Why Florida Is So Perfect For Space Launches
Imagine you're trying to throw something heavy as far as possible… the best way to do it, is hold on, and spin in a circle to add momentum, right? Now imagine you're the Earth and the thing you're throwing… is a rocket! Hey there Florida wannabes, I'm Trace, this is DNews! Thanks for swimming over. Florida; the land of endless beaches and verdant marshes. Oh, and we can't forget the hurricanes, of course. Knowing all that, why would we start a space program there? In the late 1940s, rocketry was taking off. At the U.S. government missile range in New Mexico, scientists were trying to figure out how to control the flight of highly explosive giant metal tubes. In 1947, a V-2 rocket, launched, took an unplanned flight over El Paso, Texas, and crashed in Juarez, Mexico. The U.S. had to pay damages and deal with the international fallout. They needed to move out of New Mexico -- they considered going to Washington, California, Alaska, Baja, or the Banana River Naval Air Station in Florida. Baja would have been fantastic but, because of the Juarez incident, the president of Mexico didn't want missiles flying over his citizens. Florida would be the place. In 1948, the Banana River station was renamed the Joint Long Range Proving Ground, and today it manages operations for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The coast of Florida was perfect for the United States' space program, not just because the weather is pretty good, but also it wasn't a heavily populated area, and the site was accessible by road, ship and rail. But there's another reason... I reached out to former NASA astronaut, Michael Lopez-Alegría, and asked him… why Florida? I don't want to get into the orbital dynamics, but the closer you are to the equator, the better it is to launch because you, when the earth is turning, you get the speed of the velocity of the point that you're on, with respect to the rest of the universe as an added acceleration. So, at the equator i think it's something like 1200 feet per second, and it gets lower as you go further north, the north pole is nothing. So Florida, which is at 28 degrees, it's good. Just like the example from the beginning, if you're going to throw something really far, spin first! Once you're off the ground and heading for space, the Earth's rotation really helps. If you are on the equator, you're already traveling 465 meters per second sideways, so you get a payload advantage.
Rockets can use less fuel for the same lift. Which is ideal. Also the ocean is there, so we like to launch over water, so if we, somebody won't, if we have a bad day it wouldn't land on somebody's head. When NASA launched Bumper 2 in 1950, the first launch ever done from Cape Canaveral, the rocket reached an altitude of 248 miles, a record at the time! Florida was hot! Since this part of Florida was basically just a beach and a military base, the government built a huge amount of infrastructure to support space operations. And then in 1958 -- only a few months after Sputnik kicked them in the space-butt -- a Jupiter C rocket carried Explorer 1 into orbit -- the first satellite put into Earth's orbit by the United States. It launched from Florida. So did the first American, Alan Shepherd in 1961. Today, we still launch from Florida, because they've got the infrastructure, they've got the expertise and they have the best spot in the continental United States to launch.
All 135 space shuttles were launched from Florida, because they could get all the parts there by ship or rail and assemble them in NASA's unique VAB -- vehicle assembly building. The MSL Curiosity launched from Florida! The rover is the size of a small SUV, and weighs almost 2000 pounds! For such a huge, heavy launch, the coast of Florida gives that payload advantage, making it easier to get something so big into space. And now, the next generation of rockets too! See, Cape Canaveral, Florida is 28 degrees above the equator -- so it's in a great spot for launches. Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, is a bit higher up, at 34.4 degrees, and Russia's Baikonur facility is a crazy 45.6 degrees! Each of these things require different orbital calculations, and muscle to get to orbit. The further north or south you go, the more fuel you need to get the same result. The European Space Agency's launch site is in French Guyana, only 5.2 degrees north of the equator, and they get a 15 percent payload advantage over Florida because of it! When it comes to space, even though there are giant snakes and sometimes crazy weather, Florida is still the ideal place in the continental United States for space, both now, and moving forward into the commercial space era! I am totally convinced that more people that are not space professionals will get to see what flying to space is like. One day we'll look back to today as we do to the 1920s and 30s and think well that was when commercial aviation really took off, well now is when commercial space is about to take off. No pun intended. If you've never been able to see a launch from Florida, I'd highly recommend it. Add an element of space to your next Florida vacation!
The coast of Florida was perfect for the United States' space program, not just because the weather is pretty good, but also it wasn't a heavily populated area, and the site was accessible by road, ship and rail. But there's another reason... I reached out to former NASA astronaut, Michael Lopez-Alegría, and asked him… why Florida? I don't want to get into the orbital dynamics, but the closer you are to the equator, the better it is to launch because you, when the earth is turning, you get the speed of the velocity of the point that you're on, with respect to the rest of the universe as an added acceleration. So, at the equator i think it's something like 1200 feet per second, and it gets lower as you go further north, the north pole is nothing. So Florida, which is at 28 degrees, it's good. Just like the example from the beginning, if you're going to throw something really far, spin first! Once you're off the ground and heading for space, the Earth's rotation really helps. If you are on the equator, you're already traveling 465 meters per second sideways, so you get a payload advantage.
Rockets can use less fuel for the same lift. Which is ideal. Also the ocean is there, so we like to launch over water, so if we, somebody won't, if we have a bad day it wouldn't land on somebody's head. When NASA launched Bumper 2 in 1950, the first launch ever done from Cape Canaveral, the rocket reached an altitude of 248 miles, a record at the time! Florida was hot! Since this part of Florida was basically just a beach and a military base, the government built a huge amount of infrastructure to support space operations. And then in 1958 -- only a few months after Sputnik kicked them in the space-butt -- a Jupiter C rocket carried Explorer 1 into orbit -- the first satellite put into Earth's orbit by the United States. It launched from Florida. So did the first American, Alan Shepherd in 1961. Today, we still launch from Florida, because they've got the infrastructure, they've got the expertise and they have the best spot in the continental United States to launch.
All 135 space shuttles were launched from Florida, because they could get all the parts there by ship or rail and assemble them in NASA's unique VAB -- vehicle assembly building. The MSL Curiosity launched from Florida! The rover is the size of a small SUV, and weighs almost 2000 pounds! For such a huge, heavy launch, the coast of Florida gives that payload advantage, making it easier to get something so big into space. And now, the next generation of rockets too! See, Cape Canaveral, Florida is 28 degrees above the equator -- so it's in a great spot for launches. Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, is a bit higher up, at 34.4 degrees, and Russia's Baikonur facility is a crazy 45.6 degrees! Each of these things require different orbital calculations, and muscle to get to orbit. The further north or south you go, the more fuel you need to get the same result. The European Space Agency's launch site is in French Guyana, only 5.2 degrees north of the equator, and they get a 15 percent payload advantage over Florida because of it! When it comes to space, even though there are giant snakes and sometimes crazy weather, Florida is still the ideal place in the continental United States for space, both now, and moving forward into the commercial space era! I am totally convinced that more people that are not space professionals will get to see what flying to space is like. One day we'll look back to today as we do to the 1920s and 30s and think well that was when commercial aviation really took off, well now is when commercial space is about to take off. No pun intended. If you've never been able to see a launch from Florida, I'd highly recommend it. Add an element of space to your next Florida vacation!
Comments
Post a Comment