Shuttle launch- where to see it?

[Freyja]

There is a shuttle launch scheduled for June 8. That is one of the days we have planned as a "quiet" day, away from the parks. I´d love to drive somewhere closer to KSC where we could see the launch. Any recommendations for good spots?

 

[BPCooper]

Yep, read this:

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

Titusville is the place if you can't get tickets. There are some other threads on this site also...do a search at the top for "shuttle launch" or "space shuttle" and sort by thread start date.

You won't be disappointed and I strongly encourage you to go back if it is scrubbed, it is well worth it! Good luck. Any more questions, just ask!

 

[Freyja]

Thanks! That´s a great link. I´m not willing to pay the $$$ for tickets so Titusville it is.

 

[5mins2disney]

Be aware you need to leave VERY early to get there, our friends live there and drove out to one...they said the traffic was backed up for miles and miles and it was terrible! Also, be aware that they cancel it / delay all the time. I would bring a picnic, some chairs, binoculars, and some sort of radio / TV / internet / etc so you can watch / listen to it live as well as see...perhaps a camera with a telephoto lens too.

 

[4eyedbuzzard]

Be aware you need to leave VERY early to get there, our friends live there and drove out to one...they said the traffic was backed up for miles and miles and it was terrible! Also, be aware that they cancel it / delay all the time. I would bring a picnic, some chairs, binoculars, and some sort of radio / TV / internet / etc so you can watch / listen to it live as well as see...perhaps a camera with a telephoto lens too.

How many hours would you estimate as driving/lead time for the June 8 launch(if it's a go)? The schedule is for a 7:34pm lift off (with only a 10 minute window) if memory serves. We were thinking of going but the more I read the more I don't want to leave at lunch to head to Titusville.

 

[sammielynn]

I was in Orlando in Sept for a conference and there was a launch then. We just went out of the hotel sundeck and saw the shuttle going up. Not up close and personal but still impressive. If you don't want to devote an entire day to the launch that would be an option.

 

[BPCooper]

How many hours would you estimate as driving/lead time for the June 8 launch(if it's a go)? The schedule is for a 7:34pm lift off (with only a 10 minute window) if memory serves. We were thinking of going but the more I read the more I don't want to leave at lunch to head to Titusville.

No, it's not as scary as people tell you. I would recommend leaving around 3pm if you are coming from Orlando.

If you get the tickets, they will give you a time to show up. But for Titusville, while there may be some traffic, it won't get heavy until the last couple of hours.

The launch time as of yesterday is 7:37:59pm with a launch window stretching 5 minutes "plus or minus" of that; meaning, it's really a five minute window in most cases.

 

[MScott1851]

We went two days in a row last year to see the shuttle launch, it was a lifelong dream of DH's. The first day we went early, went to Jetty Park, took lawn chairs, waited forever, and they scrubbed it. This place was recommended by the concierge at HRH, and a friend of ours who is a producer at a news station in Orlando.

The next day, we were running late, and didn't make it all the way in. We were coming over those two big bridges on the Beeline coming into Cocoa Beach (forgive my ignorance, but I don't know the area well) and noticed a lot of people on the side of the road there, looking over the water towards something. You could see the vertical assembly building at Kennedy from where we were (you know, the building the shuttle is stored in, with "NASA" and a globe on the side) but not the actual launch pad. It was miniscule, probably about 10 miles away, but we were 2-3 minutes out, so we pulled over on the side of the road, got out and got the camera ready just as they lifted off, and within 90 seconds it was over. We could see this fiery, white hot speck on the horizon all of the sudden, and every one started cheering. Then it went up up and away, and was out of view very shortly. That thing MOVES!!

I think DH was kind of disappointed..it was very anti-climactic. Thousands of people were lined up and down the sides of the road for miles watching this thing, there were tee-shirt and hot dog vendors, just like a circus, and the thing lasted less than two minutes. From where we were, it looked very, very small, but extremely bright. We found out later that if you wanted to view from the clock at Kennedy, you had to be there extremely early, and pay to get in, but it was still three miles away from the launch pad. We're was used to watching the launches on television, and DH would have only been happy if he could have set a lawn chair up under the launch pad, and eat pork rinds and watch the launch from so close up he could see the cracks in the external fuel tank... But, we still got to see it, and I'm very glad we did. I just wouldn't camp out for three hours to see it from 10 miles away.

Now, if I had tickets, and could get up there at Kennedy, and be near the clock, I'd wait all day...

Here are my pics:

 

[BPCooper]

I'm sorry you and your friend did not get closer, but I encourage you to try again. If you get closer it is an incredible, non-disappointing experience.

Jetty Park is not a good place for the shuttle. Don't let anyone tell you that it is. There is a notion among many people, including locals, that Jetty Park is the place for everything. You have to realize that Cape Canaveral is enormous...10 by 30 miles...and launch pads are scattered from the bottom to the top (15 miles from the southernmost pad to the northernmost). The shuttle is at the northern end while Jetty Park is at the southern end.

Jetty Park is good for one thing only and that is Delta 2 launches. It is absolutely the best place for them, but that is it.

Unfortunately you cannot watch from the clock at the three mile distance. The clock is the location of the press site. Only media, VIPs and employees can get that close. The closest the public can get is the NASA causeway, which is what the tickets get you to. It is 6.5 miles away at its closest spot and 7.5 at its farthest (win win either way).

You're right, the launch can be anticlimactic if you are 20 miles away and it is over the horizon. No only will you hear little, but clouds can easily obscure it.

Titusville is - trust me- the best off-site place to go (and it is the closest free place) at 12 miles. I hope you and DH get to come back and see one from up close. The tickets to view from the causeway are well worth the price and you won't be disappointed. It is quite loud and impressive from there.

On top of that, try for a night launch. That is the opposite of anticlimactic. I'm not sure if you are from out of town or not, but coming to see an unmanned launch, particularly Delta 2s from Jetty Park, is worth the trip too; again, especially so at night. Good luck. Same for everyone

Thanks for sharing your photos. Looks like STS-115 September 9th.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

We watched a launch from the NASA Causeway. It makes for a LONG day as you have to be at the Space Center at a pre-determined time, you do get full use of the facilities for the day and then you board the buses and they bring you out to the causeway. It was awesome... They have tents set up with chairs so but many people bring their own seating. There are food vendors and restrooms and they pipe in Mission Control so you know what is going on. The tickets were pricey, but it was worth every penny, the rumble, the excitment... I HIGHLY recommend going out for a launch and getting as close as possible to the launch facility.

We have been out for 4 launches and never had a problem with traffic going out...coming back is hit or miss though so be prepared. It takes about 45 minutes to get out there, but I would suggest making a day of it, have a picinic or something. I would leave about 2 and half to 3 hours early (being a night launch there will probably be more people out there as they don't happen often). Coming home though it has taken us as little as an hour and as long as 4 hours. But seeing a launch live is well worth it...In my opinion!

As mentioned Titusville is the best place to go for free (we have done Jetty park as well, it was OK, but as mentioned it is still a little too far away) You can try Spaceview Park. It is free and highly recommended on the boards here. I have never been there (after seeing it from NASA property we are hooked)...but here is the website to check it out as an option.
http://www.nbbd.com/godo/spaceviewpark/

and this one has the directions (just note that it is no longer the "Beeline" it is the "Beachline" (same road, new name)
http://www.spaceyideas.com/spaceview.html


And just for fun, here is a little montague that my DH put together from the launch that we saw from the NASA Causeway. These were his pictures that he linked together for a little slide show (Sorry I know it is big)...

 

[Freyja]

We watched a launch from the NASA Causeway. It makes for a LONG day as you have to be at the Space Center at a pre-determined time, you do get full use of the facilities for the day and then you board the buses and they bring you out to the causeway. It was awesome... They have tents set up with chairs so but many people bring their own seating. There are food vendors and restrooms and they pipe in Mission Control so you know what is going on. The tickets were pricey, but it was worth every penny, the rumble, the excitment... I HIGHLY recommend going out for a launch and getting as close as possible to the launch facility.

As mentioned Titusville is the best place to go for free (we have done Jetty park as well, it was OK, but as mentioned it is still a little too far away) You can try Spaceview Park. It is free and highly recommended on the boards here. I have never been there (after seeing it from NASA property we are hooked)...but here is the website to check it out as an option.
http://www.nbbd.com/godo/spaceviewpark/

and this one has the directions (just note that it is no longer the "Beeline" it is the "Beachline" (same road, new name)
http://www.spaceyideas.com/spaceview.html


And just for fun, here is a little montague that my DH put together from the launch that we saw from the NASA Causeway. These were his pictures that he linked together for a little slide show (Sorry I know it is big)...

Amazing pics. Thanks so much for sharing them and the info.

 

[BPCooper]

Great shots! What lens did you use? The animation is cool as well.

And just to throw in a pointer, the one you saw from the causeway was off pad 39B...all remaining launches will be off 39A, which is 1.5 miles closer to the causeway than B; and thus, louder.

Directions and information are maintained on my website regularly. I just made a few tweaks:

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

I love the emails that tell me when there is a new post

This upcoming launch (STS-117) will NOT be a night launch, it is in the daytime. If it were to get postponed, it would have to go well into July before becoming a night launch. It is, however, in the summer, in evening hours and currently slated for the weekend, so I would say expect crowds.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Great shots! What lens did you use? The animation is cool as well.

This upcoming launch (STS-117) will NOT be a night launch, it is in the daytime. If it were to get postponed, it would have to go well into July before becoming a night launch. It is, however, in the summer, in evening hours and currently slated for the weekend, so I would say expect crowds.

The camera used is a Digital Rebel with a Sigma 300mm lense coupled with a 1.6 teleconverter and with the sensor size of the camera produced about the same results as a 600mm lense on a traditional film camera. I have no Idea what the heck I just wrote, hubby prompted every word... Camera Buff

I guess I worded that wrong... It is not a "night" in the dark launch, what you said was what I was trying to say It is an evening launch time on a weekend, more people will be off work and able to get out to see the launch.

By the way Ben, Great web site...

 

[MScott1851]

Unfortunately you cannot watch from the clock at the three mile distance. The clock is the location of the press site. Only media, VIPs and employees can get that close. The closest the public can get is the NASA causeway, which is what the tickets get you to. It is 6.5 miles away at its closest spot and 7.5 at its farthest (win win either way).

DH IS media (NBC affiliate here in Memphis)...we just didn't know that the shuttle was launching before we went down, or he certainly would have applied for credentials. Although I'm assuming that shuttle launch clearance is probably hard to get, and I might not have been able to get a pass. I have been a 'producer' many times when we've went to smaller events, but for stuff like Presidential visits and shuttle launches, security is usually very tight and you have to submit names for clearance months in advance. It would have sucked for him to get a pass but not me.

But...now that we know, we'll be better prepared next time. I would love to see it from where CDSTapisRouge watched! Those pics are AWESOME!!!

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

MScott1851 if you ever get the chance to see a launch from the NASA Causeway definetly take the opportunity. I was not really a big Shuttle buff, having lived in Florida for 27 years I never went out to the cape for launches, I just watched from my house, the always got scrubbed so I figured why wait in traffic for nothing I I could see it from home. Hubby decided we should go as his parents were in town from Michigan so off we went to Jetty Park... and it was awesome (at the time I didn't realize that Jetty Park was not "really" the place to be)... after that we decided that on the next launch we would get tickets for the causeway. First attempt was scrubbed and we could not return for the second attempt so we just had a nice day at the Space Center. Then we bought tickets for the next launch to try again... Again first attempt scrubbed, but we were able to get out for the second attempt and got to see Atlantis go... AMAZING is all I can say. I highly recommend it if you get another opportunity!

We also have a friend that is with the local press, he is always credentialed for the launches, his pictures are amazing and it is kinda nice to have the inside scoop on whether the potential for scrubbing is there.

 

[Befferk]

Reading up on the launches, although it's a very long ways off, I see they have one tenatively scheduled for our trip in February. What are the odds that this will get changed? And how often are the launches scrubbed at the last minute? I know we shouldn't get our hopes up, but it would be nice to see. If they do get scrubbed, how long is it usually before they try again?

Thanks!
Beth

 

[BPCooper]

It is very far out and it could change between now and then. The chance that the date this far in advance will stick is rather small but it is never "out of the question." You can use these two schedules to bookmark and keep track of the dates:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

As for going on time (as in, last minute scrubs), for shuttle launches it's about 40% on the first try, but it's by no means "never." As for when they reschedule for, there is no set date. If it's the weather they will almost always try the next day or 48 hours later. If it is a technical problem, it depends on how long it takes to fix.

Edit: By the way, it is also possible a launch currently slated to occur earlier will delay into your vacation time by coincidence.

 

[Befferk]

Thanks, I figured it was a shot in the dark. I will keep my fingers crossed.

Beth