See a Rocket Launch

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The launching of large, powerful rockets has engendered a sense of entertainment, excitement, fear and enthusiasm in man since the Chinese first successfully fired one into the atmosphere in the 14th century. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that rockets gained a foothold for the myriad of uses we have come to take for granted. In addition to military use, rockets are regularly launched to further the goals for scientific, interplanetary and industrial users. The launching of communication satellites, those for space exploration, weather predicting and transporting of humans into outer space are just some of the purposes that require the chemically based propulsion of heavy objects away from the Earth’s gravitational pull. Witnessing the launch of a rocket can be an awe inspiring experience and the opportunity exists in a number of locations around the globe to do just that. Some have described the experience to be similar to every fireworks show you have ever witnessed rolled into one. While rockets are launched regularly at different places around the world, the most dependable and frequent launches occur at Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA and the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Strategic planning and investigation is critical for determining the details of planned rocket launches that you may wish to witness and the ability to get close enough to the facility to afford a good view. Typically, the launches may be observed from the surrounding landscape or from the water when the spaceports are located near the ocean. We have listed a few locations around the planet where launches are known to occur with some more active than others: Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA Woomera Test Range, South Australia, Australia Alcantara Launch Center, Maranhao, Brazil Omelek Island, Marshall Islands Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Inner Mongolia, China ** Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, Hainin Island, China Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Kerala, India Baikonur Cosmodrome, Tyuratam, Kazakhstan** Salto di Quirra, Perdasdefogu, Sardinia, Italy Andøya Rocket Range, Andoya, Norway Kapustin Yar, Znamensk, Russia Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia El Arenosillo, Huelva, Spain Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden ** indicates Manned Spacecraft Launches

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