Why launch rockets from florida

But to achieve great distances? Shouldsomething go wrong , rocket engineers also wanted to be surethat rocketswould land benignly, preferably in an ocean. It was selected for two reasons: the fact that it isrelatively near to the equator compared to other U. An East Coast location was desirablebecause any rockets leavingEarth's surface and traveling eastward get a boost from theEarth's spin. AWest Coast location would either send rockets over populated areas orhave to contendwith launching against the direction of the spin.

Almost since the birth of the U. To many, that choice probably seems curious since the weather in the Sunshine State, while nicer than a lot of parts of the country in the winter, can be very unpredictable, especially during hurricane season.

However, despite some of the meteorological drawbacks, there are a few good reasons why rockets launch from Florida. It's all about geography. Florida was chosen as the launchpad for NASA — and SpaceX — rockets because it has three geographical advantages: being situated on the ocean, near the equator, and on the East Coast.

That last one is why Brevard County, Fla. The Earth spins counterclockwise, or eastward, so it's far easier to launch rockets to the east than to the west, which is why a West Coast launch site didn't make good sense from a physics standpoint. As for proximity to the equator, this is because the closer you are to the equator, the higher the rate of spin, meaning it takes less fuel to get off the ground.

And launching over the ocean is essential because, as NASA disasters like Challenger illustrated tragically, spacecraft do not always launch successfully and, should they crash or explode, a launch over the ocean is more likely to come with fewer injuries of bystanders and destruction of property on the ground. And that's a fourth reason why Cape Canaveral was chosen. The nearby Atlantic Ocean meant that there was less risk of falling rockets damaging populated areas, and it would be easier to retrieve any debris from the ocean than it would in, say, the Lincoln National Forest.

The Earth rotates eastward constantly, meaning that every single point on the planet is moving east — everywhere besides the poles. The closer you are to the North Pole, the slower you spin around the axis, while places closer to the equator move faster. It helps to think of a record playing on a record player. A drop of paint on the inner edge of the record rotates around the stick in a small, lazy circle, while a drop of paint on the outer edge moves in a larger, faster circle.

The record itself is rotating at the same rate, but individual points move differently depending on where they are. A rocket launched from Cape Canaveral has all the velocity from that rotation speed to help boost the craft into the atmosphere, saving fuel on launching and instead using it to increase speed and punch through the atmosphere.

So, there you have it! The nearby Atlantic Ocean and the proximity to the equator are the two main reasons Cape Canaveral was chosen as the site for so many rocket launches. If you live in our luxury South Florida apartments , then check out this launch schedule and head up to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to see it all for yourself!

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