Look, you really need to get a grasp on the fundamentals. It isn't just the latitude that matters, it's the range of launch azimuths you can safely use. Take a look at a map or the globe again and see what launch azimuths you can safely launch into. Plug those numbers and Vandenberg's latitude into the equation I gave you to see what range of orbital inclinations you can achieve from Vandenberg.
Vandenberg is used as a launch site for missile tests and for high inclination (primarily polar and sun-synchronous) orbits. You can't safely launch to the east from Vandenberg. As a result, you couldn't launch interplanetary missions, ISS missions, geosynchronous missions, or damned near any other kind of mission except high inclination orbits that have specialized uses. That rules out about 80-90% of all space launches. Launching into the correct orbital inclination is extremely important. It takes a lot of energy to change inclination.
Space/Science » in reply to Southern California?
Even worse for low inclination orbits
The whole thread (24 posts)
- MER-A launch postponed until tomorrow.
- Do the RUSSIANS have these kinds of delays, or can they not afford OVERTIME pay? ;-)
- You need a reality check
- Taxpayers pay for these delays, and future Mars missions suffer. Why not launch from elsewhere?
- And where would you suggest?
- South Texas, perhaps?
- South Texas?
- re: And where would you suggest?
- And where would you suggest?
- Taxpayers pay for these delays, and future Mars missions suffer. Why not launch from elsewhere?
- re: Do -40 to +40°
- You need a reality check
- Do the RUSSIANS have these kinds of delays, or can they not afford OVERTIME pay? ;-)