There was one very northerly launch out of the Cape with Shuttle... I'm
trying to remember the STS number.... seems to me like it was 1989 or
so... secret payload, military crew, big stink with residents of cities
quite a ways north.... all due to the reasons you described... and the
payload was nuclear-powered... which made all the environmentalists and
safety people hopping mad too.

That's the one to see the video from.

Nate

On Wed, 2002-11-20 at 20:10, Lee Jones wrote:
> >>>> I thought the satellites were in geo synch?
> >
> >>> They are.
>
> >> No, they are in polar orbits. TTYL
>
> > Which is one of many reasons that most of them are launched out of
> > Vandenberg on Titans.  :-)
>
> Doesn't hurt that you can launch due south over water (in case you
> have to blow up the bird in case it starts wandering).
>
> Downside to polar launch is higher delta-V needed (for a given weight)
> because use can't use Earth's rotation for part of rocket's velocity.
> It's even worse in a westerly launch (ballistic missle defense tests).
>
>
> > Cape Canaveral is not the greatest place to do polar launches from...
> > too many people in the way if something goes wrong.
>
> > Some of the most spectacular Shuttle launch videos are the very few
> > where Shuttle was the "the right tool" for polar launches [snip]
> > big long roll to put the Orbiter heads-down and pointed generally
> > North -- over the city which is what gets the locals all up-in-arms.
>
> Are you talking about Vandenberg or Cape Canaveral?
>
> I don't think a north launch from Vandenberg would be tried because
> the booster or any debris field would fall on northern California
> (or Oregon on Washington state).  Rockets leaving Vandenberg head
> due south through west (maybe northwest).
>
> I also don't think a due north launch from Cape Canaveral would
> happen because the booster(s) or any debris field would fall on
> the eastern seaboard.  Rockets leaving Cape Canaveral head
> northeast through southeast.
>
>                                               Lee Jones
>

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