Florida is a place famous for its beautiful beaches, its abundant alligators and the Kennedy Space Center, from where most of the NASA rockets have been launched, however, many wonder why the space agency launches its rockets from Florida, if this area constantly faces hurricanes and receives more thunderstorms than any other state, it would make more sense to do it in a quieter place, like southern California, but the truth is that there are three important reasons why Cape Canaveral is the right place.
For these three reasons NASA launches its rockets from Florida
1.It is close to the equator
The importance of being close to the equator lies in something called tangential velocity , which is the force of attraction that we feel most intensely being in the center of an object that turn, for example, a wheel in a playground.The closer to the center We are, the greater the force of attraction that pulls out.
This principle also applies to the Earth and its rotation.Because the equator is the furthest point from the axis of rotation of the Earth, go North or south from the equator is similar to walking inward on the wheel platform.You get less tangential speed of the rotating object the farther you are from its outermost point .
Launching rockets from Earth, then, is easier the farther they are from the axis of rotation.That little extra thrust of the Earth's spin means that NASA needs less fuel to launch things into space.
2.It is close to the ocean
When launching a rocket, it is necessary to ensure that it will not release debris, or explode in a populated area.When thrown over the ocean, falling objects and aborted missions can land in the water where there is less chance ities to harm the population.
However, you may wonder why not choose California, which is also close to the ocean.Some launches occur there, but Cape Canaveral, Florida, where NASA launches most of its spacecraft, has another benefit based on the location: is on the east coast .The Earth turns from west to east, so the momentum we receive from the rotation of our planet goes east.
3.It made sense at the time
When NASA bought the land that would become the Kennedy Space Center in 1961 It was exactly what they needed. It was sparsely populated , which facilitated the construction of huge facilities without disturbing the locals.But it also had roads and other infrastructure, as it was close to military bases.
To build the Kennedy Space Center it was not necessary to invest in all the infrastructure around it , because it was already there and thus, it was much more practical for the project.
What do you think about this data? Did you imagine that these were the reasons why NASA launches its rockets from Florida?
Images: NASA/Wikimedia Commons
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