isn't anything can launch from launchpad can launch from runway?

[omelaw]

unlike normal plane cannot fly from launchpad, you can always make huge rocket sideway, rotate it to upside up, and it will stand on the runway?

and why spaceplane parts Impact Tolerance(40~50m/s) are much higher then rocket parts(under 15)?

 

 

Edited February 1, 2016 by omelaw

[Evanitis]

1. Yes.

2. Because rocket-parts aren't exactly designed to land. Not that it ever stops anyone to do so, you just need to be more careful.

[linuxgurugamer]

Actually, you can launch a plane from the launchpad.  You will have difficulty taking off, but the game will let you

[katateochi]

1 -> yes and because of this you can basically get away without needing to upgrade the launch pad in career and just upgrade the runway.  
Only thing to be careful of is this scenario; launch shuttle from runway, do stuff in space with shuttle and deorbit for return to KSC, nice glide approach... all looking good...lined up for landing......#!$@! pull up pull up!! the launch clamps are still on the runway......RIP shuttle & crew.

2 -> what @Evanitissaid.

[pincushionman]

If you start the plane facing west, you can roll down the ramp and hop the rails onto the grass. It isn't easy, but it can be useful early in Career when you've forgotten to upgrade your facilities in the right order 

[Rocket In My Pocket]

6 hours ago, pincushionman said:

If you start the plane facing west, you can roll down the ramp and hop the rails onto the grass. It isn't easy, but it can be useful early in Career when you've forgotten to upgrade your facilities in the right order 

This. I usually upgrade the Hangar late because any plane I make over 30 parts typically has VTOL capability, anything that doesn't can be taxied off the launch pad and over to the runway.

[regex]

I don't bother upgrading the runway or SPH because I run a "space" program.  Reusable is for suckers anyway.

[samstarman5]

For those who play career mode, it is good practice to launch from both the runway and launchpad as you never know when an accident may occur to destroy one and you lack the funds to repair it.  I am a hardcore ballistic flight player, so I rarely do anything with the SPH. But that won't stop me from upgrading the runway or hangar when I have some extra funds. Always be prepared.

[lobe]

Personally I entirely launch from the launch pad, but use space planes. This means I end up spending much more than the average player in infrastructure costs early game, but it is worth it in the end.

[samstarman5]

11 minutes ago, lobe said:

Personally I entirely launch from the launch pad, but use space planes. This means I end up spending much more than the average player in infrastructure costs early game, but it is worth it in the end.

It's not like you can take the funds with you, or have anywhere to spend them while in space. At least, not until I get that McLaythe's finally set up.

[Snark]

On 2/1/2016 at 5:54 AM, katateochi said:

yes and because of this you can basically get away without needing to upgrade the launch pad in career and just upgrade the runway.

Or you could just upgrade the launchpad and never bother with the runway. 

Some people like to fly spaceplanes.  Some people like to fly actual rocket ships.  Some people like both.  Personally, I have no use for spaceplanes, never bother with 'em, so I never upgrade the runway (unless it's late career and I have money coming out of my ears and I just want its visual appearance to match the rest of KSC).  So it's all according to your personal taste.

But yes, you can launch anything from either one.  The only difference is:

• launching from SPH takes you to runway; launching from VAB takes you to pad
• ships designed in the SPH are horizontal-pointing-east by default
• ships designed in the VAB are vertical by default

Since either one of the vehicle-editing buildings will allow you to load a ship from either one, it's trivially easy to design a vertical-launch rocket in the VAB, then load it in the SPH and launch to the runway.  Only takes a few mouse clicks more than it would just to launch to the pad.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Snark

[Snark]

On 2/1/2016 at 5:54 AM, katateochi said:

the launch clamps are still on the runway......RIP shuttle & crew.

Only a problem if you actually use launch clamps.    I find that in practice, I never need 'em.  In nearly two years of playing KSP (a lot), I doubt if I've used launch clamps on the pad at Kerbin even half a dozen times.  A rocket that's going to orbit is going to experience multiple gees of acceleration along the way.  I've found that a rocket that's not sturdy enough to stand on its own on the pad is likely not to be sturdy enough to handle the rigors of launching to orbit.

Where I do use launch pads a lot is when I'm building ships on other planets using the Extraplanetary Launchpads mod.  Building a ship on uneven terrain can have ...unpleasant effects.  So launch clamps are useful there to hold the newly-built ship off the ground, since the clamps adjust themselves to the varying terrain height.

[katateochi]

38 minutes ago, Snark said:

Or you could just upgrade the launchpad and never bother with the runway. 

Indeed! Spaceplanes are more my focus in my careers though. 

33 minutes ago, Snark said:

Only a problem if you actually use launch clamps.    I find that in practice, I never need 'em.  In nearly two years of playing KSP (a lot), I doubt if I've used launch clamps on the pad at Kerbin even half a dozen times.  A rocket that's going to orbit is going to experience multiple gees of acceleration along the way.  I've found that a rocket that's not sturdy enough to stand on its own on the pad is likely not to be sturdy enough to handle the rigors of launching to orbit.

Where I do use launch pads a lot is when I'm building ships on other planets using the Extraplanetary Launchpads mod.  Building a ship on uneven terrain can have ...unpleasant effects.  So launch clamps are useful there to hold the newly-built ship off the ground, since the clamps adjust themselves to the varying terrain height.

If you're just loading and launching right away then I'd agree, most times they're not needed. But if you have to leave it sitting there a while (like time warping for a rendezvous launch window) or if you want to leave it there while switching to something else, then clamps do stop you from having issues when you switch back to it or exit timewarp.  Plenty of times I've seen a perfectly happy rocket enter time-warp and then explode when it comes out of it because of contact with the pad.  There was also the bug where rockets would end up clipped into the launch pad (I think that's fixed, or stock bug fixes deals with it) and clamps did prevent that.

But in this case (launching a shuttle from the runway), a) shuttles don't balance on their lowest part particularly well and b) (just because it looks cool/realistic), I like to fire the main engines up a few seconds before lighting the SRB's and launching. So that does kinda require having clamps (which then wind up as impediments to landing unless I remember to clear them away before returning).