Next Shuttle Launch September!!!

[Aceman88888]

Just noticed on the NASA website that the next Shuttle launch is slated for September 9th thru 24th very close to my trip to Orlando from 18th September. I was lucky enough to see a launch in May 1999 from the garden of our villa in Kissimmee (via the zoom on my camcorder). If we do catch it this year, I'll definately take a trip up to Cocoa Beach or similar to watch.

Just a heads up for those of you going out in September!

 

[Mr-D]

Yes I looked yesterday to see when the next one was. I'm there 9th -23rd bang on schedule, I just hope the launch is. I caught it in 1986 with 12 hours to spare before leaving for home

D

 

[Booknut]

Sorry guys, excuse my ignorance, but is this a launch from Kennedy Space Center? Is there any way to book tickets to see this? Do you recommend anywhere else to see this?

I didn't see any launches for sure on the Kennedy Space Center website, only a possible rocket launch slated from september 1 to november 1. It would be wonderful to see a shuttle launch, my husband would love that, we're off on the 17th (so it would be cool if it were after that!).

Hope you guys get to see it and have a fabulous holiday!

Cheers,

Eloise

 

[Mr-D]

Yes it will launch from KSC.

This is the link for the schedules;
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

You can get tickets to watch the launch from the Visitiors complex. This link will tell you what the prices were for yesterdays lauch so I presume it's the same.

http://www.ksctickets.com/kennedyspacecenter/maaclavifrke.html

I bebleive the best place to watch it for free is from Titusville.

D

 

[Booknut]

Thanks Mr D, will try to book tickets for the 29th!

 

[Amyrlin]

Ahhh wow, thanks for this, we are there Sept 1 - 15th.

 

[cazzie]

I will keep my eyes upwards as we are there from the 2nd to the 16th.

 

[Mr-D]

The problem with booking tickets is that the launches can be very variable and you may not get your money back. If it goes on time then by the 29th you will have missed it anyway.

Dave

 

[Booknut]

Mr D: I was thinking of booking the rocket launch on the 29th as that is a fixed date, no idea when the shuttle one will be, can only keep fingers crossed its while i'm there!

Thanks again for that link!

Eloise

 

[ikarei]

If the Discovery mission goes smoothly, then Atlantis will be on target to launch on September 9th. Atlantis processing seems to be going smoothly. Atlantis is technically ready to launch on a whims notice if Discovery needed it.

Yes it will launch from KSC.

This is the link for the schedules;
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

You can get tickets to watch the launch from the Visitiors complex. This link will tell you what the prices were for yesterdays lauch so I presume it's the same.

http://www.ksctickets.com/kennedyspacecenter/maaclavifrke.html

I bebleive the best place to watch it for free is from Titusville.

D

They offer different packages for the launch. Many of the ticket packages for the Return to Flight mission sold out months before the launch and thus they did not list them on their website anymore. They opened up 3000 more tickets to view from the visitors center after the first launch was scrubbed, so that is the ticket package that was listed on the website.

You can purchase tickets for viewing the launch from the causeway, which was$50 (launch viewing transportation ticket and maximum admission ticket) and the closest the general public can get. Those sell out pretty quickly. Those tickets sold out the first day for the Return to Flight launch.

For the return to flight they sold tickets for additional viewing from the Visitors complex and the astronaut hall of fame, which isn't all that visible until it gets over the trees so I would probably go elsewhere like Titusville to view if I could not get the bus boarding ticket.

They also usually offer special dinner/lunch with astronaut packages too. Go to sign up for their launch e-mail updates to be notified when tickets go on sale.

 

[Mr-D]

I hope it doesn't go on the 9th, thats the day we arrive. They could give me a few days to get sorted out

D

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Well its all gone Pete Tong as they say.
Only shuttle you will see now is the one on the stand

 

[ikarei]

Atlantis is still being processed and scheduled for rollout.

The media keeps saying grounded but nobody from NASA ever said that and
they were aptly corrected this morning by NASA directors who right out said they never said it was grounded.

The shuttle will be delayed until they find out more about the foam loss situation. That is all they said.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Atlantis is still being processed and scheduled for rollout.

The media keeps saying grounded but nobody from NASA ever said that and
they were aptly corrected this morning by NASA directors who right out said they never said it was grounded.

The shuttle will be delayed until they find out more about the foam loss situation. That is all they said.

http://www.wesh.com/news/4778175/detail.html

http://space.tbo.com/space/MGB2HAJIOBE.html
"Agency officials reacted by removing Atlantis and Endeavour from the launch schedule."

and finally
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-121/index.html

 

[ikarei]

I would just go directly and watch the press conferences themselves.

At no point did Parsons or Hale ever say they were grounded. They said that they will not fly until the foam issue is resolved. They also never said that Atlantis will not launch in September, only that it will not fly until the foam question is resolved, which could be by September. From the workers themselves, they are still processing Atlantis, as normal. Only that the launch schedule will be delayed until they are given the go for launch...when the foam issue is resolved and pending the results of Discovery's mission.

The media is just using the term "grounding" when that is not correct in the most technical of terms. The director corrected the media this morning in the press conference by pointing out that no director or manager ever said grounded.

They also never gave any sort of timeline because it is too early to tell and they have stated that they simply do not know how long it will take to resolve the issue of the foam. So, September is just another window that they could or could not have the foam issue resolved by then. They just do not know at the moment, but have simply just said they won't fly until they get the foam issue answered.

 

[disneyholic family]

It was an idiotic project from the get go. Unfortunately, many astronauts have already died as a result of NASA arrogance.

NASA's going to look pretty damn stupid if they have to bring all the astronauts back on Russian spacecraft.

 

[Red-Snapper]

What a good idea Disneyholic - turn a simple planning thread into another flamer.

Oh and btw seeing the shuttle take off was a highlight of a previous trip for us- catch it if and when you can.

 

[disneyholic family]

i doubt very much that there will ever be another Shuttle launch.

What they should be focussing on now is the next project that was announced by the president, rather than trying to fly what was a boondoggle to begin with.

Yes, watching a launch is indeed very exciting. I'm not flaming anyone who wants to. I'm flaming NASA for their arrogance. It's nothing unusual for large organizations to behave that way, but it's terrible when it results in meaningless loss of life, like when the Challenger was lost almost 20 years ago when they arrogantly launched despite warnings to the contrary.