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Virgin Galactic to Launch from Scottish Base?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the scotch-and-liftoff-please dept.

Lancey writes "The BBC reports that Richard Branson wants to launch Virgin Galactic space flights from a Royal Air Force base in Moray, Scotland, as early as 2010." From the article: "We are designing it so that we will be able to tour it around the world. So we will have a main base in New Mexico and we are looking at three bases outside there to be able to operate from."

7 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. What about the equator? by LotsOfPhil · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I thought that it was better to launch things from the equator. Something about angular momentum, maybe? This is (I thought) why the ESA launches from Equatorial Guinea, or some such.

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    1. Re:What about the equator? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      ESA launches from French Guiana. Actually.

    2. Re:What about the equator? by tgd · · Score: 4, Informative

      Thats only if you're going to try to get into orbit easily.

      They're not trying to get into orbit.

  2. Lead - engineer by thrill12 · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... will probably be Scotty:
    "Aye Cap'n Branson, but she can't take much more !"

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  3. Nothing to see... by HaydnH · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nothing to see here... no really! It's a broken link! Here's a working link to the article.

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  4. Lossiemouth is the perfect location! by dnnrly · · Score: 3, Informative

    I've been to good ol' Lossie. I think it's perfect! Takeoffs would occur over the bay which opens up to the North Sea. Lossiemouth itself isn't hugely populated but it does lie next door to the base. There is a housing estate right up to the fence on one side (with the local pub about 1 mile from the main entrance), all other sides are clear and the nearest large town is Elgin about 10 miles away.

    As long as they are careful to take off and land over the water I can't see many problems at all.

  5. Re:I hope their ship is rainproof by tehgimpness · · Score: 5, Funny

    What planet are you from that has 450 days per year?

    It's part of an EU directive to ensure effective and fair distribution of rainfall in the europe. Each country has a number of rainfall tokens which are spent on rainfall per annum. Scotland import the rainfall by accepting rainfall tokens from other european countries to ensure that the rainfall exporters have more sunshine throughout the year. Italy and Greece are europes chief exporters. The UK and Poland are nett importers. England and Wales have 279 days of rainfall a year and have accepted 23 'grey skies and light showers' and 9 'fog' days from mainland europe in return for preferential North Sea fishing areas.

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