removed and the motor was burnt in a test to release its
propellant as a cloud of dusty plasma, studying its effects
on the upper atmosphere. In this role, the motor was counted as part
of the payload and not of the launch vehicle.

Semantics, I know, but interesting nonetheless.