"Savageduck" wrote in message
news:201603151520157217-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom...

What is truly sad is the waste. I knew several folks involved with the
construction of 'Slick 6' which was completed, but never used for any
launch. It is too specialized even for Space-X, and so remains, a pristine
roost for seagulls and pigeons, a monument to the futility of that
exercise.

Vandenberg launches weren't announced to the public in advance, so it was a
real treat to see one. One time in the spring of 1968, I was playing
softball and when I looked up into the sky to catch a fly ball, I saw this
brilliant pinpoint of light heading upwards. I knew what it was and I
shouted, "Hey, look!" The game came to a stop and everyone's eyes were
watching its vapor trail go up and be distorted by the high-altitude winds.
One of the teachers said the next day, "It made it," but he didn't specify
whether it was a satellite launch or an ICBM on its way to Kwajalein. It was
probably a satellite because it was headed south.