Last Look at a Bygone Era
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE,
Calif. -- A half-century after its design was first discussed, and following
years of duty as a nuclear deterrent, the final Titan 2 missile was
launched on
Saturday
by the U.S. Air Force to orbit a
military weather satellite.
Liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force
Base's Space Launch Complex 4 West was at 12:17 p.m. EDT (1617 GMT). A quick
six-and-a-half minutes later the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
satellite separated from the second stage of the two-stage booster and arrived
in orbit.
The historic scene, captured by an Air Force
photographer with the 30th Space Wing, especially highlights the dirty exhaust
that is the result of combining toxic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide to power
the twin Aerojet engines.
The rocket launched Saturday was the last of more
than a dozen missiles that were saved from the scrap heap and refurbished to
become space launch vehicles after the Lockheed Martin-built Titan 2 was retired
from service during the 1980s.
With no plans to launch any more Titan 2s and no
other use of the facility expected, the launch pad likely will be demolished.
Credit: U.S. Air Force
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