I’ve noticed that almost all shuttle launches happen in Florida. But I also noticed that a lot of the launches/re-entries are delayed because of bad weather.Wouldn’t it make more sense to base the launches/re-entries in California where it’s sunny a lot more than Florida.
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4 Comments Received
July 15th, 2010 @4:28 pm
Florida was chosen as it is close to the equator and thus easier for rocket launches. But there are launch sites in California: The Movaje Spaceport was used for civilian launches of SpaceShipOne, and I believe Vandenburg AFB has the capability to launch rockets.
July 17th, 2010 @6:43 am
Another reason for launching from the East coast is that the rockets go out over the ocean, so if they failed they would land in open water and not endanger anyone on the ground.
July 18th, 2010 @3:26 am
It is one of the southern most spots of the USA, it has lots of ocean to the east, and it had an air force station at the coast, on which territory such a spaceport could be build.
And of course, because the politicians who decided this had also read Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” and remembered that it was launched only 40 km away from todays location in Florida.
July 19th, 2010 @7:30 pm
Major considerations for a space launching facility:
1: The rotation of Earth actually gives you a bit of a push in the rigt direction if you launch due east. The speed at which your launch site is moving as the Earth rotates is greatest near the equator, therefore the closer to the equator the better.
2: If you launch a huge rocket due east, it is advisable not to have heavily populated areas due east of your launch site in case something goes wrong. Open ocean is the best option.
So you want a site somewhere a long way south and on the east coast. Florida fits the bill perfectly.
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