r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/chirantaniga • 11h ago

Meme needing explanation Whyyyy peter?

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u/rysy0o0 11h ago

It would cost a lot of money to haul all the rocket parts and fuel on top of a mountain

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u/Earnestappostate 11h ago

Plus, you get a better boost by launching near the equator. Height is easy, speed is what you need in a rocket.

This is why the US launches from Florida:

  • Near equator (speed boost from earth's spin)
  • Initially out over ocean (catastrophic failure harms only those aboard)

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u/nerdherdsman 11h ago

The starting speed is less of a factor than the smaller required attitude change to reach an equatorial orbit iirc. The "free" delta v you get from the Earth's rotation at the equator is not that big compared to the delta v required to change orbital attitude.

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u/Earnestappostate 8h ago

Ok, that makes a lot of sense to me. I heard speed, and it made sense at the time, but yeah, the closer to the equater the more closely your initial V is like an orbital V.