KSC & Shuttle launch

[ChisJo]

Hey everyone....I posted this on the adults and solo travellers board, but thought I would get some help here too. We are heading to Orlando when there is an expected space shuttle launch at Kennedy Space centre (Dec. 6). We are extremely interested in going....heard it's supposed to be fantastic! Here is the problem. I have crowd related anxiety issues and don't do very well with lots of crowds or crowded highways (have to travel off season!) and I have heard that the travel back from the viewing areas can be pretty stressful and can take a very long time. Has anyone ever been, and can you tell me what your experience has been on the drive home? Also, if it's possible, is there any way to still view the launch without being that close and/or having the ability to depart without too much struggle through traffic? Thanks everyone in advance! Jo

 

[Ham Ham]

You night want to do a search on the net on places to watch the launch from.
I'm sure there are some huge NASA fans on the web. Check at the KSC web site also I'm positive they have info about launches.
Be prepared also for weather related delays. I'm sure in Cocoa beach or Port Canaveral you can have a great view of the launch.

 

[bbangel]

We went to Kennedy the day before the launch. It was great because it wasn't as crowded. We got to see the shuttle on the launch pad. Then we watched it go up while we were at Disney. There are probably places that are closer that you could still get a great view without all the people.

 

[LoveDopey]

We parked on the road between Titusville and Cocoa Beach and sat on the grass by the water. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact road number but it was a great view and not at all crowded. After the launch we went to Cocoa Beach. There was no one there at all. We actually saw the barges pull pieces of the shuttle past us at Cocoa Beach. All in all, I wouldn't miss the launch if I had the opportunity. Check on sitting on the roadways like we did.

 

[RiversideGal]

While we weren't in Florida for a shuttle launch, we did sneak around Titusville and went to "Space Park" which is a little turn off where they have monuments to the different programs, ie., Gemini, Mercury, etc. This inlet is almost directly across from Ramp 39. Also a great place to see manatees! (From checking out the Titusville Website, they have renamed this park the US Space Walk of Fame.....) Hope you have a blast...no pun intended...

 

[laxcdn]

This is a little off topic. We are going in Jan and they are doing a rocket launch. I don't think it takes place at Kennedy, but Patrick AFB. Is that near Kennedy and can you watch it from the same place that people watch the shuttle go up?

 

[BPCooper]

They take place from Cape Canaveral (Kennedy Space Center is the northern half of CC). Patrick AFB is about 20 mile south of the Cape.

Here you will find information on viewing each type of launch depending on which one you may happen to be in town for:

http://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Information.html

For the December shuttle launch, STS-122, you should keep an eye out on the current mission to see when they land and how the work to repair the damaged solar array goes. It could affect the date of the next mission.

You can follow it here:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

It is also a good site for bookmark to find out what date launches will occur, at the top where it says Launch Schedule. They list all launches from the Cape and update them regularly.

 

[laxcdn]

I see that the Jan 25th one isn't listed anywhere but Kennedyspacecenter.com. So does that mean there is not launch for the 25th?

 

[BPCooper]

No, there is no longer a launch on January 25. It was postponed to no earlier than around March timeframe. Kennedyspacecenter.com is the site of the tours that runs at the KSC visitors complex and they don't tend to keep their website schedule up to date (they usually just copy from spaceflightnow anyway, you will notice the descriptions are the same).

The launch on January 7 has almost certainly slipped now too. Maybe, through luck, it will wind up in late January.

 

[AprilFool]

We saw the shuttle on Oct23 while we were at Universal Studios. i didn't think you could see it that far away but you can. Everyone around us just froze and watched it. It was so amazing. I wish we had taken the day to drive to the space center to see it really close but we didn't want to plan for it cause the dates are always changing with launches.

 

[laxcdn]

Hopefully that 7th launch will happen between the 21st and 30th Thanks for the update.