Kennedy Space Center Tickets for 2009 ??

[tjlamphere]

Has anyone contacted their Congressperson and tried to get KSC tics for next year? I contacted my House of Representatives' office, and they say they have never heard of his office offering any KSC tics. Today, I e-mailed Hillary Clinton's office (I am in N.Y.) to see what they know...but Hillary is out of here next week, headed for bigger and better things with Obama. Has anyone had any luck getting free KSC tics? Would save us some serious $$$ if we can swing these...and do you need to get them for a specific date ???

 

[garmich]

Has anyone contacted their Congressperson and tried to get KSC tics for next year? I contacted my House of Representatives' office, and they say they have never heard of his office offering any KSC tics. Today, I e-mailed Hillary Clinton's office (I am in N.Y.) to see what they know...but Hillary is out of here next week, headed for bigger and better things with Obama. Has anyone had any luck getting free KSC tics? Would save us some serious $$$ if we can swing these...and do you need to get them for a specific date ???

Back in the spring of 2008 there was a big discussion going on this topic. So as a result, LOTS of DISers were contacting their state congressmen & congresswomen to request Kennedy Space Center tickets. They were overwhelmed by the amount of requests. Because of this rush for free tickets, they issued a statement saying that these free tickets were not intended for distribution to the general public. They are for official government use, for distribution to visiting foreign dignitaries and company officials, etc.

Here is the link to the discussions from earlier this year:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1833407

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1797157

 

[ganandem]

Hi- We are also in upstate NY(near Syracuse). In the summer I emailed Congressman Arcuri's office and I was told that he had given away all of his tickets for KSC for the year. The intern that returned my email said that she would let me know if he was given more for 2009. Since it was about 6 months ago, I had given up. Imagine my surprise when she called me last week to tell me that she was mailing me all of the info that I needed to get into KSC! We have six going on our trip and she did apologize and say that they were only allowed to give out 4 per family. I couldn't be happier! What a great Christmas present to give my son. Even if I pay for the other 2 it is still well worth it! Hope you have the same luck as I did.

 

[garmich]

Hi- We are also in upstate NY(near Syracuse). In the summer I emailed Congressman Arcuri's office and I was told that he had given away all of his tickets for KSC for the year. The intern that returned my email said that she would let me know if he was given more for 2009. Since it was about 6 months ago, I had given up. Imagine my surprise when she called me last week to tell me that she was mailing me all of the info that I needed to get into KSC! We have six going on our trip and she did apologize and say that they were only allowed to give out 4 per family. I couldn't be happier! What a great Christmas present to give my son. Even if I pay for the other 2 it is still well worth it! Hope you have the same luck as I did.

Apparanty, your congressman has not been informed about the purpose of these complimentary tickets.

This is from an article posted on Floridatoday.com:
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pb...eStampAscending&sid=sitelife.floridatoday.com

Those tickets aren't supposed to be passed out to any tourist who wants them, said Allard Beutel, a spokesman for NASA. They’re supposed to be given to members of Congress, visiting dignitaries, aides and other VIPs that NASA would like to get a better working knowledge of what goes on at Cape Canaveral.

"To be perfectly blunt, you are trying to make sure that whoever getting that info is someone who’s voting on your programs," he said.

Under the terms of its contract with Delaware North, which runs the visitor complex, NASA gets 2,500 complimentary tickets a year to hand out at its discretion, Beutel said. It's been written into their contract since April 2000, when the center started charging admission, he said.

NASA monitors the distribution of tickets to make sure there are enough to go around for a full year, he said. But once NASA gives the tickets away, Beutel said, the space agency has no control over how they’re used.

 

[tjlamphere]

Ganandem - thanks for your assistance...I was able to have my Congressman's assistant call your Congressman's office...lo and behold, it appears that KSC tics ARE available...don't know if they'll arrive at KSC in time for the day I plan on going there (2 weeks from Monday), but it was worth a shot...will save me some $$$ if this works.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[tjlamphere]

What a difference 2 years makes ! I was able to score tickets through my Congressman for a great tour of KSC next month...will save me over $ 100 if I were to buy them. So it can be done and I did it !!!

 

[boyzrus]

We're not going until June, do I try it now? I didn't know if the tickets had an expiration date. Thanks! Mary

 

[tjlamphere]

I have been working with my Congressman's office for about 5 month to get these tickets...call them ASAP !!!!!