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Land where (mander.xyz)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] 126 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Russian capsules launch from the Kazack steppe. In the event of a launch abort, like there was in October 2018, you need to have a capsule that can land on land.

American capsules launch from Florida and fly over the ocean. In the event of an abort, they need to be able to land at sea.

They both took their abort modes and just made it the standard way to land after a mission.

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  • [–] 39 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Sounds like the real reason right here. The sea landing surely is a lot easier and quicker to recover as well.

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  • [–] 18 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

    It's also much easier to hit what you aim for
    water -> water
    Land -> oops, that's a tree, and that's a boulder, and that's a lake.
    Although recovering the people is much easier on land, most of the time you can land a helicopter near the capsule, recovering the hardware is generally more difficult

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  • [–] 11 points 3 months ago

    Also where they are taking off and landing in Russia is a big flat wasteland. It's the ocean of the land. There isn't a lot of empty space in the US unless you are either in the desert or in the places we grow corn and wheat. Less shit to crash into when it's water in the US.

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