Nigel Bridgman-Elliot Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2690094/We-lift-Britain-blast-space-UK-spaceport-outside-America-reveal-proposed-sites-six-eight-Scotland-vote-coming.htmlCould the Shetland Islands be a viable location for a spaceport, and if not, why not ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector's House Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Hugely unlikely - for starters the preferred runway length is 3000m - twice Sumburgh's longest. Then there is the access issue from the mainland, the (relatively) lengthy periods of fog & high wind, local infrastructure & accommodation - although maybe the barges might be free in time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Hugely unlikely - for starters the preferred runway length is 3000m - twice Sumburgh's longest. Then there is the access issue from the mainland, the (relatively) lengthy periods of fog & high wind, local infrastructure & accommodation - although maybe the barges might be free in time!Pit really.. We have more than enough 'space cadets' at the town hall to fill the other requirements. <G> Windwalker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 even more simply you need to be near the equator to gain from the rotation of the planet. launching from the poles is equal to zero and at the equator your gaining an extra 1040 mph on your flight.but more importantly were would you rater be Florida or scotland. a very difficult question for the space boffins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rasmie Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Florida occasionally has to cancel a launch because of a bit of wind or haze....................Need I say more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector's House Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Quite so paulb, hence the Arianes launching from French Guiana, a mere 5 degrees north of the equator. However, the extra oomph is only beneficial for orbits that roughly follow the initial launch direction - a Shetland launch would be more suited to polar orbits that earth-science satellites (and GCHQ's ones!) often take.The weather issues in Florida are usually about the need for visual contact from the ground - spaceplanes by their nature don't go straight up, so there is less opportunity to keep an eye on them all the way.Anyway, it's immaterial for Shetland, as - according to the boffin the Beeb had on - they will need a 5km runway... Tingwall straight mebbe? Also, why has nobody taken Gerry Anderson's idea and made a big curved launch rail like wot he did in Fireball XL5? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 Why did you have to mention Fireball XL5? Now I can't get the damn theme out of my head.. I wish I was a spaceman, the fastest guy aliveI'd fly around the universe in Fireball XL5Way out is space together, conquerors of the startsblah, blah, blah........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector's House Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 Glad to be of service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 It will keep the sheep awake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanofNess Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Christ sake if folk can get apoplectic about a wind farm imagine how they'd feel about sumburgh being extended a couple of mile out into the atlantic to allow an infrequent and heavily disrupted service to space to be accommodated. It's bad enough trying to get to Aberdeen some days without having Dickie Branson buzzing round fitful looking for a break in the cloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector's House Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 To be fair, with Branson's personal record of airborne pursuits he'd more likely end up in the water than on the runway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbiniho Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Anyway, it's immaterial for Shetland, as - according to the boffin the Beeb had on - they will need a 5km runway... Tingwall straight mebbe? cana do that it will be to noisy for the cats at the gott cattery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanofNess Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) True enough if a couple of boys revving their cars up gets the cat folk up in arms I can only imagine a plane using the runway would make them faint. Edited July 16, 2014 by JohanofNess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaflech Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I would think the challenge of building a 3000+ metre runway at Sumburgh pales into insignificance compared with the thought of going through Sumburgh security wearing a spacesuit. jz and Gaepshot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scraplet Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 If I remember rightly**, in Julian May's Galactic Milieu & Pliocene Exile novels, Unst was a major inter-planetary spaceport. Its got to start somewhere! **its been a very long time since I read them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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