New Soyuz Launch Facility Near the Equator 127
tcd004 writes "Russian and French teams are currently hard at work in French Guiana on the northern coast of South America, building the first Soyuz launch facility in the Western Hemisphere. Soyuz rockets normally carry 3,500 pound payloads into orbit, but from the French Guiana spaceport, the rocket will have an added benefit of being near the equator where the Earth's spin makes launching slightly easier. This extra boost allows Soyuz to deliver a 6,600 pound payload into orbit. The first launches are scheduled for October."
Retard system (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Retard system (Score:3, Insightful)
Why, both systems work. In school we only used SI units, at home we used both (my Dad is a farmer and even though the Department of Agriculture used imperial, he used SI as he had a lot of German equipment). In uni (Aero engineering) I was taught both. Sure it can be an arse-ache to convert mass to volume in imperial, but you get a feel for the numbers.
Besides, as long as you state what units you use, you can use any mixture safely* - I've described something as a metre by a yard (it wasn't quite square), and got some strange looks, but it was the most accurate description. I also calculate my fuel consumption in miles per litre.(about 8 is good for me). I describe my mass & height in kilos & centimetres, but if I measure something short I'll use my thumb and estimate it in inches.
* Safely, but maybe not conveniently.
Re:Retard system (Score:5, Insightful)
I find it baffling that, in this day and age, one can still read news articles using the imperial system. About space travel, of all things.
Well 6,600 pounds is 2,994 kg, so I suspect that the actual value is 3,000 kg and it has been converted to pounds for for certain poor backwards readers.