[stackcollision]

I have not heard about a west coast launch pad, but I was wondering how they planned to actually accomplish the landing. We (almost) always launch west-to-east, to take advantage of the roughly 400m/s you gain from the Earth's rotation. It wouldn't make sense to launch from the east coast and then have the boost fly back to get to land.

[Crito]

> I have not heard about a west coast launch pad

Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California. The first Falcon 9 v1.1 launch, for CASSIOPE, was from Vandenberg.

Here is a sign that SpaceX has at Vandenberg, implying that they intend to both launch from and land at Vandenberg: http://i.imgur.com/YW4tmkR.jpg

Vandenberg is really only useful for polar orbits, and perhaps retrograde orbits, due to it's high inclination and it's geographical relationship to the ocean.

Similarly, launches from the east coast will land back at the east coast. It will look something like this: http://i.imgur.com/NEi7qKp.jpg (related discussion: http://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/23l96t/spacex_falcon... source: http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falcon9v1-1.html)

[cvbncvbncgbc]

Huh, somehow I always though the first stage would orbit the earth once and then land. I never considered that it doesn't have enought speed or fuel to do so even if forced.

[stcredzero]

If the 1st stage could make orbit, it would constitute an SSTO craft. You have to have higher ISP than kerosene and higher fuel mass fraction than aluminum can provide to do that.

[mikeash]

Not strictly true. The Saturn V first stage could have been used as an SSTO, and it used kerosene and aluminum. The payload would be extremely small, though, so it's not worth it.

[stcredzero]

Okay, then change that to "would constitute a practical SSTO."

The engineering of the Saturn V just continues to amaze me!

[mikeash]

Are you familiar with Apollo 13's pogo oscillation? Money quote:

"The engine shutdown was determined to be caused by severe pogo oscillations measured at a strength of 68 g and a frequency of 16 hertz, flexing the thrust frame by 3 inches (76 mm)."

It was this close to ripping the whole rocket apart, but it managed to withstand some incredible shaking until the engine shut down.

[washedup]

There are many launches from Vandenberg AFB, but most of these launches will travel south over the Pacific. It is generally used for placing payloads in Polar orbits. They never launch over land for fear or casualties if something goes wrong.

[lutusp]

> They never launch over land for fear or casualties if something goes wrong.

Yes, that's true now, but at the height of the Shuttle program, Vandenberg AFB had begun to build, and planned to use, a Shuttle launch facility. So that's a policy change, because there was a time when they were more than willing to launch something very heavy over land to their east.

[sputknick]

That launch facility was for polar orbiting shuttle missions, which were never executed.

[washedup]

It's not well sourced, but this Wikipedia about the Shuttle Launch Complex at Vandenberg provides further details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandenberg_AFB_Space_Launch_Com...

[timdiggerm]

Source for saying it would be exclusively used for polar missions?

[mikeash]

That's all Vandenberg is ever used for aside from missile tests which go west[1], and there would be no reason to use it for launches to the east when you can accomplish those just as easily from Florida without the safety concerns.

[1] http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm "With the exception of the Pegasus XL, all Vandenberg AFB launches take place from the base. Minuteman III missiles climb rather steeply and head due west. Delta, Taurus, and other satellite launch vehicles fly towards the south and climb more slowly."

[mikeash]

It would absolutely make sense to launch from the east coast and have the booster fly back to land. You still gain all the benefit of the extra speed from the Earth's rotation to help you get to orbit. The fact that you fly the first stage back home doesn't affect that at all.