Delta II/Cloudsat-Calipso Launches from
Vandenberg AFB.
Delta II launches with 4 SRB's for the first time from
Vandenberg AFB. on April 28,
2006.
( Read
more about this mission click here)
On the 7th try the Delta II/CloudSat launches at 3:02:16am
PDT.
(More launch photos below!)
The day before launch is remote camera setup. Here NASA photographer
Bill Ingalls lines up his cameras.
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This photo shows the MST rolling back exposing the Delta II on
Thursday April 20, 2006.
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Photographer Tom Rogers captures the Delta II after tower roll.
This wide angle photo includes both the Delta II and 177-foot tall
mobile service tower.
This will be the first launch of the Delta II with 4 SRBs from VAFB.
This photo taken from a wide angle camera the day before launch
shows the low clouds moving in.
It is the same camera that captured the liftoff below.
Wide angle Digital Canon 10D captures the Delta II climbing up!
Here you can see the difference between digital and film! This photo
was taken with 100asa film!
A 600mm lens captures liftoff from the Press Site 3.3 miles away.
This attempt at a streak shot was washed out by the fog and low clouds.
It took took only 5 seconds for the Delta II to disappear into the
clouds!
This 1 min. 40 sec. streak photo was taken about 50 miles to the East
of SLC-2 from just above the city of Santa Barbara.
One hour after launch it was really foggy at SLC-2 but both spacecraft
were in orbit!
This photo was taken on the way home off the Hwy. 101 just north of
Santa Barbara about 5:30am
and shows the contrail to the right and the planet Venus on the left
side.
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