Some cite the velocity of the monetary base that existed in the past and assume it is still relevant, but the You Tube rocket of the base rising into the stratosphere is matched by an offsetting plunge of its velocity reaching all the way to China.

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There was no immediate report of casualties, said CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson, who was at the base when the rocket struck.

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It saw the Landsat-8 mission hurtle skywards on an Atlas rocket from the US Air Force base at Vandenberg shortly after 10:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

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