this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2026
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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.
This seems to make the most sense, so no matter whether it is true or not, i decided to trust this
Sounds like the real reason right here. The sea landing surely is a lot easier and quicker to recover as well.
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
Makes perfect sense.