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Space

'Where-To' Guide for Shuttle Launch? 48

Posted by Cliff from the 3-2-1-lift-off dept.
jacobcaz asks: "Hello! I will be heading to Florida this week and I'm hoping to get a chance to see the shuttle launch. I'm curious what tips you all might have for out-of-towners to get a chance to see the launch? How close to try to get, places to go where we won't be stuck in traffic for 24 hours, how early to leave, and so forth. Thanks!"
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'Where-To' Guide for Shuttle Launch? More

'Where-To' Guide for Shuttle Launch?

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  • one little bit of advice (Score:3, Informative)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @01:48PM (#13044502)
    Bring a portable pocket TV and hope it is being aired on some station. Last time I heard, security and other requirements keep spectators back far from the launch site. Even if you do get something arranged where you are going to get real close, if it turns out that things fall apart or you were given bad information, you can at least look at that little TV when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere or stuck in traffic or lost.
    • You can't get very close. We went there over 10 years ago, I think they said something like 2 miles was as close as you could get. I'm sure it's pretty loud.
      • 2 miles is very close for a rocket launch. Unless you want to feel the heat from the engines, you don't even need to be on Kennedy soil to watch it. Just head up or down the coast and pick a spot that looks nice.
      • I think they said something like 2 miles was as close as you could get.

        My dad used to get press credentials to it. The nearest press site is 3 miles away. You need special credentials, and they prefer you to not have a family. (If the shuttle blows up on the ground, you're dead.)

        There's another press site 10-12 miles away. That one's a bit easier to get into. If it blows up on the ground, you have time to dive for cover before the blast reaches you. Even there, it's quite loud.

        • Re:one little bit of advice (Score:1, Informative)

          by Anonymous Coward
          "If it blows up on the ground, you have time to dive for cover before the blast reaches you. Even there, it's quite loud."

          Interesting... reminds me of an excerpt from Feynman's memoirs:

          I flew back, and I just arrived when the buses were leaving, so I went straight out to the site and we waited out there, 20 miles away. We had a radio, and they were supposed to tell us when the thing was going to go off and so forth, but the radio wouldn't work, so we never knew what was happening. But just a few minutes
    • I saw a launch it was with my family years ago. We parked in a parking lot in Titusville, FL and had a pretty good view from T+7 seconds or so as it ascended.

      One piece of advice though - watch out for fire ants!! We ended up unwittingly parking on a fire ant mound when we got out to watch. Not fun.

  • Just about anywhere.. (Score:3, Informative)

    by T-Bear ( 31340 ) <brian@thyer.net> on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @01:48PM (#13044506)
    I used to live down there and could see it out of my backyard in Oldsmar (west of Tampa) so you can see it from just about anywhere.

    It really depends on what kind of view you want. There's a long road that drives by the launch platform on the way to NASA that people typically just pull off to the side and park there.

    If you show up an hour ahead of launch you can probably get a pretty good spot.

  • just one advice (Score:2, Funny)

    by maddu ( 522722 )
    Don't look into the sky and drive. Look into the road ahead.
    • "Don't look into the sky and drive. Look into the road ahead." I don't know.... that kind of driving sort of fits when someone has one of those "In case of Rapture, Car Will Be Driverless" bumper stickers.

  • Just don't get a flat tire off of I-95. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Dark Coder ( 66759 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @01:53PM (#13044555)
    Those alligators can look rather fetching (only if you're armed with a hunting rifle)
  • Anywhere south of Canaveral Should be good.. I live in Melbourne (south about 30 mins) and it looks great anywhere on the beach. In reality, you pretty much have an unobstructive view anywhere east of the barrier islands. Closer to the cape you will have nightmare traffice but its not all that bad. We still don't have many hotels that are open south of Cocoa (Indian Harbor, Melbourne, Indialantic, etc..) as far as I know, the Hilton, Holiday Inn, and Quality Suites are still closed because of last years
    • Agreed. I saw a launch from Indialantic some years back and it looked fine. Granted, I'm not a NASA enthusiast and just felt like sitting on a beach and seeing a rocket go up in the distance, but it really looked fine.

      It mostly depends on what is bringing you to Florida. If you're going for the launch then I'm sure you'll want to get closer, in which case there's lots of open road heading into Canaveral, so just get there early and bring food and entertainment for the day and just park off to the side
    • Hmm... A few newpaper articles I've seen have said that since the launch will incline 50 degrees up from the horizon and heads north that viewing it from the north is easier.

      But then again, once it's over 500 feet high, you should be able to see it from almost anywhere in Florida if there isn't too much cloud cover (from what I remember about the great flat plains of central florida...)

  • Sand Point Park (Score:5, Informative)

    by Rob Parkhill ( 1444 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @02:05PM (#13044695) Homepage
    When we went several years back, we ended up watching from a state park about 5 miles NW from the lauch pad. You could see both launch pads from where we were, and had a great view of the entire launch. We got there about 6 hours before the afternoon launch, and got great spots right on the waters edge. (It's actually in Titusville, just past Sand Point Park, if I recall correctly.)

    Parking [google.com] is available too if you get there early enough.

    Of course, all of this could have changed since the last time I was down there about 4 years ago!

    • BTW, don't bother trying to go to Kennedy Space Center while you are down there, unless you enjoy paying $100 to spend the day waiting in line for a bus to take you to see the Saturn V gift shop. That place is an absolute zoo any time near a shuttle launch.
      • Also, the local paper (I live in Brevard county) mentioned that all the bus tickets are already sold for tomorrow.

        But like most posters said, just about anywhere will give you a good view. Especially any of the beaches south of KSC (Cocoa Beach through Melbourne Beach) will be good. That's where I usually watch launches from if I have the chance (i.e., they're not during work hours). Personally, since the launch is during the day, I'm just going to watch it from the office.
    • Yes - anywhere in the Titusville area should be a good choice.

      Also, I agree with the other poster that KSC isn't that much of an attraction anymore (unless they have changed rules again). I went there several years ago and it was neat: got to go to the launchpad area, Saturn-V display and the building where they are building parts for the ISS. Then I went again post-9/11 and now the only stop was the Saturn-V area. Instead of the two cancelled stops they threw in an Imax movie :-(

      • Re:Sand Point Park (Score:3, Interesting)

        by phillymjs ( 234426 )
        I just went to KSC in May and took the "Maximum Access" tour they offer. They took us into the building where they build/prep the ISS modules, right past the Vehicle Assembly Building and up the access road along the crawler path to an observation area between pad 39A and 39B [google.com] for a view of Discovery on the pad, then on to the Apollo-Saturn Center.

        Just the day before, the part of the tour where you get less than a mile away from the pads was cancelled because they were testing the external tank by (IIRC) pa
        • The "Maximum Access" ticket is separate from the tour which takes you to the shuttle observation area. For that, you need to buy an additional ticket for the "Up Close" tour. [kennedyspacecenter.com]

          ~Philly
        • access road along the crawler path to an observation area between pad 39A and 39B for a view of Discovery on the pad

          Wow, I didn't know they took people there. When I was there for the first launch I saw, I had an on-base pass for CCAFS, and got lost on my way out. I'd just passed that observation point you cited when I realized, as I approached a serious-looking guard, that I was on the wrong road.

          Did I mention this was the John Glenn flight? And that security was a bit high? :)

          Anyway, I'm glad to h
      • I was recently at KSC, I booked a tour while on a cruise ship, as I had some time to spend before my return flight home and the price was reasonable. While on tour, we took a bus out to the shuttle hanger and the shuttle launch pad, the driver mentioned this tour wasn't available to regular visitors. So if you do your research you might get to see some interesting things. I agree, without this drive by, the KSC is kinda weak.

  • Honetly. (Score:4, Informative)

    by LWATCDR ( 28044 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @02:05PM (#13044697) Homepage Journal
    The Merit island cause way is not bad.
    Any beach in the county will give you a pretty good view. I am over 100 miles to the south and will walk out of my office and see it. Shuttle launches are not localized events.

  • I've seen it twice.... (Score:5, Informative)

    by dschuetz ( 10924 ) <.gro.tensad. .ta. .divad.> on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @02:36PM (#13045048)
    I've been lucky enough to see two shuttle launches. The first was from the NASA Causeway (one of the northern entrance roads crossing the, er, sound or whatever the body of water is). Unfortunately, they don't open that to the public any longer. However, if you have any contacts on the cape I'd check with them -- it might be open for employees and guests... (dunno).

    The second time was a night launch. We'd gotten a nice waterfront table at a fantastic place in Port Canaveral, but I've no idea what it was called. [wait...google maps...tada! Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar - www.visitgrills.com] We got a nice table on the deck near the water, watched the boats come and go (we were in town for a friend's wedding and watched them head out on their honeymoon cruise). Somehow, the four of us managed to hang onto the table for hours (having endless amounts of crabs, shrimp, and assorted drinks). Not long after it got dark, the band played the Star Spangled Banner, and about a minute after that, the shuttle launched.

    -sniff- it still brings tears to my eyes.

    Anyway, it wasn't nearly as cool as when we were on the causeway (you're actually several miles away, if I recall correctly). But, well....crabs, shrimp, and beer!

  • I would say you would want to be well outside the radius of an explosion and falling debris...

    Seriously, I would think Cocoa Beach would probably be a decent place to view the launch from, unless you were wanting to get even closer.

    • Yes...I've watched night launches from both the parking lot of the museum (Not sure if this is allowed anymore...this was ~20 years ago...) and from Cocoa Beach. Honestly, there isn't much difference in either case. All you can really see is a bright ball of light lifting up into the sky from either location. It's awe-inspiring either way.
    • I don't know about you, but I think if there's going to be an explosion and falling debris, I might as well be in good and close. Because a country with no space program (which is what we'd be left with) is no place I'd want to live.

      These scientists put it all on the line to advance our understanding of the universe, and you're not begging for a chance to be as close as possible, wishing them well? I'm saddened.
  • If you really want to see the wave of the future go out into the desert near Mojave, CA and watch SpaceShipOne taking off.
  • ... like the plague. It'll be massively crowded. SR 50 and 528 (east-west corridors) will be crowded also with people coming from Orlando. Allow plenty of time before and after.

    You can't get a base pass at this late date. The river is closed past the causeway, and flight restrictions are in place. The closest you can get is six miles or so, and lots of people are trying to crowd in on that six mile line.

    Bring beer, and don't be in a hurry to leave.


  • Bring a telescope and find a high spot a few miles away.

    -Adam
  • If the point of your trip is to see it take off--i.e., watch it sit on the ground, then lift off--then you have little choice but to go all the way out there and sit in traffic and/or sit around for hours waiting for traffic to clear. (I once spent about 3 hours coming home from a 1am launch and it's usually an hour trip.)

    If I were to try to see tomorrow's launch from anywhere close, I'd probably leave Orlando at noon, sit in traffic the whole time, then get home at 8. And remember two things: 1) there mig
  • The closet you can get is about 6 miles away. Any way form Orlando get on SR 50, Coloinal Drive follow it, till it dead ends park some were walk to A-1A Cross the road climb over the sea wall stand there with the other 100,000+ people and be in awe! Come at least 4 or 5 hours early maby more these type of launches get crowed alot of people camp out on that strech of road.

    Short of a cape pass best seat in the house.
  • I was there at a shuttle launch once (inadvertently, actually). It was 3-4 years ago and I was with my family at DW, just as the comedian was coming on to warm up the audience for the big show on the water (can't remember now what it's called). Anyway, in the middle of his act, the shuttle launches behind him beautifully right around sunset, and everyone stops listening and just stares. He drops the act long enough for the shuttle to launch, then resumes. Sometimes you have to know when you're beat.
  • I watched a launch across the river from the launchpad when I was a kid. It was beautiful to see both the launch, and the reflection of the launch on the river. You can get plenty of additional information about the launch from Visitor Center's, local residents, and local radio stations.

    Recommended viewing areas per NASA:
    http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/view/vi e w_shuttle.html [nasa.gov]

  • Ozzie's FAQ (Score:3, Interesting)

    by identity0 ( 77976 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @09:58PM (#13049779) Journal
    Wow, I can't believe someone hasn't posted this yet, it was posted in a NASA article less than a week ago...

    Ozzie's Space Launch Viewing FAQ [launch.info].

    It has lots of info, including places to watch, radio and TV stations that will cover the launch, and scanner frequencies to listen to NASA, plus photography tips. He recommends Space Launch Park in Titusville, btw. Read his site for more info.

    It's address is easy to remember, too: space.launch.info/faq.html
  • There's a great site [spacearchive.info] that documents in great detail the Vandenberg Air Force Base launches. Since they launch smaller vehicles, any information about "how far you can see" should be useful in helping you predict a launch at Kennedy. The obvious difference is that in CA you can get up in the hills, but I don't think that this makes a huge amount of difference once the booster makes it more than a couple of thousand feet off the ground. You might want to contact the webmaster to see if he/she knows of a si
  • Unfortunately NASA just announced the launch was postphoned, due to a faulty fuel tank sensor.

    Article here :

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4680687.stm/ [bbc.co.uk]

    Let's hope they can launch it next week, perhaps sooner.

  • Late post, but.... (Score:3, Informative)

    by phillymjs ( 234426 ) <slashdot@stanTWAINgo.org minus author> on Thursday July 14, 2005 @07:03PM (#13068088) Homepage Journal
    Let me share my experience. I had a ticket to watch the launch yesterday from inside the KSC Visitor Complex, which cost me about $50 and had to be quickly purchased [ksctickets.com] a few months ago when the original May launch date was announced.

    I flew to Orlando from Philadelphia in the morning and picked up a rental car. I got on the road at about 11:30am, about 4.5 hours before launch. They stagger guest arrival times to prevent total gridlock in the area, and my ticket said to show up no earlier than 1pm.

    There was a LOT of traffic getting on Route 528, one of the main east-west routes in central FL. So much that they were just waving traffic through one of the toll plazas instead of collecting money. After that, it was just fine until about 8 miles from the Visitor Complex. I sat in traffic for about 45 minutes or so on Route 50, from a little ways east of Route 1 up to the 'official business check-in' building, [google.com] where there was a security checkpoint in the road. Ticketed visitors like me with dashboard placards were waved through to proceed to the Visitor Complex. [google.com] The other cars were turned away.

    Once I got into the parking lot at about 1:10pm, they directed me to a spot. I was VERY far from the entrance because I arrived so late. I looked at the placards in other cars right by the entrance, and they had different times on them-- the earliest I saw said 9:30am.

    Now, through security. I had a collapsible chair with me, binoculars, my camera and an external battery pack for it, two cellphones (work and personal), wallet and car keys. Carrying all this stuff was awkward because on launch days backpacks are absolutely verboten for security reasons. I had just been to KSC in May, and backpacks were fine then-- the security people check everything you have in them anyway.( If I go to KSC for a launch again, I'm going to be carrying my stuff in one of these [wholesaleforeveryone.com]-- they can't possibly object to that, can they?)

    First it was through the metal detector with my pockets emptied, and then over to a table where another guy checked all my stuff. I had to turn on my camera and phones to show him they were functional, explain my camera's battery pack, and hold up my binocs so he could see through them. Satisfied, he let me pass. Oddly, he didn't even glance at the collapsible chair in the sleeve slung over my shoulder, where I could have been smuggling damned near anything 3' long and cylindrical.

    Finally, I get out into the complex proper, and head over to the northeast corner of the complex. I chose a nice spot in the shade provided by the left SRB of the external tank and booster exhibit, and settled in to wait. You can't see the launch pad from the complex, due to a line of trees on the other side of the road, but the shuttle is only airborne for a few seconds before it clears them. Not ten minutes later, the launch was scrubbed. D'oh!

    I hung out for a while and waited for everyone else to clear out before heading back to Orlando to catch my 8:30 flight home. Between the ticket, airfare and rental car, it was about a $400 day. I was disappointed, but I knew my chances when I decided to make the trip.

    If they get it up before the end of July, I won't be there to see it. I'm rooting for this fuel sensor problem to be a real ballbuster so the launch is pushed back to September, and then maybe I'll take another crack at witnessing it. I don't know if I'm going to do it from KSC, though. It was a LOT of hassle with all the friggin' security. Also, the single-day round trip was a little rough. I had work on Thursday, and I had been very nervous about missing my flight home (th
  • I drove out to see the launch from Utah because I suspected it might be delayed and I can always sleep in the back of my van right? It took me 4 days to drive, I got there 3 days early so I could spend 2 days at the Visitors center, and Astronaut hall of fame, then get a great spot a day early. I found one a great spot about a block north of the Macdonalds in Titusville.

    the view at night was great... the shuttle was all lit up, and you could see it sitting on the pad realy well. If the launch had happened

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