Space Shuttle Viewing
 

We want to attend a Space Shuttle launch sometime in the next 12 months. We need to know logistical things like: Best viewing areas, crowds, traffic, admission fees, what kind of camera lens to have, local news coverage in case of scrubbed missions, etc. Anything I forgot? Thanks everyone.
Vern & Sherry - Denver, CO

For starters, there is already a wealth of information available here. Just type in "space shuttle" into the "search this forum" box, select "Florida" from the "and/or topics", and click on the "search" button.

Getting to a viewing spot is the easy part, I recommend
1. Jetty Park at Port Canaveral (beach area, cruise ships, fishing, camping,resturants etc.)Tiki Hut is our favorite
2. Titusville area take SR50 East dead ends into this area.
3. Take a highway called the Beachline/SR528east which takes you directley from Orlando to the coast approx. 55 miles many people will drive in as far as possible and park on the side of the road. Admission to all of the above is free, the public cannot view from the actual launch Kennedy Space Center. Be patient on the way out.

The first thing I'd do is go to www.spaceflightnow.com and get the launch schedules. This is also a good site to bookmark if you plan to bring a laptop on your trip. It has the most up-to-date information on the launches.

If you want the best view, then I would go to www.ksctickets.com. The only way you can view a launch from the Space Center itself is to purchase tickets from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Visitors Center. They put you on a bus and take you to a viewing area approximately 3 miles from the launchpads. This is absolutely the best view and experience, but you will pay for it.

Second and third best views are from Titusville (small town across the Indian River from KSC) and etty Park (on the ocean in the city of Cape Canaveral). In Titusville, you find a place to park your car along the river, and wait for the launch. Some areas charge to park, others do not. There is a charge to enter Jetty Park (around $3-5, I think), but you can stay for the whole day and enjoy the beach. Titusville has the better view, but waiting at the beach can be more enjoyable, especially for a family.

It is important to remember that launch dates can slip (there is some talk that the storm we just had will cause a slip for the next launch), and that launches can be scrubbed up to the last 30 seconds before liftoff. A contingency plan is very important. Orlando is only 30-60 minutes away, so most people stay there and drive over for the launch. That way, they still have other vacation options besides the launch.

Local radio stations covering the launches are WMMB, broadcasting at 1240 AM and 1350 AM. It will be your best way to stay current on launch status in your car.

As Orlando Vic stated, type "space shuttle" into the Search This Forum box, then click on Florida, and you will see lots of posts with info about seeing a shuttle launch.

Viewing a launch can be thrilling. Hope you get to see one!

I paid about $105 for a tour from Orlando that was well worth it. I booked it about a week before the May 31 launch (but recommend not waiting).

I took this tour:
http://www.gatortours.com/TOURS.asp?TOUR_ID=99

It was a long day. Only an hour ride to the KSC but was about three hours coming back because of the traffic. I was very happy that I did not have to do the driving. The tour company did an excellent job.

Going to view a shuttle launch soon, and had some questions. I have read all the posts, and picked up a lot of useful information. Thanks to all the posters, in particular rascat who knows the area pretty well.

- I gather the two best places are Sandy Point Park/Space View Park. Saw the launch in February from Space View Park, and although it was pretty good, I had hoped to get closer. My understanding is that the only better place is the Visitors Center which is usually sold out in advance.

Are there any closer/better places other than the Visitor Center? I did not get the full effect of the sound and ground shake from Titusville (10 miles away according to GPS). Like rascat said in one of his posts, that could be a function of the way the wind is blowing.

- I used to go to Apollo launches back in the 60's, and you could get right across the river (have no recollection of how we used to get there). We used to get right next to the countdown clock they show on TV. WHERE IS THAT? Can you still get to it, or is that now off limits due to increased security? Is that part of the Visitors Center, or is it still accessible to the public without tickets?

I know I was spoiled back in the Apollo days when you could get so close. I sort of wanted to recreate the experience with the Shuttle.

Thanks in advance for any information.

The area around the countdown clock is now the press and VIP viewing area. So, unless you have a press pass, or are someone NASA considers important, you won't get there.

As you mentioned, in the good old days (early shuttle launches for me), you could get out to the best viewing area for free. All you had to do was request a car pass, and you got to park along the Banana River. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible!

To get to that area, I believe you need to purchase a ticket through the KSC Visitors Center. They take you on a bus-you can't drive yourself. There are also passes you can buy to view a launch from the Visitor Center area, but you won't see the shuttle until it clears the trees.

Maybe mrwunrfl can advise if the tour they booked went to the Banana River site, or to the Visitor's Center.

Just keep in mind that there is about a 50/50 chance that it will launch as scheduled.

There has been some talk of the October and November launch dates slipping, so check here:

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

The tour that I mentioned goes out on the causeway. I booked it less than a week before the May 31 launch.

This causeway spot is the same location that the KSC sells individual tickets to people. Those direct sale tickets were sold out, so I got the ticket with the tour package. The package included a two-day pass to the KSC Visitor's Center in addition to the roundtrip bus from Orlando.

The causeway location is 6 miles away. The only place closer is the "Banana Cream" site by the Apollo/Saturn V center & countdown clock is 3 miles but it is for VIPs only.

btw, I learned about the tour from the KSC webpage.

You have a clear line of site and sound across the water to the shuttle on the pad. It was a top-down view (you could see the orbiter and those big external fuel tanks on each side of it, with binoculars). After the shuttle got high in the sky I was able to make out (with binoculars) those external fuel tanks falling away.

How many of the shuttle launches have been delayed more than a couple of hours? There certainly is a risk that it won't go, but it was a perfect day when I went (flying LAX-MCO on Friday and MCO-LAX on Sunday).

In case it wasn't clear, the launch viewing site for the tour was the NASA Causeway. See the map:
http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC

I believe that causeway must be what you mean by the Banana River site.

I booked the air ticket on May 5, so that was my only risk. By the time I booked the tour (there are some refund provisions) I could see, FWIW, a weather forecast for the launch date and it was good.

Take an umbrella for the sun. I bought a KSC folding chair at the VC for $25 or $20.