UK Spaceport, where?
Discussion
Eric Mc said:
Most of them don't make sense at all to me. I just couldn't see ANY launches happening off any western based launch pads (Newquay excepted - perhaps) because rockets flying in an easterly direction (the preferred direction) will always pass over populated areas.
It doesn't have to make sense Eric as per the BBC thread re Preston sounds an eminently sensible place, planes and that highly unstable machine called a hellicopter often fly over populated area's as do military jets with weapons and of course so do satellites. Toaster said:
Eric Mc said:
Most of them don't make sense at all to me. I just couldn't see ANY launches happening off any western based launch pads (Newquay excepted - perhaps) because rockets flying in an easterly direction (the preferred direction) will always pass over populated areas.
It doesn't have to make sense Eric as per the BBC thread re Preston sounds an eminently sensible place, planes and that highly unstable machine called a hellicopter often fly over populated area's as do military jets with weapons and of course so do satellites. 
Orbital boosters tend to make rather more of a mess when they fail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRVAcZC5R4
eharding said:
Orbital boosters tend to make rather more of a mess when they fail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRVAcZC5R4
eharding said:
Orbital boosters tend to make rather more of a mess when they fail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRVAcZC5R4
Caruso said:
take it from that they don't have range safety officers to terminate the flight before it hits the ground!
They don't.In 1996, a Chinese rocket landed on a village - probably killing up to 500 people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWmCkkl0OhE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelsat_708
Launching rockets is several orders of magnitude riskier than having aeroplanes and helicopters flying overhead.
Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 21st June 23:03
Eric Mc said:
Launching rockets is several orders of magnitude riskier than having aeroplanes and helicopters flying overhead.
I agree, the failure rate for rocket launches (so far) is far higher than aircraft, and the impact of a failure is higher too in terms of the amount of energy released. Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 21st June 23:03
And I don't ever see it getting much better than it is now. The sheer amount of energy stored in a rocket system is tremendous and even the smallest glitch usually results in some sort of explosion - usually catastrophic.
In the developed and fairly safety conscious West, I just can't see any authority being given for having launches arcing over populated areas. It just won't happen.
In the developed and fairly safety conscious West, I just can't see any authority being given for having launches arcing over populated areas. It just won't happen.
Caruso said:
annodomini2 said:
Conventional rocket for polar orbits you want to be as north as possible, so Scotland or Orkney.
Am scratching my head trying to work out why that is so, other than to avoid overflying land to the north if launching in that direction.If by UK, you mean some remote territory like Diego Garcia, then maybe. But from the British Isles, no chance. As said, too far north to be useful/economic for the vast majority of launches. And you would be dropping expended rocket stages all over Europe. Very awkward after Brexit, I must say.
robbieduncan said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_commercial_s...
These were the shortlist. I'd assume they are still the front-runners:
Campbeltown Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Stornoway Airport
Newquay Cornwall Airport
Llanbedr Airport
I recently did some work at Llanbedr airport which is the one by Shell Island as mentioned above and the owner is deadly serious about turning the place into a spaceport. These were the shortlist. I'd assume they are still the front-runners:
Campbeltown Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Stornoway Airport
Newquay Cornwall Airport
Llanbedr Airport
It would certainly make camping at Shell Island an experience, when the RAF still owned Llanbedr they ran a drone programme there with an old Sea Vixen that had been converted to remote control and various drone prototypes so I used to head down to the perimeter fence to watch them take off and land.
Eric Mc said:
They hit the wrong planet - according to Werner Von Braun.
'Where they come down - that's not my department' He's funny and clever but makes the Guardian look right wing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDEsGZLbio
Eric Mc said:
And I don't ever see it getting much better than it is now. The sheer amount of energy stored in a rocket system is tremendous and even the smallest glitch usually results in some sort of explosion - usually catastrophic.
In the developed and fairly safety conscious West, I just can't see any authority being given for having launches arcing over populated areas. It just won't happen.
Then feel pity of those who want to go to Mars In the developed and fairly safety conscious West, I just can't see any authority being given for having launches arcing over populated areas. It just won't happen.
And yes Rockets have been launched from the UK
2015 October 20 - . Launch Site: South Uist. LV Family: Hawk. Launch Vehicle: Terrier Orion.
Aegis Target - . Nation: USA. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). US Navy missile defense test carried out in the Hebrides Range in Scotland. The target Terrier Orion rocket launched from the island of South Uist was the first exoatmospheric rocket launch from UK territory since 1982..
http://www.astronautix.com/t/terrierorion.html
Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff