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Mostly they have to pick their launch site so the flight path, headed into the right orbital plane, doesn't pass over populated areas. It would be rude to drop
by myself248 8y ago
Mostly they have to pick their launch site so the flight path, headed into the right orbital plane, doesn't pass over populated areas. It would be rude to drop boosters and stages on people. https://history.nasa.gov/EP-165/p25.htm https://history.nasa.gov/EP-165/p25.htm
- m4rtink 8y agoWell, while possibly rude it still happens sometimes: https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/263732-china-keeps-dropping-expended-rocket-boosters-near-villages https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/263732-china-keeps-dropp... Will likely no longer be an issue once the new chinese spaceport in the south fully comes online.
- walrus01 8y agoInteresting fact, Israel is one of the few countries on earth that regularly launches into retrogade LEO (first stage flight path over ocean), because of the extreme political considerations around lobbing something that looks like an ICBM over their eastern neighbours. And the problem with dropping spent first stages on everywhere east of them.
- myself248 8y agoOh great, so if ASAT activity blows any of their stuff up, it'll have even more velocity relative to the other denizens of similar orbital planes.
- duxup 8y agoIf they were the self landing type and it landed in the local wall-mart parking lot.... would be kinda cool. The uncontrolled versions, less entertaining.