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Watching a Space Shot?
Gramie2 asks: "I was toying with the idea of throwing my son in the car and driving for two days to watch the latest shuttle launch. I didn't, but it occurred to me that I don't know the logistics of going to watch a launch. Where is the best place to stay near the site? Where do you view from? I imagine that there are restrictions, so do you have to get tickets or make other arrangements ahead of time? How do you find out the launch schedule? What about smaller launches? How do they compare? Is there one time of year that is better than another? Does anyone have other recommendations for the whole experience?"
From my childhood the best place was at the beach somewhere locally... you can't really get up-close anyhow. I remember it quite a bit from when i was 5 (now 29).
Although I beleive once can get closer as I've seen press much closer, but I don't know what the policy is on that.
Good luck and post some pics (on a STRONG server) if you get any good ones.
THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!! eventually.
If you do go for a scheduled launch time, make sure you book a good hotel.
The Almighty was heard while overseeing His children; "Oi! Don't Make Me Come Down There!"
Cocoa Beach, south of Daytona Beach in Florida, is a pretty good spot to watch the shuttle launch. The parking is free (in some places), there's plenty of it, and, if the shuttle launch gets scrubbed, at least you get a day at the beach.
The causeway is about the best place to watch the launch. You will be shocked by the traffic and the people that will be there. :) People tend to be nice and friendly.
If you can not make it to the Nasa causeway Merritt Island isn't bad.
Remember that you go all that way and the shuttle will not launch.
In the summer people bring grills, and jet skis
One of several parks on the beach side will also give you a good view.
I don't know about anyone else feels but when I see a launch I feel an emotional attachment that watching it on TV just doesn't provide.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
They have a store for purchasing tickets:
n s/faq.html
http://kennedyspacecenter.stores.yahoo.net/
Also saw this when searching for the causeway passes, which seems to indicate that you might have to go some other way:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/questio
Lots of links to schedules, and recommendations of places to go to watch. http://www.sworld.com.au/steven/space/shuttle/guid e.txt
I abuse commas, I cannot help myself.
When I was a kid, my brother worked at the center (tour bus mechanic) and he got us passes to an area directly across a waterway to the launch pad. It was still a LONG way away from the pad, but you could make out the shuttle on the pad. It was an AMAZING experience. I remember sitting on top of our van, and feeling the ground shake for a minute or so as the blast-off took place. Worth going, even if you don't get in that close. P
-- My dog can beat up your dog.
I was at the Discovery shot after the Challenger explosion. Go to Titusville and find a place along US1. The side streets are a good start. If you can, stake your claim near Sandy Point Park. Grab some hot boiled peanuts (gross but addictive) and get there REAL early.
Better yet... get a boat and hit the Atlantic.
I remember my parents bringing me to watch a launch close up once when I was a child. I seem to remember there being two field-like areas that one could view from, one much closer than the other, though the close one was some sort of "invite only" affair. Perhaps tickets were required. Paid parking passes were definitley required, though we did get pretty close up, close enough to see the shuttle and its different parts and what not.
I'm not sure if it's changed since then, but you can still see it from pretty much anywhere in Brevard County. We could see it from my back yard, and I lived in Melborne, quite a ways away. A small orangish blob, sending off a large trail of smoke. The few I saw at night were amazing.
No, Mr. Green. Communism is just a red herring.
The closest you can get is about 3.5-5 miles. A few times my friends and I have driven State Road 50 until it dead ends near KSC for shuttle launches. You litterally see it anywhere in central Florida, but the experience of feeling the sound is best experienced on the beach. There are plenty of hotels in the area, you'll want to make reservations as far in advance as you can. The hardest thing is that you might not see it go off. I saw a launch get scrubbed with 3 seconds left on the countdown clock.
I've been beachside for a few of the rocket launches, my experience was about the same, just scaled down a bit. Unless you have binoculars it's hard to tell the difference between a shuttle launch and a rocket launch.
The Unofficial Space Shuttle Launch Guide is perhaps one of the finest guides to seeing a shuttle launch and should be consulted first.
If you do decide to go the route of buying a launch viewing ticket from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, please be aware of the rather mercenary policies in place if you buy a ticket and the launch is scrubbed. Delaware North runs the Visitors Center and the Astronaut Hall of Fame. They'll even charge astronaut families and invited guests for busing them out to the VIP viewing area -- at least they were three years ago. Don't know if that has changed.
I don't think you can really go wrong. It would be cool to be close enough to see the launch tower etc. but it's a pretty good show from anywhere. I was at Disneyworld with my wife in 1997 and the night of a launch we hopped in the car and headed east, hoping we'd find our way to a good vantage point. Well we got behind schedule and were still an hour away when the time came, so we pulled over (so did a lot of other cars) and turned on the radio so we'd know when to squint and look for a bright dot in the distance. Yeah right, it was like the rising sun!!! It was great. And just when the radio said they were dumping the external tanks we saw a couple of dots drop away, very very cool. So anyway after that I started to suspect that the US space program may not be a hoax after all, they sure as hell launched something and if it wasn't going to space, it wasn't for lack of trying.
If you are in the DC area you can always try Wallops Island for launches of some smaller vehicles.
Sig? What if I prefer Glock?
Last time I went to see a shuttle launch I called my state senators office several months ahead of time and after a lot of holding and a little convincing I got a pass to get closer in. I'm not sure exactly how close since it was several years ago but that's what I would do, it was worth it.
It seems like most "Ask Slashdot" questions are easily answerable in about 3 seconds at Google. Try a little harder next time.
Here's a Google search for "watch a space shuttle launch", the 6th hit looks promising.
Google for shuttle launch watching
First result is a big guide detailing all of those things mentioned in your question and with more than a dozen links to other related materials.
Specialization is for insects. -Heinlein
I've been on the causeway for a shuttle launch. Thats about as close as anyone can get. It was amazing. Make that Freakin Amazing (TM). You see the flames and smoke in the distance and of course it takes some time for the sound waves to catch up. What really surprised me was that I watched the water vibrate as the shockwave sped towords me. Then it hit. The ground shook, my ears were filled with the roar and my internal organs rattled. My pregnant girlfriend was there and I have always wondered if we altered our son's development.
As a kid they used to let us out of our elementary school classes to watch the Saturn V's take off. Eighty miles away in Orlando we could still see the flames. In fact we used to sit in the living room at home and watch the shuttles through the window, while the TV showed us the close up. Thats how we watched the Challenger explode.
So anywhere you get within twenty miles is going to knock your socks off. Just be prepared for delays that may sending you home with dissappointment.
The first Google result is now this Slashdot story.
Of course, one thing to consider is delays. Out of the three shuttle launches I remeber, only one went off when it was scheduled (the other two were off by days). Especially after Columbia, and during the summer w/ hurricanes and afternoon thunderstorms. I did see a spectacular pre-dawn launch from here, I believe. When we went it was somewhat of a last minute thing, so we got stuck in a crappy hotel, but with enough planning, you should be able to get even closer and get a good hotel. And if it doesn't go up when you're there, then your stuck going to the beach or something like that (Oh no!).
My wife had a science experiment go up on Challenger in '99. She managed to get a ticket for me as well, so we got to sit in the VIP section (some bleachers) opposite the public area. This was for one of the rarer night launches.
It was surprising to me how far away the shuttle was, that is until it launched. There is *nothing* like being there to witness the raw power expended to push a shuttle into orbit. It's worth the risk of missing the launch (we had 2 failed nights followed by the real thing). I watched the video I took with my son a couple of months ago, and it still sent shivers up my spine.
Although it's about 5 miles from the pad. Went several years ago with my wife, and parents (X-Mas present sending them to FL from us kids) Worked out well, my Mom was able to get a good view, and they had elevator access to the roof deck. Watching from the KSC Visitors Center would have been OK, but you can't see the pad, so you only see the shuttle once it's in the air. AHF roof, you can see the pad.
I think to get closer (media area or Satrun V building), you need to either be related to someone on the shuttle, or maybe brown-nose your senator/congress people. Even those areas are around 3 miles away from the pad.
Only downside to AHF is the tower is just a little spike on the skyline, nothing like what you'd see from the media area. Price when we went down was basicly, buy an admission to the AHF, you could get up on the roof. They even had a projector showing NASA TV coverage on the wall of the Space Camp building....
Do you see the FNORDS? I refuse to post anonymously, as I am fireproof!
Contact your congressman. Seriously. That's the best way to do it. It was when I worked there.
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Seriously. They'll get you pass to see the launch closer. The one launch I went to (STS-26), my friend wrote/called our congressman, and got a pass. There were three level of passes back then, in order of closesness they were badges, orange car passes (we had this), and yellow car passes.
I remember two things about the launch. First we saw liftoff and then several seconds later we felt the blast and the heat, and heard the roar of the engines. It was amazing how quickly the environment changed. It was like a wall of heat rushing over you. The second thing I remember is that on the way back to the car, it rained. I've always thought that it had to do to all the water vapor that injected into the air by rocket engines.
Pretty much anywhere on the east coast within 100 miles, especially for a night launch. I happened to be in Daytona for spring break one year when they had a night launch with, IIRC, a new moon, and it was spectacular even from 60 miles away. The whole beach was pretty well lit up for about half a minute or so. I'm not sure if the next launch is planned for day or night (probably day since night launches are fairly infrequent), but I'm sure it wouldn't be a bad view from Daytona even during the day.
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But if you want to get closer, there's plenty of hotels right across the bay: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&hl=en&q=hotels&ne
Directions to the KSC are here: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/KSC/directions.
And if you want to get really close, you can buy tickets here.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Some friends and I drove up from Miami to watch a Shuttle Launch way back in the 80's (the launch with Senator Garn)...
We watched it from Cocoa, not to be confused with Cocoa Beach, along the river...
Goofy, Geeky Gifts and More!
This might be actually be one of the best chances to see a launch, because they REALLY want to get this thing up into orbit by Sept. 8th. They've been chomping at the bit for 3 years to get going on ISS assembly and they've got the 2010 deadline. And as Tuesday's crawler reversal shows, they are pushing hard for this launch. Sept. 8th is a hard deadline, and after that they either have to relax rules (which they'd take a lot of grief for, both internally and externally) or wait until late October.
Road trip!
One simple rule for its versus it's
Kennedy Space Centre has a visitor's centre where you can go on tours of the launch pads, landing facilities, etc. (they take you out in busses) and as someone who has gone it's a really cool experience. I talked to the guide (who had worked for NASA for many years) about where the best place to see a launch is and his reccomendation was to get tickets and they'll bus you out to the closest you can get to the launch pad as a civilian. There are stands for VIPs about 3 km closer but getting a ticket requires some connection to NASA though people have gotten them by writing their representative in congress. His advice however was that becuase of the angles you'll get a better view from the public viewing spot.
... is to get lucky. While on vacation in Florida, I took my family to Kennedy Space Center and there just happened to be a lauch scheduled for later that day. We bought tickets, watched the shuttle go up and toured the space center.
So, there you go. Just show up and maybe they'll launch a shuttle for you like they did for us.
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About 23 years ago, we watched a Columbia launch from the causeway. Our Senator's office was nice enough to send us tickets - the only thing I've ever received from our elected officials.
Still, we were 3 miles away, not as close as I wanted to be. We had to arrive 8-10 hours before the launch because of the traffic. And June in Florida is, well, too hot to be sitting out in a swamp for 8-10 hours. It was 100 degrees F with 98 percent humidity. If you go in the summer, bring lots of ice and a full tank of gas so you can run the air conditioner when you need it. There was an aligator about 200 feet from us, not bothering anyone although some kids decided to pelt it with rocks (Darwin candidates in the pre-Darwin Awards days).
The launch itself was indescribable. You felt it as much as watched it. It was astoundingly cool, but unfortunately lasted only a few minutes and then there was the 2.5 hour trek back through traffic to the hotel.
If I were to do it again, I would rent a motor home and wait in comfort.
AND I still have not seen a launch up close.. I live only about 45 minutes south in Melbourne, Fl and have tried MANY times to go and watch one, but with launch delays, it makes it very hard to do. It's a crap shoot. Throw the dice, take the drive and hope it goes up. Probably not worth it, especially with all the security they have now and with all the cams they have covering each launch, you can't get a better view in person.
But I hear it is a cool experience none-the-less, but I have given up. Only if a launch is scheduled on a day off for me will I attempt it again..
FireStorm
But then we wouldn't get all the nice personal experience stories... If the question annoys you, ignore the question!
And don't swear!
I'm not sure of the situation today, but there used to be about four sites available for non-NASA employees: the Causeway is about 5 miles from the pad, the press site and the VIP site are around 3 miles, and the other one ('static test road', I think) is in between. The VIP site definitely gives a better view of the launch, but because of the location you can't see the shuttle on the launch pad: the tower is between you and the shuttle.
The only one you're likely to get to at short notice is the causeway, and the view from there is still pretty good. In the 90s that involved getting a special pass from NASA and queueing up outside KSC in your car for a couple of hours before they let you in, today I think you can buy bus tickets at KSC.
Search for "Oak Hill, FL 32759" on Google Maps.
As Routes 1 & 5 cut SW towards I95, you will see Route 3 (Kennedy Pkwy) extend SSE and head right past the VAB. (Of course you can't get that close). Heading down Route 3, you will come to a bridge that crosses over Haulover Canal (where is says Allenhurst on the map). The road was/is closed beyond the bridge, but there is a little sandy parking lot next to the bridge. It is the same distance as watching from the causeway itself. The road was closed beyond the bridge.
This is where I watched a shuttle launch a few years ago. Unfortunately the only shuttle launch I have ever seen in person. (NJ resident, and yes, it is the greatest state in the Union, regardless of what Trey, or any of you say.)
My wife and I spent the day in St. Augustine, and then headed down to watch the early evening launch. We got down there a few hours early scouting for spots to watch, and came across this place. While waiting for the launch, we walked down to the canal and saw some manatees. Of course, if you're a FL resident you've probably already seen millions of them. I expect it is still accessible.
I can't help you with hotels, but as long as you know what time the shuttle will go off, you probably don't have stay too close.
Good luck!!
There's nothing like seeing a Saturn V go up, though. Geez, it must have been Apollo 13 (my youngest brother wasn't there, and I can't possibly be remembering Apollo 12). I think we were on the causeway, just standing by our parked car.
Still, I hope the kid is at least five, so the memory is of more than just the actual moment of launch.
You save only 59 seconds over 8 miles by going 75 instead of 65. Do you really have to pass that guy? Do the Math!
I can't believe nobody has made a joke about pr0n yet.
... here is how my wife and 1-year-old son and I did it.
If you enjoy camping, there is a KOA just north of Titusville on the interstate. Otherwise check out the state parks. (they were all full, fourth of july week and all).
Anywhere along the shore close to the shuttle is good (pull out a map...) but where we saw it - along with mostly locals - was a bridge just **north** of Space View Park (A Max Brewer Memorial Parkway). Take the bridge until you are almost to the entrance of the park, and camp it. You will need to get there hours early (we got there 8 hours early and there were quite a few people... but it was the first return to flight mission). Bring a grill and some fine grillables.
The other options is viewing **at** kennedy space center which is a mile or two closer, but the tickets are sold out by now.
Launch schedules are on NASA's website http://www.nasa.gov/
For the whole experiance? Take a few days, go camping, the day before go tour Kennedy Space Center, because if the stars align and there aren't any problems with the shuttle they will actually drive you within a mile or two of it and you get some pretty good camera shots (from inside the van). I'd suggest getting there 2 days before the launch, go to KSC, go to the launch, don't be suprised if the launch gets scrubbed, and plan on having vacation last a few extra days in order to attend scrubs, if they happen. If not there are plenty of other attractions...
I know that this is somewhat off topic, but this is one of the first good "Ask Slashdot"s in a while. Most of the other topics have been of the "I can't think for myself or do a web search, let me ask someone who might have."
As far as this topic, this is pretty interesting. Very solid information, and if I ever want to do a similar thing, I know where to look for information.
RonB
It is human nature to take shortcuts in thinking.
I would love to take my son to some sort of rocket launch, but we are not in a poisition to make it to Florida for a shuttle launch. I am pretty sure there are some unmanned rocket launches from elsewhere in the country. How for do I have to drive from Dallas to get to see one of these, whether NASA or private industry? Where are they?
-- Cameron
It's the Gators and snakes I'm worried about.
Why do you think the SWAT team carries said MP5s? Gator defense.
I'd rather die of kenetic lead poisoning than a Gator death roll any day.
I did the total tourist thing for a launch a few years back, and I loved it. So not me, but the crowd was great, all 'round wonderful experience.
But the best part was after the launch, when all the glory has gone, realizing that by the time we got back to the car, they were in orbit...
Space view Park in Titusville is the best place to view a Space Shuttle launch, if you haven't got a NASA Pass. There is a cable connection (part of the Franchise Agreement) in the park. The City of Titusville gets NASA-TV off the cable, and puts the audio on loudspeakers with the NASA Feed. You can also get this from the local Ham Radio repeater on 146.940 MHz.
http://spacelaunchinfo.com/spaceview.html
A "Space Launch Viewing FAQ Page" can be found at http://spacelaunchinfo.com/faq.html
Information on launch holds and scrubs can be sent to your cell phone: http://spacelaunchinfo.com/holds.html
Keep Smiling,
Cheshire
Richard Cheshire, The Cheshire Catalyst
I went last year when the launch was delayed for a couple of weeks. I found 2 good spots by driving around and looking at google earth.
One was behind Holiday Inn (wi-fi), and the other was one block north of McDonalds (grassy and shady). I slept in my car under a palm tree there overnight and wasn't bothered. That was last year, but I can't imagine it shouldn't have changed too much.
Advice: Get there early to get a good spot. Getting there the day before the launch will let you look around and pick any spot you want. 12 hours before will let you get a good spot, and 3 hours before launch will make it hard to find a place to park. It wasn't boring for me to get there early as the other people waiting for the launch were fairly interesting to talk to.
Also... I recomend waiting a while for traffic to clear before trying to leave. It's realy bad for an hour or so afterwards, but then it clears right up.
-John Fenley
The way that I watched my last launch at Cape Canaveral was to jump up from my station and run out the control room door after I saw the rocket ignition on the video monitor. I got outside just as the Delta II cleared the tower.
The way that I found out about the launch date was by attending the meetings that were held while we performed integration and test on the satellite that was to be launched. For the five months I was at Cape Canaveral, I stayed in condos at Canaveral Towers and the Cape Winds Resort. As far as tickets, the only ones we needed were occasional plane tickets to go between there and home. Hope that helped.
I happened to be in Orlando at a conference when there was a launch on a few years ago. It was dead easy, even to do at the last minute - just drive in the general direction of Canaveral and park by the side of the road. You may not think you're close enough, but you probably are! Allow extra time because lots of other people will have the same idea. If you want a laugh, tune in to local radio, too.
1. Get a good portable FM radio, with headphones. Tune to a local station, NPR is a good choice. You need the headphones because you need your hands free for cameras, binoculars, etc.
2. Use lots of sunscreen.
3. Arrive at least 1 hour before launch. There will be lots of traffic and the good spots to park goes fast.
4. Have plenty of water with you.
5. Be patient when exiting, you are going to take one hour to I-95, 20 miles away.
6. Be prepared to wait on a good spot for at least 30 minutes, a portable chair is an option.
I live in Homestead, Florida, which is several hundred miles from Titusville.
On night launches, you can watch from my house as a bright ball of fire rises into the sky.
On a clear day, you can see it as well, depending on where the Sun is in relationship to the launch.
If you are anywhere even remotely close you are going to have a great view. If you want to hear the launch, I suspect that anywhere within 50-75 miles you'd be able to hear it.
Of course, HDNet is now broadcasting the launches in HD, so I will be watching all the launches from my living room from now on...
--- Generation X: The first generation to have SIG lines inferior to their parents... ---
(Sorry for the lateness. Been off-line for surgery.) In 1989, my wife and I honeymooned in Clearwater, FLA, just south of Tampa. As I was unloading the car, I notice, in my peripheral vision, a big streetlight off behind me. (I was facing west.) A little later, I noticed the streetlight had moved!! Then, I straightened up and saw the shuttle's rockets. I hollered at my wife and we watched it go up into the sky. We saw very clearly the seperation of the two side rockets. So, you can see the thing quite clearly from just about anywhere south of Daytona and west of the Gulf! Have fun!!! Cragen
Awesome description of a launch. Three miles is as close as anyone can get except a few NASA/contractors who can watch from the Vehicle Assembly Building (1 mile away). If the vehicle were to explode on the pad and you were outside at the VAB, you'd toast. Literally. At three miles you have a good chance of survival. At five miles you'll be OK. Launch range safety is always a top consideration. Nevertheless, it is not perfect. Statistics, models, and ultimately judgement. The Canaveral Air Force base is in charge of range safety. FYI, the area between the Base and the town of Canaveral is not a totally safe area according to information I've seen (I work for NASA). Depending on the winds, toxic fumes from an accident could drift in that direction (south). My recommendation is that if you don't have a pass, get as close to the KSC visitor center (west of the launch pads) as you can.
There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about. -- John von Neumann
Where I Grew Up.
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;-)
I grew up ('68-'74) in Cape Canaveral. I lived longest just South of Cape View Elementary, which I attended, in the 500 block of Adams Ave. http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=559+Adams+Av
Back in the day, the whole school would go out to watch "public" launches. Amazingly enough, everyone new when less public launches went up too!
Titusville is just West of the launch pads for the shuttles. You should be able to see the launch well from the coast looking east anywhere. Today, the launch sites are harder to see from where I grew up. It's like everything swelled!
From the Jetties you will see the rocket go up, but I am not sure you will see the shuttle on the pad from that place. But as mentioned above, a night launch is best close to the water.
But if you are going for another rocket launch or just want the beauty of being on the ocean and not the Banana River, go to the Jetties, get there a day ahead so you can drive around and see what you can see. If that is still a good spot and there is a crowd, you could walk down to the Jetties from Cape View - looks like there is more parking now. Make a day of it and just picnic. The Pier in Cocoa Beach (off Meade Avenue) is another good place to go. It juts far enough out into the Ocean for you to see down the coast.
Enjoy! I was 6-12 when I was there and it never occurred to me then how important and world altering the Apollo project was. As ignorant as I was then, I remember perfectly, standing in awe as Apollo 11 went up.
We camped out at the Jetties. The mosquito plane flew over and dumped orange stuff in my cereal that morning. When 11 finally went up, people cried. They were joyous and amazed. And then it was gone. Prior to launch it was like a party, after, it was quite and everyone was listening. All we had was the radio and TV to tell us if those three made it into space.
Days(?) later, when the Eagle touched down, I had just walked into the Laundromat with my mom and sisters. It was (is?) located at the confluence of Atlantic and Astronaut and Monroe. The black and white TV had interrupted the soap opera. The Lunar Lander was out of fuel. No one was in the place but us. The news guy was scared. Mom and I just starred at the box with our arms full of laundry. She cried again when it landed. Safely.
That night, she woke me up. She did not want me to miss the rocket's passengers, walking out onto the lunar soil, into history. The first man walked on the moon. I was a foot from the screen. I had no idea how far they had gone.
As the TV screen cut from scene to scene all over the world, people were starring at TVs. Men had landed on the Moon, and everyone paused. I was moved by this event like nothing before. Everyone, not just the folks in Cape Canaveral where it all started, were holding their breath too, stopping their lives to watch three very brave men (and for those who know of Apollo 1, the host who toiled and sacrificed to lead the way before them) do something as simple as exit a vehicle.
One guy had to stay behind. Alone, orbiting the Moon, going completely dark from humanity for a time, over and over, until his buddies finally got back into their ride home.
I guess until now, I never thought of these days. But I remember the parade, sometime later, down Astronaut Blvd. with the three in a convertible and all the people that had worked behind the scenes to put them there, waving in joy at their safe return. It never seemed that anyone took the time to thank all the folks that never got there name in the spot light; who did their jobs to put men on the moon. But that day, I think the three were thanking the many.
Wow - where the hell did all that come from??? Hope I answered your question in there somewhere.
When a Ball Dreams, It Dreams it's a Frisbee.
I have lived on Florida's space coast all my life -- long enough to see the space program from project Mercury on. Watching rocket launches is a hit or miss thing, with delays and cancellations very common. Everywhere within 5 or 10 miles of the launch pad is restricted. The closest viewing location is the VIP stands and news booths near the VAB. That's about 3 miles from the pad. You might luck into tickets if you know someone. Next is the NASA causeway (still restricted), about 6 miles away. This is a great spot, with over-water views. Tickets for this area are through the KSC visitor's center, and disappear withing minutes of going on sale. The KSC visitor's center also sells tickets to be at the KSC visitor's center for the launch. This is nothing special as a viewing spot -- you can't see the shuttle on the pad or anything.
Fortunately, launches can be seen and heard for miles. If you dislike crowds, have kids, or just want a less stressful experience, just pick a spot somewhere and look up. You'll miss a lot of traffic, and won't have too much time invested if the launch is cancelled. Spots along the river (Indian River Lagoon) give you a clear view.
I encourage everyone to visit the KSC visitor's center, especially the Saturn V moon rocket they have on display there. I think you have to ride the bus to get to the building with the Saturn V. That's really a nice exhibit. Very impressive!
Inside tip: All shuttle launches now are destined for the ISS. Because of the orbit, these missions will all launch in a more northerly direction (north-east). Therefore, viewing sites to the north may be slightly more favorable than those to the south of the pad. Non-ISS missions, of which I don't expect any more, launched in a more south-easterly direction.
Computers obey me.
They don't wrestle the gators? Phht. Bunch of pussies. The fightin' spirit has gone out of you yankees, I swear. Back in my day, if some gator came for us, we'd beat it to death with the packs full of rocks that we had to lug from place to place, rock-transport being the principal economic activity at the time. Damn gators didn't get uppity after that, I tell you what. Good old fashion gumption is better than an MP5 any day. Unless that day happens to involve triffids or a really scary spider or something.
Well, there are probably at least two things that are more impressive than a launch. The obvious one is actually being launched. But the less obvious one is a test firing. I spent 18 months working at Thiokol Propulsion got to see several of them, including shuttle boosters, peacekeeper missles, and experimental engines. You stand on the side of the road a half a mile from the rocket and they have it strapped down to a huge slab of concrete and they light it up and it burns for 123 seconds in the case of a shuttle booster. So not only are you closer but the motor isn't a few miles away after several seconds.
So what happens? You stand on the side of the road and they have a countdown. After they hit zero there is a bright flash of light and you see the flames but don't hear anything. If the weeds are tall during the summer or fall you see them bending over in a wave coming towards you. You also see birds taking flight as the sound wave hits them, probably giving them the fright of their lives. Old timers claim that they can see the spherical distortion of the air expanding outward from the motor, though I was never observant enough to catch that myself.
Soon enough the sound hits you. And I do mean hits you. You don't hear it nearly as much as you feel it. It is like a deep tissue massage that doesn't let up. It is a continuous roar that is punctuated by sharp cracks. The missiles crack more often than the shuttle boosters. The goes on for the length of the burn. Some people cheer, others giggle at the absurdity of so much power at such close range.
The missile tests don't last as long (about 60 seconds) but are more impressive. If you're ever in northern Utah I suggest calling Thiokol and asking if they have a test scheduled. While I was out there they were doing them every two months or so. I would guess that with the new launch vehicle program they'll be testing out the five segment boosters with greater frequency for a while, given that the shuttles use four segments.
Lasers Controlled Games!
Does anybody have information on wacthing the launch by boat? Would love some helpon this. Thanks, len