this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2024
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[–] grue@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

TIL Vandenberg Air Force Base got renamed.

Also, I'm pretty sure that one in Georgia doesn't actually exist.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Not only does it not exist, plans to build it were scrapped a year ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceport_Camden

So I'm pretty sure it doesn't have an FAA license.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

On clear days you can see launches from Wallops along the eastern seaboard. If Apollo had launched from there they could have seen it from NYC.

I used to live in the mountains in Maryland and watched them all the time, and even saw the light from the Antares explosion.

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

For a second I thought these were places to escape the country from ... you know, for reasons.

[–] kersploosh@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

People have certainly left the country at some of these sites. But they are (almost) always brought back so it isn't a great escape route.

[–] kittehx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

why are they mostly in the south but then there's just randomly one in alaska

[–] will_a113@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

Closer to the equator means less fuel to orbit because the Earth spins fastest at the equator so you don't have to add as much delta-v.

The Alaska one I'd bet is for military ops or maybe polar satellite installations.

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The earth is widest at the equator and it spins along that axis, so it's easier / closer to get up into space.

Alaska probably just cause why not.

They closed all the launch sites in Utah? They built the fuckin minuteman there