Virgin Galactic Rocket Plane Launch Sunday

Above, VSS Unity touches down in the Mojave Desert. Virgin Galactic photo.

Things are happening tomorrow from Spaceport America in New Mexico. It is 20 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences.

The city of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico is about 250 miles from Jamestown, so it is questionable that I will be able to see the space plane of Richard Branson take flight Sunday morning. 

I have seen many rocket launches from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California from Los Angeles, but that was because Vandenburg's distance was half that of Truth or Consequences from my vantage point. Since VSS Unity will be going 50 miles up, seeing it from my backyard is a big maybe.

According to Business Insider:

Virgin Galactic is about to rocket four people — including the company's founder, Richard Branson — to the edge of space.

The company has flown people on its reusable, winged rocket plane, called SpaceShipTwo, three times since December 2018. But two of those flights involved only Virgin Galactic pilots. Only one of the flights carried a passenger.

On Sunday, the SpaceShipTwo plane, called VSS Unity, is set to carry the company's first full crew more than 50 miles above the Earth.

The rocket plane will be dropped from a plane, VMS Eve, X-15 style. The flight will be livestreamed starting at 9:00 Sunday morning.

To read more, go here.

Missile Launch From Fort Wingate

Above, a locked gate to Six Mile Canyon greeted me this afternoon, although
the missile test had already taken place this morning. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Drat! Missed it!

Last week during one of our usual coffee gatherings at Denny's in the Flying J, it was mentioned that there would be a missile test on or about October 16. I figured that since I would be having a medical check-up that day, I would miss it.

It turned out that the test took place this morning, but I still missed it. But I do recall hearing a loud noise this morning.

I completely forgot all about it until I took a Jeep drive to Six Mile Canyon in the Cibola National Forest near Jamestown, New Mexico.

When I reached the gate, I saw that it was closed and a notice with a map of the restricted area was on it. I got out of the Jeep and went to read it. It mentioned that the Cibola National Forest would be closed from October 16 to October 17 due to the missile test.

Above, the Fort Wingate Missile Launch Closure notice on the Six Mile Canyon gate. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Had I remembered it, I could have witnessed the launch of the Black Dagger target missile from Fort Wingate (which is only about 8 miles away).

According to KOAT:

FORT WINGATE, N.M. — A Black Dagger target missile was launched Thursday morning firing from Fort Wingate near Gallup to White Sands Missile Range, approximately 200 miles.

Fortunately, a viewer took a video of the Fort Wingate launch and it is posted at KOAT.

To view it, go here.

Oh, well. There will be other missile launches in the future. I've already seen some from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California many times.

Southern California UFO?

Since I was feeling a little under the weather yesterday, it was either a cold coming on or an allegry flare-up, I didn't get to posting this.

Since I am feeling fine today, it was obviously not a cold.

A friend in Southern California sent this photo yesterday morning:

She said:

Over my local hills now.  Bright as could be.

Visible at an altitude of several thousand feet and that visible from half a mile plus away, and not moving for about 20 mins?   

She didn't know what it was. UFO?

Later in the day, she sent this:

Turns out Vandenberg lauched a missile about then, so likely debris from it.

Hawaii Now Threatened By North Korea

Above, the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and nearby Honolulu would be prime targets. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Another national security failure of the Obama Administration appears to be getting worse by the day.

That is the failure to put a halt to North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile program. Now they are threatening Hawaii.

According to McClatchy DC Bureau:

WASHINGTON The Pentagon needs to consider deploying new anti-ballistic missile systems and a defensive radar to Hawaii to protect against a growing threat from North Korea, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday. 

“Kim Jong-Un is clearly in a position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion,” Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “I have suggested that we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii that . . . defend (it) directly, and that we look at a defensive Hawaii radar.” 

The U.S. currently has anti-missile interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and in Fort Greely, Alaska. 

Harris was repeatedly questioned by lawmakers from Hawaii on the threat posed to their state. 

The current defense architecture “is sufficient to protect Hawaii today, but it can be overwhelmed,” he cautioned. “Somewhere, we would have to make a decision about which missiles to take out, and that’s a hard decision.” 

Harris warned that North Korea’s testing is picking up speed and becoming more aggressive; the country conducted more than 20 ballistic missile tests last year.

Meanwhile, we are doing our own missile testing. A Minuteman III missile was launched last night around midnight from Vandenburg Air Force Base.

Today, the Senate was called to a special White House briefing on the North Korean threat. For details, go here.

To read more, go here.