Some cite the velocity of the monetary base that existed in the past and assume it is still relevant, but the You Tube rocket of the base rising into the stratosphere is matched by an offsetting plunge of its velocity reaching all the way to China.

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There was no immediate report of casualties, said CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson, who was at the base when the rocket struck.

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It saw the Landsat-8 mission hurtle skywards on an Atlas rocket from the US Air Force base at Vandenberg shortly after 10:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

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But what is clear is that the Republican base in Wisconsin is now rocket-propelled.

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As a result, real concerns are beginning to be expressed about the viability of the U.S. industrial base for solid-fuel rocket motors.

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Oxygen could be derived from ilmanite reserves there and water could be extracted to make rocket fuel or sustain life on a base.

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The Navy continues to buy a small number of rocket motors each year to maintain a warm industrial base, but the government is reluctant to engage in any purchases that would signal production of new nuclear weapons.

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