Re: SpaceX Falcon Ready to Go - Again.


Ed Kyle wrote:
> Ed Kyle wrote:
> > Press conference planned for 11/18/05 will announce
> > launch date and time.
> >
> > "http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=18326";
> >
> > - Ed Kyle
>
> Nothing official from SpaceX yet, but semiofficial range
> schedules show Falcon 1 planning for no earlier than
> December 19. The launch can't go until after a ballistic
> missile test. It will not be able to go December 22 or
> later, due to the holidays.
>
> BTW, there has been a lot of talk about how wonderful
> a place Kwaj is for launching rockets. The truth is that
> there are so many occupied islands in the region to the
> east that launch azimuths are suprisingly limited.
> Azimuths from 55 degrees to 110 degrees present
> downrange problems, for example.
>
> - Ed Kyle

How much of a problem is that really though? If a 1 mi^2 island 100
miles to the northwest is downrange, the chances that any kind of
launch would actually hit there are miniscule. At Vandenburg, on the
other hand, if a rocket launched east came down and missed Lompoc, it
could still hit Bakersfield or maybe some dude's ski lodge at Bear
Mountain or whatever (I don't actually know the geogrpahy that well out
there). I think there's a statistical difference there between a 1 in a
million chance of landing on some tiny podunk island and a 1/1 chance
of landing SOMEWHERE in California if it goes down.

Tom

.

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