Defense Department Rocket Fuel Dump During The Taurid Meteor Sho

Tags:: Angel Stars Rocket Fuel Dump Orion Night Sky Aspen Colorado Maroon Bells Defense Departm

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By: tmophoto
Subscribers: 7
Updated: 12-Nov-07
Videos: 12

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Views: 1,099
Added: 12-Nov-07

Last night while taking photos of the Taurid Meteors up at the Maroon Bells near aspen colorado when i noticed a new blob of light in the constellation orion so i started to film it. It turns out to be a rocket fuel dump from a Delta-4 Heavy Rocket that was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The payload was a Defense Support Program missile warning satellite (DSP-23). A circularization burn for the DPS-23 was scheduled for 3:01am EST, followed by a fuel dump at 3:21am EST. Because both the Centaur rocket burn (duration: 3 minutes) and the residual fuel and oxidizer dump after payload separation occurred at an altitude of 22,000-miles, both were briefly visible to the naked eye. Really looked like an angel flying across the stars.