At 1:10 p.m., Pacific Time, the 23-story Delta IV Heavy rocket lifted off the ground north of Santa Barbara. A white flag of the massive solid rocket risen like them.
Standing 235 feet tall, the missile was so great that the explosion was apparently as far as 50 miles to hear. According to aviation experts, the recall involves a top spy satellites of the National recognition - the umbrella organization secret federal agency operates spy satellites.
The rocket hit a speed of 17,500 mph, is mounted in place. About six minutes after launch broke the first stage of the rocket - later sunk in the Pacific.
Since the rocket was so great, it was much more visible from the Southland after its launch, but it was difficult to see because the start was in the middle of the day.
"Somebody did not notice after starting well," said Brian Webb of Thousand Oaks, who runs the website SpaceArchive.info which monitors missile launches.
Standing with his binoculars on a cliff overlooking Highway 101, about three miles east of Santa Barbara, Webb said a few moments later, he could see that "two or three very close together points of orange light ".
"Below me were cars and pull off onto the shoulder of Highway 101 southbound before the start," he said. "Some of them were outside their vehicle or vehicles. "
The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 6 floor, on the basis known as "Slick Six". The launch pad was built in the 1960s.
The Delta IV Heavy Park was built by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. The three solid rocket motors Canoga built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in.
william.hennigan @ latimes.com
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