Why Was Mars Insight Launched From California?

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Scott Manley

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Published on May 7, 2018 2:27:47 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5FIhHm47Cc

Duration: 8:21

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Mars Insight was the first Mars mission launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, while previous Mars missions have generally launched from Florida. The reason this is possible is because the original mission design required a higher than usual inclination parking orbit. This reduced the advantage which Florida usually gets from the rotation of the earth, which meant that the same launch vehicle design could achieve the trajectory from either location. This lead the designers to go with California because it has less rocket activity.

Includes animations from NASA, Kerbal Space Program and Universe Sandbox