November 3, 2000

Tour of Vandenberg Air Force Base

This is Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6). It was originally built for the cancelled Manned Orbital Laboratory project in the early 1970’ies, rebuilt for the planned Space Shuttle launches from VAFB, a project cancelled after the Challenger accident in 1986. Today it is again rebuilt for future heavy-lift launch vehicles.

View towards south from Tranquillon Peak, the highest point on VAFB (approx. 700 meters above sea level).

View towards north from Tranquillon Peak. Some of the launch pads on VAFB can be seen in the picture, the launch pad for EO-1/SAC-C/Munin, SLC-2, is shown by an arrow.

View towards east from Tranquillon Peak. The city of Lompoc is in the center left of the picture.

This is building 836, used by NASA and Boeing for storage of Delta-2 rockets and processing of spacecraft. This is where we have prepared Munin for launch. The red-white mast is 150 meters tall.