11/1 shuttle launch

[poohj80]

If you drive over for the launch, leave at least 6 hours early. People who have purchased tickets to view the launch on NASA property are instructed the gates open 4 hours early but they are usually open before that. Traffic on 528 gets REALLY backed up! We drove from AKL to the launch in May...thank goodness for my Sun Pass! The toll booths on 528 were a mess. I recommend taking 417 toll road from WDW to avoid most of the back-up. There will be one toll booth you still have to wait in line for.

Once 528 gets close to the split to Titusville (407?), the left lane will stop as folks are backed up from the KSC gate. Stay in the right lane and head to Cocoa Beach to view the launch. Jetty Park in Cocoa Beach is a great place to watch as well.

Pack your car up about 30 mins before launch so that you are ready to go as soon as it launches and you will beat most of the traffic. Again, having a Sun Pass will help you avoid the back-up on the return trip to WDW.

 

[wmharley]

Yeah thanks I just read after doing a search that Titusville is the place to be. Now I just need to decide if its worth the agony of the crowds and traffic.

Should be able to see it from Disney, but more so just the line of smoke than actual shuttle I believe

Daytona is good too. I used to live there and we'd all jam the beach. night launches that close was awesome

 

[jekjones1558]

Nice photo... night launches are the best. If you watch carefully before a night launch, you'll see the ISS pass before the launch (if that's the shuttle's destination). They time the launch to take place after the station passes, to make it easier for the two to meet up in orbit (and it uses less fuel).

That may be useless information since I don't think they're planning any more night launches, but that could change if they have to change the launch windows for the remaining flights.

Wish we had known this. At home we keep a list of visible passes of the !SS and watch it whenever we can. At the launch we were all so cold and nervous (launch had been scrubbed at the last minute the night before after we froze for many, many hours) that I'm not surprised we didn't see the ISS. If there is a change in scheduled launches we might have a chance when we go to WDW again in late Nov. early Dec
I should also check to see if there will be any visible passes of ISS while we are at WDW next week so we can watch from our balcony.

 

[poohbearluver]

I dont know much about the shuttle... BUT 11/1 iS MY BiRTHDAY!


But cool for you to be able to see the shuttle launching!
It'll probably be a great experience.

 

[jordancej]

Here is the view from DHS (May 2010).

 

[nytimez]

If you drive over for the launch, leave at least 6 hours early. People who have purchased tickets to view the launch on NASA property are instructed the gates open 4 hours early but they are usually open before that. Traffic on 528 gets REALLY backed up! We drove from AKL to the launch in May...thank goodness for my Sun Pass! The toll booths on 528 were a mess. I recommend taking 417 toll road from WDW to avoid most of the back-up. There will be one toll booth you still have to wait in line for.

Once 528 gets close to the split to Titusville (407?), the left lane will stop as folks are backed up from the KSC gate. Stay in the right lane and head to Cocoa Beach to view the launch. Jetty Park in Cocoa Beach is a great place to watch as well.

Pack your car up about 30 mins before launch so that you are ready to go as soon as it launches and you will beat most of the traffic. Again, having a Sun Pass will help you avoid the back-up on the return trip to WDW.

I usually take 50 and get there 3-4 hours early. It's usually already pretty crowded (especially in the past year or so), but I can usually find a spot.

Then again, I've never seen it from KSC, I always watch from Titusville.

 

[laughinplace2]

Here is the view from DHS (May 2010).

Thanks!! Now we know exactly where to look Just have to hope the launch actually happens that day!

 

[poohj80]

Our view from KSC:

 

[nytimez]

Our view from KSC:

Awesome! I'm jealous!

 

[jordancej]

Thanks!! Now we know exactly where to look Just have to hope the launch actually happens that day!

No problem! I hope so too! A great resource I used was watching NASA on twitter on my phone, so i knew exactly what was going on. May 2009, I barely saw it due to all the clouds that moved in. So this year it was just so awesome, and it happened on my birthday!!

Our view from KSC:

What a Great View! Awesome pictures!

 

[nandc619]

If you happen to be at MK, make your way towards Cosmic Ray's/Auntie Gravity's, facing Space Mountain. We watched a launch from there in March 2009--the shuttle looked like it was coming out of Space Mountain. It was pretty awesome! (I'd post a picture if I had any idea how to do it! lol)