Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 20, 2013 #1 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Unprecedented fourth launch in four months for Atlas 5 Launching. Just launching. That's been the mantra for the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket program, which successfully completed its fourth flight in four months on Tuesday by boosting a surveillance satellite into orbit for the Pentagon.The pace is unprecedented in the decade-long history of the Atlas 5 family, and each of the four missions since December lifted off in the opening moment of their launch windows on the first attempt. The streak spans the X-37B mini space shuttle launch on Dec. 11, a NASA science-relay spacecraft deployment on Jan. 30, and the latest Landsat from California on Feb. 11. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A rather obscure Bassoon Posted March 20, 2013 #2 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Unprecedented fourth launch in four months for Atlas 5 Unfortunate that we have to use this technology for Military means,when you consider the amount of money man has invested in killing each other,we could easily be walking on Mars right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 20, 2013 Author #3 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Unfortunate that we have to use this technology for Military means,when you consider the amount of money man has invested in killing each other,we could easily be walking on Mars right now. That would be a fair point if it wasn't for the fact that two of those four launches have been civilian. I would also say that, whilst it would be nice to live in a utopia with no weapons, we don't, we live in the real world. In the real world surveillance satellites have probably contributed more to ensuring that the super powers have not gone to war with each other than virtually any other development, military or diplomatic. The fact that the USA, Russia and China can observe each others activities ensures that none of them can launch a surprise attack on the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 20, 2013 Author #4 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Atlas V SBIRS GEO-2 Launch HighlightsA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket blasts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., carrying the second Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) GEO-2 satellite for the U.S. Air Force. This was the 3rd ULA launch of the year, the 37th Atlas V mission, and the 69th ULA launch since the company was formed in December 2006. SBIRS is a consolidated system intended to meet United States infrared space surveillance needs for decades to come. The SBIRS program addresses critical warfighter needs in the areas of missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization. Source: United Launch Alliance - YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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