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Why is it better to launch a spaceship from near the equator?
The land at the equator is moving 1670 km per hour, and land halfway to the pole is only moving 1180 km per hour, so launching from the equator makes the spacecraft move almost 500 km/hour faster once it is launched.
Why did NASA choose Florida as the location for space exploration?
It was selected for two reasons: the fact that it is relatively near to the equator compared with other U.S. locations; and the fact that it is on the East Coast. An East Coast location was desirable because any rockets leaving Earth’s surface and traveling eastward get a boost from the Earth’s west-to-east spin.
Why do they launch spaceships from Florida?
NASA takes advantage of Earth’s natural rotation by launching toward the east from Cape Canaveral. The speed at which the Earth rotates at Cape Canaveral is roughly 914 mph, helping to give rockets some extra speed to reach their destination.
Where in Florida is the Kennedy Space Center located?
Cape Canaveral
Location. Located on Merritt Island, Florida, the center is north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean, midway between Miami and Jacksonville on Florida’s Space Coast, due east of Orlando.
In reality, the gravitational field is 9.7773 m/s² in Colombo compared to 9.7979 m/s² in Cape Canaveral, Florida (where SpaceX launches the Falcon Heavy from). Going the other way, the force of gravity acting on a rocket would be 0.215\% less, meaning reduced fuel costs (theoretically).
Why is it better to launch a spaceship from the equator?
Why is it better to launch a spaceship from near the equator? When a spacecraft is launched into orbit, it should end up spinning around the Earth quickly enough not to be pulled back in by the Earth’s gravity. The huge rockets used in launching a spaceship help this to happen by giving a huge amount of thrust, enough to achieve escape velocity.
Why doesn’t NASA build their own space launch facility?
The answer is simple – first, and foremost, COST. Building the whole supporting infrastructure from the ground up at a new place is very very costly and will not bring any money since NASA does not do commercial launches. Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations.
Why are most rocket launch sites located near the equator?
It’s easy to notice that most launch sites are located close to the Equator. This is because rockets launched from sites near the Equator get an additional natural boost that helps save the cost of putting in extra fuel and boosters. It’s preferred to establish a launch site in a coastal region
Are the rocket and launch pad compatible?
With better than 20 years’ experience, the von Braun team preached and practiced that rocket and launch pad must be mated on the drawing board, if they were to be compatible at the launching. The new rocket went hand in hand with its launching facility.