Message posted by Peter Merlin on December 17, 2014 at 20:12:54 PST:

It means the payload team knows how to design a cool patch!

As it happens, I was at Vandenberg for that launch, with "front row seats" just a few miles from the pad. Countdown and fueling began on schedule even though there was only a predicted 40-percent chance of acceptable weather conditions at launch time. The launch director had already delayed liftoff by 24 hours due to the fast moving storm that drenched California. This proved to be an excellent decision. The rocket lifted off into mostly clear skies, with mild temperatures and light winds, just as the the trailing edge of the storm system crossed the coastline.

As a night launch of an Atlas V with four solid-propellant boosters it was a truly spectacular sight (and sound!). The Atlas was visible through booster separation and staging before disappearing over the cloudy horizon. Two NRO public affairs representatives present at the viewing site refused to provide any details on the nature of the payload, but most analysts believe it is one of a new generation of signals intelligence collection spacecraft. It may carry other sensors as well.

In Reply to: Clandestine launch from Vandenberg posted by Gimbal on December 17, 2014 at 3:07:26 PST:

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