Re: An opportunity for VMS


Bill Gunshannon wrote:
In article <1153839762.030343.247620@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"AEF" <spamsink2001@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

Bill Gunshannon wrote:
In article <1153835901.961688.192990@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"AEF" <spamsink2001@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

Bill Gunshannon wrote:
In article <1153831177.496875.60510@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"AEF" <spamsink2001@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

Bill Gunshannon wrote:
In article <1153829805.302969.109720@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"AEF" <spamsink2001@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
Bill Gunshannon wrote:
In article <ea4gim$eai$01$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer@xxxxxx> writes:

And exactly how would that help to cure the reason for the power outages ?
Stop wasting energy and/or put solar panels on every roof top.
California is supposed to be the "sunshine state", isn't it ?


California has a HUGE range of weather that varies greatly with
location. Don't like the weather? Move 30 miles. From snow in the north
to Death Valley in the south. OK, not too many tornados!


Not even close. Florida is "The Sunshine State". That's clean on the
other side of the country. California is "The Golden State". Although
I have to admit when I used to have to travel there on business a lot it
was more like horse**** than gold.


Speaking of FL, it should be called "The Lightning State".

Google LIGHTNING FREQUENCY MAP

and the first hit will be

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/lightning_map.htm


... Check it out ...

I can't speak for others, but personally, I have even less interest in
Florida than I do in California.
What are Florida's two biggest imports? Old people and Cubans.

It's a good place to launch rockets into space from. The reason is that
the tangential speed of the Earth due to its rotation gets higher as
you approach the Equator. And this extra speed saves you fuel compared
to more northern locations.


Making southern Texas up to 2 degrees of latitude better. And whole
bunches of places outside the US even better. So, what was it about
Florida that makes this valuable?

I said it was a good place, not the best. There are other
considerations. The earth rotates to the east, so most rockets are
launched eastward, and that gives you the entire Atlantic Ocean if the
rocket has a problem and crashes.

Florida has The Bahamas right in the line of fire but we haven't hit
them yet. :-) Texas has quite a bit more water before you get to any
islands and then it's just Cuba. :-)

Not all rockets go exactly East. Most likely they go a little to the
south. (You can't orbit above a parallel of latitude unless it's the
equator.)

I never said they did. But in every direction but West there is a lot
more open water off Brownsville. Texas than Cape Kennedy, Florida. A
rocket launched from Cape Kenedy passes over more than a thousand miles
of occupied islands.

Maybe there are other reasons to prefer FL. I don't know. I never said
it was the best choice. I was merely pointing out that it has the
advantage of a small latitude. You seem to be aruging that there is a
better place. Fine, maybe there is. That doesn't in any way nullify my
point that Florida's small latitudes are an advantage for it.



There are probably other
considerations. Also, FL is part of the 48 contiguous states and parts
can be shipped by land.

Last time I heard, so was Texas. :-)

I meant w.r.t. outside the U.S. Even so, I'm sure there were other
considerations.

Yeah, most likely politics. Which is another reason this should be
done by businesses and not the government.

Still doesn't nullify my point. And politics wasn't enough to place it
in a landlocked northerly latitude.


Maybe it better to chose FL over TX because it was
cheaper to do it in FL (unless you prefer to waste taxpayer money :-)

I would prefer if the government didn't spend any taxpayer money on
this in Florida or Texas, but originally you were touting some concept
Florida being actually worth something. You cited launching rockets
and I was just trying to point out it has no real advantage, even in that.

It certainly has an advantage over most other states, which is all I
was trying to point out. You asked, I answered.




Outside the US? Are you saying we should lease
land in another country for a space center?

Why not? Where does the ESA do their launching from? Not Darmstadt.

Probably not worth the difference. As you approach the equator, each
degree of latitude gains you less and less. (speed = equatorial speed *
cos(latitude)) So the difference between FL and the Equator may not be
worth the trouble. (Unless you want to waste taxpayer money :-)

You brought up the relation to the equator. I merely pointed out if it
really made a difference then Florida looses again. Even if you don't
leave the continental US.

See above, and it's loses, not looses.




Or we could just (finally) let the business that paid for licenses do it
and stop wasting taxpayer money.

What business? What licenses? Could you be a little more vague?

Vague? I merely mentioned old news. The US Government sold license to
operate commercial space operations (including launches) to major companies
decades ago. Martin Marietta got one of the first. But then the
govenrment never stepped out of the picture. Starting a new commercial

Hmmmm. The gov't built it. What should they do? Give it away? That
would be more wasted taxpayer dollars! The International Space Station
-- now there's a waste of money!

venture is hard enough without having to compete with someone who is
subsidizing their operation by picking your potential customers pockets.
On a level playing field NASA would be defunct, the Shuttle would have been
replaced a decade ago (maybe even before the first disaster) and who knows,
we might already be on Mars.

NASA defunct? speculation.

Shuttle replaced? Maybe, I don't know enough to judge.

Mars? Give me a break.


bill

--
Bill Gunshannon | de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n. Three wolves
bill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton |
Scranton, Pennsylvania | #include <std.disclaimer.h>

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: An opportunity for VMS
    ... Bill Gunshannon wrote: ... Florida is "The Sunshine State". ... It's a good place to launch rockets into space from. ... you approach the Equator. ...
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  • Re: An opportunity for VMS
    ... Bill Gunshannon wrote: ... Stop wasting energy and/or put solar panels on every roof top. ... California is supposed to be the "sunshine state", ... Florida is "The Sunshine State". ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: An opportunity for VMS
    ... Bill Gunshannon wrote: ... Florida is "The Sunshine State". ... It's a good place to launch rockets into space from. ... you approach the Equator. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: OT Take time to remember those who have fallen for you...
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