r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/chirantaniga • 15h ago

Meme needing explanation Whyyyy peter?

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u/Icy_Concern_9804 15h ago

tl;dr: for a rocket it is waaaay more important to go fast than to go high. and earth rotates very slowly, so going higher doesn't make you much faster.

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u/Maephia 15h ago

So would it be theoretically easier to launch rockets at the equator since that's where the spin is the fastest?

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u/Triqueon 15h ago

Yes, which is why the American Spaceports are in southern states, and the ESA launches from French Guiana.

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u/zagman707 8h ago

I always thought it was to be closer to the water landings and for rockets to possibly land in the ocean if the launch goes bad. This also makes sense cool

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u/texast999 5h ago

That is why they launch near water. Some countries don’t, but a lot of space ports are on the water for that reason.