The Mission
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Rocket: Atlas 5 (AV-005)
Payload: AMC 16
Date: December 17, 2004
Window: 4:41-7:21 a.m. EST (0941-1221 GMT)
Site: Complex 41, Cape Canaveral, Florida
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Premium video content for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers.
Atlas blasts off
 Lockheed Martin's last Atlas 2AS rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft on August 31. (3min 59sec file)
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Salute to pad 36A
 The Atlas launch team in the Complex 36 Blockhouse celebrate the history of pad 36A in a post-launch toast. The Atlas 2AS rocket flight was the last to launch from the pad, which entered service in 1962. (2min 09sec file)
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Mission success
 The classified NRO payload is deployed from the Centaur upper stage to successfully complete the launch. (1min 56sec file)
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Launch weather forecast
Posted: December 13, 2004
| Forecast
for Friday, December 17 |
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Issued: Monday, December 13
Launch Weather Officer: F. Clay Flinn, 45th Weather Squadron
Synoptic Discussion: "High pressure should dominate the Florida peninsula throughout the week. A dry cold front will approach the peninsula Monday evening and reinforce the cold air from the weekend. Winds will be from the Northwest through most of the week with a gradual trend from the North to North Northeast towards the latter part of the week. With Northerly to North Northeasterly flow on Friday, we will likely have a low broken deck of clouds blowing in from the Atlantic and occasional drizzle. A trough of lower pressure is expected to develop off the East Coast late Thursday through Friday which may result in isolated coastal showers.
"The main weather concern on launch day will be a nontransparent, thick cloud layer. These conditions persist into Saturday with the aforementioned disturbance off the Florida peninsula. Winds are not expected to approach ops constraints."
Clouds: Broken at 3,000 feet with 5/8ths sky coverage and tops at 6,000 feet; Broken at 10,000 feet with 5/8ths sky coverage and tops at 12,000 feet
Visibility: 10 miles
Launch Pad Winds: Northeasterly from 030 degrees at 12 gusting to 18 knots
Temperature: 52 degrees F
Relative Humidity: 80 percent
Weather: Mostly cloudy
Solar Activity: Low
Probability of Violating Weather Constraints: 30 percent
Concerns: Thick clouds
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Friday's launch window: 4:41-7:21 a.m. EST (0941-1221 GMT)
Friday's sunrise: 7:08 a.m. EST (1208 GMT)
Saturday's launch window: 4:41-7:21 a.m. EST (0941-1221 GMT)
Saturday's sunrise: 7:09 a.m. EST (1209 GMT)
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| Forecast for 24-hour delay |
Saturday's Probability of Violating Constraints: 30 percent
Concerns: Thick clouds
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