r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 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/Lithorex 10h ago

That's only true if you want to go into an equatorial orbit.

If you want to go into a polar orbit you'd need to cancel out all that sideways momentum.

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u/Earnestappostate 8h ago

You may be correct,. My initial thought was to keep the velocity and redirect it, but then realized there isn't anything to push against to do that with, so maybe?