We are going to Kennedy Space Center for the November 30th launch but tickets for the launch viewing were sold out. Where would the best place to view it otherwise be? The launch is at 10:00 Pm. We are staying in Mt Dora so a motel room is not an option. Is there a good beach?

I read that Cocoa Beach was a good site to view shuttle launches so we went there in '92 to watch 'Endeavour' blast off. It was OK but not spectacular, on the photos I took it looks like I was taking pictures of someone firing a flare gun !

Hubby was there several years ago to help weigh one of the shuttles for a future launch. He was lucky enough to have it timed to coincide with a different launch. There's a long parkway that is full on both sides of the road for miles with people waiting to watch the launch.

Advice: Get there hours before the launch & bring something to keep you occupied while you wait. Don't drink lots of liquids before you go out to wait and watch. There are no nearby facilities. Be prepared for the launch to be delayed, hours or days. Ooooo, a night launch - that'll be awesome from what I understand!

titusville...along the river, would be your best and closest viewing area. at the north end of t-ville is a bridge(going to KSC property/beach) and a senior citizen hi-rise ...this is the closest you can get to the lauch site. from there you'd have to find somewhere south of that along the river. other that t-ville....along the causeway between cocoa and merritt island; jetty park just north of cocoa bch...theres also a causeway south of T-ville leading to KSC property but i can't remember its name or location...it might also be closed during launch....i'm not sure. beware of the traffic situation!!!! it takes me about 45 min to get to t-ville from east orlando... add an extra hour+ from mt dora...might want to leave between 4-5 pm as finding parking might be a challenge....traffic coming back will be bad also.......and as always..be prepared for the launch getting "scrubbed" which happens more often that not.

As an aside "S" - how do you weigh something like a space shuttle ?

Not standing in the middle of the road.

Make sure you go there real early and take along a radio in case they have to scrub the launch. We went in the spring and they scrubbed 2 minutes before launch time because of high winds in the alternative landing site in Africa. It is not only Florida weather that affects whether it goes up, it is the weather at the alternative landing sites in Africa and Califronia that affects it. They want to make sure in case of an emergency the shuttle can land. Check out the Nasa website for where to view the launch and other info.