Vandenberg AFB missile shield test successful
Although countermeasures in the incoming target long-range ballistic missile launched from Kodiak, Alaska failed to deploy, the interceptor missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB) in Santa Barbara County, California successfully destroyed the target mock warhead today. The interceptor missile fired from California was controlled from an alternate fire control center in Alaska, the first time in the 13 tests (8 successful) that an alternate fire control center was used. In the test, the interceptor missile successfully differentiated between the mock warhead target and the upper stage of the missile from which it had detached.
The missile shield test was conducted with a eye toward potential threats from Iran or North Korea obtaining and launching nuclear weapons. The head of the Missile Defense Agency said last month that U.S. missile defenses are up and running.
As for Vandenberg AFB, it is both a military base with a spaceport and a census-designated place with a population of 6151 in the year 2000 census. Vandenberg is home to the 14th Air Force, 30th Space Wing, 381st Training Group, and the Western Launch and Test Range, and is responsible for both military and commercial satellite launches and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) testing. Vandenberg AFB is located at 34°43’47.43″N, 120°34’31.33″W near Lompoc, CA, which is home to Mission La Purisima Concepción de María Santísima. Although Vandenberg was originally planned in part as a potential launch and landing site for the space shuttle, it has never been used for these purposes. The space shuttle has used Edwards AFB in California’s Mojave Desert as an alternative (to Florida) landing site, instead.
Vandenberg, nicknamed “VandyLand” by Air Force personnel, started out as an Army base, Camp Cooke, in 1941. The base was a training center for armored and infantry troops in World War II and the Korean War. In 1957, the base was transferred to the Air Force, and a year later, the base was renamed after General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, the second chief of staff of the Air Force.
The Wikipedia article on Vandenberg AFB has detailed information about the history of lauches, geography, and demographics.
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