Post ARXMgNMZPjvOi6PbzE by grandmaBates@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by grandmaBates@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #ARXMgMnTWDqsxFzaHg by markmccaughrean@mastodon.social
       2023-01-11T09:16:59Z
       
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       When people entering the space business say things like this, you have to wonder. It’s nonsense.So much twaddle has been written about the potential of the UK launch programme, not least by the space cadet twitterati. One half-informed thread on the inevitable all-conquering greatness of horizontal launch ends with “EMPIRE 2.0!” & not in jest 🙄Get real, folks.#astrodon #spacehttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/11/uk-space-launch-does-failure-spell-end-of-uk-space-ambitions
       
 (DIR) Post #ARXMgNMZPjvOi6PbzE by grandmaBates@mastodon.social
       2023-01-11T10:52:34Z
       
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       @markmccaughrean To simply accept a statement presented as fact from someone with a vested interest is lazy reporting.
       
 (DIR) Post #ARXMgNnVnZTY3f17yq by markmccaughrean@mastodon.social
       2023-01-11T10:59:07Z
       
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       @grandmaBates It’s just wrong to boot. While launches into equatorial orbits benefit from the boost given by Earth’s rotation if launched east (& the closer to the equator, the better, hence French Guiana & Florida), there’s no such gain to be had launching into a polar orbit. It doesn’t matter where you launch from in terms of latitude, as long as you have open sea to the north or south for safety. That’s why Scotland has been chosen, plus its remoteness from population centres.
       
 (DIR) Post #ARXMgOAuOaBtEDxoRs by khird@qoto.org
       2023-01-11T15:09:06Z
       
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       @markmccaughrean Can you elaborate on this? It would seem that if you launch from the equator and want to hit a polar orbit, you have to not only get up to orbital velocity in the north or south direction, but also get 460m/s worth of westward delta V to shed the initial eastward velocity you had from the earth's rotation. If you didn't do this, you wouldn't be aimed directly at the pole in the inertial frame.There's probably something I'm missing, so I'm happy to be corrected here. @grandmaBates
       
 (DIR) Post #ARXMgOJ3uGiFdVmK9o by markmccaughrean@mastodon.social
       2023-01-11T09:35:08Z
       
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       Put another way, the ubiquitous phrase “Space is hard” doesn’t just refer to the bit when launches fail. It also means being fearsomely pragmatic & realistic about what can be done within the realms of plausible technology development, political support, civil and/or private funding, & not least, physics.Dream a little, sure. Push the envelope. Go beyond. Great things are possible.But don’t delude yourself & mistake your wishful thinking & sci-fi fantasies for reality. It never ends well.
       
 (DIR) Post #ARXP49RJ27c4Nx5lNA by grandmaBates@mastodon.social
       2023-01-11T15:35:49Z
       
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       @khird @markmccaughrean Velocity is a vector. For a polar path the east/west component should be minimal. You will have to expend resources to reduce the east/west momentum, but you still have to use the same amount of resources to get the necessary momentum in the north/south direction.