Eli5: why do rocket get launched from sea-level and not mountains
In: Engineering
The effort required to bring the rocket and launch pad to a mountaintop would outweigh the benefits of a thinner atmosphere and higher altitude. You would probably interested to know, however, that rockets are often launched from near the equator because that is where the earth spins the fastest. That means that before they even launch the rocket is moving at great speed through space! By choosing the right moment all that energy from the earths spin can be used to propel the ship to its intended destination.
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