Last Titan Rocket Blasts Off; an Era Ends

Carrying a classifed payload for the NRO, the last of the Titan IV rockets lifted off from Vandenberg AFB in California today. It was intial designed as an ICBM but also was used to put Gemini capsules in orbit as well as many probes and satelites.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - For the 368th and last time, the United States launched a Titan rocket into space Wednesday.

The blastoff of the 16-story, unmanned Titan IV signaled the end of an era that began in 1959, as the U.S. military converts to cheaper space boosters.

The last Titan carried a secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees the nation's spy satellites.

Titan's past included many high-profile missions, including boosting Gemini manned spacecraft into orbit in the mid-1960s as preparation for the Apollo moon landings.
Last of the Titans

Fred T, do you know if all the 386 rockets that got launch all carried payloads? If so, where they all classified? How many spy sats are there over our heads?

Originally posted by valkeryie
Fred T, do you know if all the 386 rockets that got launch all carried payloads? If so, where they all classified? How many spy sats are there over our heads?

I do not know the exact number, an the Titan series went through 1,2,3,4 and 5. But many of the classified payloads lofted up into orbit do eventualy reenter the atmosphere and burn up so all of the sats put up there are not still up there.

I do not have my avaition week source book with me that lists active satelites but I will try to find out

Thank you, I was just wondering.

Originally posted by valkeryie
...... How many spy sats are there over our heads?

i guess the official reply would be "That's Classified"

but, if you go to this gov't link
science.nasa.gov...

a 'Java Applet Window' should load,
and that graphic represents all the active (+500) satellites
that are basically in 2 clusters....the low earth orbit types and the
distant ring of geo-synchronous satellites (white dots)

i cannot recall who posted this link, but it was a ATS member who is
very well versed in science...(u know who U R, thanks again)

I suppose from now on all the big expendable launch vehicles (in the US, anyway) will be either Lockmart Atlas or Boeing Deltas

Originally posted by Off_The_Street
I suppose from now on all the big expendable launch vehicles (in the US, anyway) will be either Lockmart Atlas or Boeing Deltas

Thats what the article talks about. EELV's will be cheaper and require less support staff to operate

Originally posted by FredT

Originally posted by valkeryie
Fred T, do you know if all the 386 rockets that got launch all carried payloads? If so, where they all classified? How many spy sats are there over our heads?

I do not know the exact number, an the Titan series went through 1,2,3,4 and 5. But many of the classified payloads lofted up into orbit do eventualy reenter the atmosphere and burn up so all of the sats put up there are not still up there.

I do not have my avaition week source book with me that lists active satelites but I will try to find out

Titan V? not that i am aware of. The IVB was the last variant. Once upon a time I was stationed at Vandenberg and I launched the ATLAS IIAS (SLC 3 East)- my sister Flight (AF version of the Army "Company") was the Titan Flight. Titan IVs fly (flew) off of SLC 4E and the old Titan IIs (also long gone- i tracked the last one from Thule Greenland on another previous assignment- ) flew off of SL 4W.




We do now have an Atlas V and an Atlas III and so far as i know the EELV at SLC 6 (Boeing Delta IV) has totally stalled out but is alive and well on the Eastern Range.


oops wrong link; will try again later

[edit on 20-10-2005 by launchpad]