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Posteritatis

(18,807 posts)
22. The US is one of the better locations to do so
Sat Jun 9, 2012, 03:11 PM
Jun 2012

The list of candidate countries that are stable, open to that sort of thing, and have access to good launch sites close to the equator with easy overland access to the facilities where much of the pretty large and often fragile hardware is getting built isn't exactly a huge one.

You can't just launch from anywhere; you need a safe location as close as you can get to the equator. There's a reason NASA tends to launch from Florida, and Russia launches from southern Kazakhstan, and the ESA launches from Kourou. If you're casting a wider net you end up in places with much more problematic weather, or no useful infrastructure, or currently-insurmountable security problems, or where you have to deal with airspace issues for several countries (which often themselves have additional security problems, mind).

There's a reason that German attempt never went anywhere - if I had the resources to try to set up a spaceport somewhere I'd need to take a whole load of stupid pills to try to do so in central Africa.

The initial X-prize was not a competition to win a NASA contract; it was the initial attempts for private enterprise to try to get something with a person in it outside of the atmosphere, and that attempt could not be made on US soil until doing so was legalized around '04 or so.

Why doesn't Gingrich do something positive with his miserable life aint_no_life_nowhere Jun 2012 #1
+1 red dog 1 Jun 2012 #2
Because the lunar colony was just bullshit posturing to win over the Space Coast. joshcryer Jun 2012 #4
Spam deleted by Morning Dew (MIR Team) Heather4 Jun 2012 #3
This country is getting beyond pathetic Confusious Jun 2012 #5
And even more embarrasing that we still call ourselves... Beartracks Jun 2012 #6
+1,000! Word! n/t Surya Gayatri Jun 2012 #8
Too true nt Confusious Jun 2012 #29
Precisely Sherman A1 Jun 2012 #9
+ 5,000 MBS Jun 2012 #10
Thank congress we let get elected. joshcryer Jun 2012 #11
+1. nt awoke_in_2003 Jun 2012 #17
If you want to be the greatest nation in the future, you must have the best space program. tclambert Jun 2012 #7
Oh yeah, fuck quality of living, disease prevention, personal happiness! boppers Jun 2012 #34
They aren't mutually exclusive Mz Pip Jun 2012 #38
Compare the top ten places to live and the top ten space programs. boppers Jun 2012 #39
Those top ten places to live use a lot of technology developed... PavePusher Jun 2012 #41
Ah, the tang and velcro myth. boppers Jun 2012 #42
We should also compare budget allocations for NASA vs. the social net programs... LanternWaste Jun 2012 #43
But we can buy 180 F-22s that we don't need at $200M each. baldguy Jun 2012 #12
I remember when we used to want to reduce the Pentagon to holding bake sales... freshwest Jun 2012 #40
Romney could pay for it out of his offshore accounts Rosa Luxemburg Jun 2012 #13
NASA needs to be move off government payroll and into the private sector may3rd Jun 2012 #14
Then why hasn't the private sector done it already? aint_no_life_nowhere Jun 2012 #18
It was actually illegal for the private sector to do so until a few years ago. Posteritatis Jun 2012 #19
The U.S. is not the only country in the world aint_no_life_nowhere Jun 2012 #20
The US is one of the better locations to do so Posteritatis Jun 2012 #22
Northeastern Brazil is only 100 miles from the French Guiana launch site aint_no_life_nowhere Jun 2012 #23
Proximity to the equator is helpful for prograde orbits. If you need a polar orbit, 24601 Jun 2012 #37
Space travel and research are absolutely being privatized, right now. woo me with science Jun 2012 #30
This message was self-deleted by its author woo me with science Jun 2012 #31
Exploration isn't necessarily a profitable venture 4th law of robotics Jun 2012 #25
You forgot the :sarcasm: tag. baldguy Jun 2012 #28
It's not only NASA but NOAA, too. KoKo Jun 2012 #15
What, no space cookies? nt awoke_in_2003 Jun 2012 #16
on average .. padruig Jun 2012 #21
Yeah. It bugs me how much people overestimate the expenses here Posteritatis Jun 2012 #26
For a tenth of the military budget we could have colonized mars and then some 4th law of robotics Jun 2012 #27
Reminds me of the imperial chinese treasure fleet 4th law of robotics Jun 2012 #24
Remember that old bumper sticker, woo me with science Jun 2012 #32
The problem with that sticker OrwellwasRight Jun 2012 #44
In other News, "China plans manned space launch this month" NorthCarolina Jun 2012 #33
So, in another 50 years, they may what, send drone robots to mars? boppers Jun 2012 #35
"I'd like 300 million of those oatmeal raisin cookies, please..." Unite2DefeatGOP Jun 2012 #36
Nothing says "To boldy go where no man (person) has gone before" like a Uncle Joe Jun 2012 #45
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