🚀 go-pugleaf

From article <3831@orion.cf.uci.edu>, by dkrause@orion.oac.uci.edu (Doug Krause):
> In article <IA80024.89352200552@MAINE.BITNET> IA80024@MAINE.BITNET (Nicholas C. Hester) writes:
> #of using Hawaii.
> 
> Could a shuttle-loaded 747 make it to Hawaii?  The closest mainland city
> is probably San Francisco and that's about 2200? miles away.

So put it on a boat (I know, "but it's too slow").

I suspect much of why they use KSC is historical (all the stuff is there,
it's already built and paid for, staffed, etc.).  Now *originally* why
didn't they put it in Hawaii is another question.

That probably had to do with the little amount of expertise we had in
what kinds of things could go wrong with a launch (and just not wanting
to chance it).  In Hawaii, a path to orbit will cross over the United
States or at least Canada, probably before orbit is achieved.  While an
accident like Challenger would have "safely" (for everyone else) happened
over water if launched from Hawaii, an accident further along in the mission
but still before orbital insertion could be disasterous to a populated area.

Is orbital insertion achieved before the shuttle passes over Europe?
Does anybody know an average figure for miles downrange when orbit is
achieved?  (and please, in *real* miles, not nautical!  ;-)  I know, I
could convert it).

King Ables
ables@mcc.com
Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC)
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Austin, TX  78759
(512) 338-3749 (office)
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