[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."