Question The Orbitnauts' Quiz of astronomy and spaceflight!

[Cosmic Penguin]

Hi all!

Given that we all are orbitnauts flying around the solar system and beyond, it is essential to have basic knowledge of astronomy, physics and spaceflight principles. But how much do you guys know about them? You will find out here! :lol:

So here's my first question, a very difficult one involving spaceflight statistics: you guys may be flying into space from different bases around the Earth (and other planets/moons/asteroids, but that will be left for another question), but in the real life there are only a handful (well, may be two hands and two feet....) of launch bases used in spaceflight history. But which of them have the largest number of orbital launch attempts in history, and how many?

Here are the list of launch bases that has more than 50 launches in history:
A. Cape Canaveral, Florida (including KSC)
B. Vandenberg AFB, California
C. Kourou Space Center, French Guiana
D. Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
E. Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
F. Kapustin Yar test range, Russia
G. Tanegashima Island, Japan
H. Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China
I. Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China

Since it's a difficult question, I'll leave this question until 16:00 GMT on July 5th, ahead of the next launch. The member that answers the right launch base and get the closest number of orbital launch attempts will win a chance to beta-test my first add-on, which should enter the beta stage by Q4 2012 facepalm.

So answer the question and post your vote here!

Comments on the format and questions of the quiz, as well as providing questions for our members, are especially welcome. :tiphat:

GPS

 

[Urwumpe]

How accurate must the answer be? I know the launch site, but I am not sure of the exact number of launch attempts. :lol:

Anyway.

ANSWER: Plesetsk. The most accurate figure I have is 1711 launches until 2007, most of those orbital, since there are over 1100 military satellites launched from this spaceport in space currently. Still I would need more time researching a more precise answer, but even then, I could only be accurate to +/- 10 launches.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

How accurate must the answer be? I know the launch site, but I am not sure of the exact number of launch attempts. :lol:

Well you can try the nearest hundreds or tens or dozens, but there are no guarantees that someone can get a closer number than you. :rofl:

Oh and the number of launches are up to June 30, 2012.

 

[Apollo 202]

My answer is Plesetsk.
Encyclopedia Astronomica says Plesetsk has had "over 1711 major launches from 1963 to 2007", and other sources claim between 20 and 30 launches a year since 1994.

So average 25 a year since 2007 to June 30th 2012, and that gives us 112 aditionnal lauches. 1711 + 112 = 1823.

And since this facility has the most launches, it is logical to assume it also has the most "launch attempts" which is actually how the question is framed. Lets give a 5% launch failure rate, as Soviet/Russian launch vehicles are rather reliable:

1823 + 5% (91) = 1914.

So Plestesk with 1914 launch attempts is my (educated guess) answer.

 

[MattBaker]

ANSWER: Plesetsk. The most accurate figure I have is 1711 launches until 2007

If that's right I'll add the launches since 2008 for you, resulting in 1738 launches from Plesetsk.:tiphat:

 

[wehaveaproblem]

I've found an interesting datasheet for the total launches for rocket types, but not sites... I'm not sure if I have the patience to extract the answer lol.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it... But I suspect the key(trick?) parts to this question are 'orbital' and 'attempts'... which makes doing the numbers even more tricky...

Interesting question!

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

I've found an interesting datasheet for the total launches for rocket types, but not sites... I'm not sure if I have the patience to extract the answer lol.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it... But I suspect the key(trick?) parts to this question are 'orbital' and 'attempts'... which makes doing the numbers even more tricky...

Interesting question!

You mean these two?

http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/logsum.html

http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/logdec.html

In summary, 14 launch vehicle families has performed more than 50 space launch attempts:

1. R-7 (Soyuz/Vostok/Molniya...) 1730 (85) (1957 - )
2. Thor-Delta (Thor-Agena, all Deltas except for Delta IV, the Japanese N-I/N-II/H-I ...) 606 (54) (1958 - 2011?)
3. R-14 (Cosmos-1/3/3M) 461 (26) (1964 - 2012?)
4. Proton (-K/M) 376 (42) (1965 - )
5. Atlas (Atlas-Agena, Atlas-Centaur, Atlas I/II/III (V not included)...) 326 (42) (1958 - 2005)
6. R-36 (Cyclone-2/3, Dnepr) 275 (13) (1965 - )
7. Titan (II/III/IV) 219 (22) (1964 - 2005)
8. DF-5 (Long March 2/3/4...) 171 (13) (1973 - )
9. R-12 (Cosmos-2) 164 (20) (1961 - 1977)
10. Ariane-1/2/3/4 144 (7) (1979 - 2003)
11. Space Shuttle 135 (3) (1981 - 2011)
12. Scout 100 (16) (1960 - 1994)
13. Zenit (-2/3) 77 (12) (1985 - )
14. Ariane 5 62 (4) (1996 - )

The number in the brackets is the number of launch attempts that resulted in some kind of failure (either salvageable or lost).

 

[wehaveaproblem]

Aye, they're the ones...

I don't have the answer for you, but I have learnt there were a lot more orbital launches than I expected.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

So the winner is...... old ye Urwumpe! According to a detailed list by Andrey Krasilnikov (editor of the Russian magazine Astronautic News), there are 1583 orbital launch attempts out of Plesetsk Cosmodrome since 1962, mostly spysats and other military satellites going into polar LEO orbits. This includes 932 R-7 family rockets, 422 Kosmos-3M, 90 Kosmos-2, 122 Cyclone-3, 15 Rockot and 2 START (modified Topol ICBM) rockets. Baikonur is only just slightly behind at 1379 launches. In comparison, Cape Canaveral (including KSC) has seen 820 orbital launch attempts, and Vandenberg Air Force Base has seen 666 launches. Fifth place fell to Kourou with 212 launches.

Anyone have ideas for the next question?

 

[Lord Wasteland]

What was the precautions if the Saturn V failed on launch?

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

OK so here's question 2..... I'm giving 24 hours of time for people to answer this (19:00 UTC on the 13th):

Imagine you are standing on a planet circling around Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system. Where would the Sun (our Sun) be in the Centauri night sky, and how bright is it?

 

[TerraMimic]

Ok. I'll take a crack at it. I used the star itself as a refrence, since I couldn't find any planets to work from, and I don't think an AU or two would really make that much of a difference at 4+ ly.

Location of Sol
RA: 59 deg (approx.)
DEC: 45 deg (approx.)
Abs Mag: 4.83
App. Mag: 0.40


That was my best shot. Although somehow I don't think I'm even remotely close.


---Original Post 7/12/12 20:23 EDT------Added 7/14/12 18:07---

Umm.... So, does this mean I win? Did I even get it right? :idk:
Just curious.