Peacekeeper launch from Vandenberg AFB, July 21, 2004

(Download a higher resolution picture by clicking on any picture below.)

An LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:01 A.M. on Wednesday, July 21.

The Air Force periodically launches Peacekeeper and Minuteman missiles to demonstrate that they still work. They select a missile at random and pull it out of its silo. They bring the missile and a regular missile crew to VAFB. The crew launches the missile toward the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalien. This test launch deployed eight simulated warheads.

This 215.1-second time exposure was taken with a Nikon D70 digital camera set to an effective film speed of 200 ASA with an f3.5 lens.

you can buy framed prints as large as 16 inches by 24 inches of this picture.

This was taken on Kodak Gold 200 negative film with an f2.5 lens.

The separation and ignition of one of the upper stages left a luminous cloud. I changed the effective film speed of the D70 to 1600 ASA and opened the shutter for 120.9 seconds.

In a few minutes, the cloud spread across the sky. This is a 167-second time exposure.

More Vandenberg AFB launch photography.

Link to the Peacekeeper Page of the Federation of American Scientists.

Link to the Peacekeeper Page of the Air Force Air University.

The home page of the 30th Space Wing

Brian Webb's Space Archive Page provides launch schedule and ham radio information.

Send a message to Brian .