Cape Canaveral, Florida - this is where the main launch site of the Eastern Rocket Range is located - the main space port of the United States.
Among the sugar cane
Europeans who landed on the coast of Florida in the 16th century gave the cape the name Cañaveral, which means "thickets of sugarcane" in Spanish. After the expulsion of the indigenous population - the Timacua, Calus and Seminole Indian tribes - scattered farms settled on the lands of the cape, and fishermen and shrimp harvesters settled on the coast.
By the middle of the last century, the nascent American cosmonautics needed a testing ground for rockets. Since 1948, work began on the reorganization of the Banana River naval station (US Navy) and the creation of a US Air Force base and a test center on its basis. The location was not chosen by chance. The sparse population and the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean minimized the danger to the environment in the event of unsuccessful suborbital launches.
If you find Cape Canaveral (cosmodrome) on the map, a rather low latitude of the area will catch your eye - 28 ˚NL. For comparison:Baikonur - 45˚NL This guarantees additional benefits:
- To achieve the first cosmic velocity, the kinetic energy of the Earth's rotation is used.
- Up to 30% increase in rocket payload mass.
- Economy of fuel to put the device into geostationary orbit.
First launches
The first two-stage carrier spacecraft at Cape Canaveral launched into the sky in July 1950. The accelerating apparatus of the Bumper-2 rocket made it possible to reach a record height at that time - 400 km. But an attempt to launch the first artificial satellite into low Earth orbit in December 1957 ended in failure - the explosion of fuel tanks destroyed the Avangard TV-3 launch vehicle two seconds after launch. In 1958, work on space exploration and the creation of a scientific and technical base was headed by the newly created department of the federal government - NASA.
The operation of the launch complex also revealed negative terrain factors: Cape Canaveral was replete with strong hurricanes and thunderstorms. Twice the launch facilities were partially destroyed by natural disasters, and several tens of millions of dollars had to be paid additionally to equip lightning protection.
Cape Canaveral Spaceport or Air Force Base?
In 1962, the National Agency began building its own launch facilities, called the Launch Center, and from November 1963 (after the assassination of the 35th US President) they were renamedKennedy Space Center. In total, more than thirty launch pads were built on the territory of the cape and the neighboring island of Merritt Island, connected by a common infrastructure.
In the press quite often the spaceport at Cape Canaveral is called, in fact, two administrative divisions belonging to different government structures. All launches until 1965 were carried out from an air force base. Most famous missions:
- Introduction of the first American satellite into orbit (1958).
- First American suborbital (1961) and orbital (1962) astronaut flight.
- Launch of the first American crew of two (1964) and three (1968) people.
- Study of cosmic bodies of the solar system by interplanetary automatic stations.
From Gemini to Shuttle
The beginning of the star epic of the Center. Kennedy launched the Gemini manned spacecraft with two astronauts on board. In total, 12 space flights were performed in this mission. The main achievement was the spacewalk of astronaut E. White.
Cape Canaveral saw off the flight of all the astronauts who visited the natural satellite of the Earth. All launches under the program for the preparation and implementation of a manned flight and landing on the moon ("Apollo") were carried out by the launch pads of the Center.
From here, five American "Shuttle" - space shuttles - began their journey to near-Earth trajectories. From 1981 to 2011, 135 flights were made. Delivered into orbit1.6 thousand tons of payloads and equipment, a lot of research and repair and installation work has been carried out.
Today and tomorrow
Since 2011, Cape Canaveral has not carried out manned launches. Due to the reduction in funding for space programs, only four launch pads are maintained in working condition. Part of the complexes is being re-equipped and modernized to launch new carriers. For example, the LC-39A installation (for the first time since 2011) is preparing to launch rockets of the Falcon 9FT series into space. Three starts are planned for February-March 2017.
Severance of economic ties with Russia calls into question some of the stellar projects of the United States. The development of private space agencies is becoming increasingly important. Thus, the Dragon and Falcon-9 projects from SpaceX are designed to reduce the industry's dependence on components from Russia. Meanwhile, NPO Energomash confirmed its readiness to supply 14 RD-181 rocket engines to the United States within two years under an earlier agreement.
