Hi Everyone,
Just thought I would do a write up on How to View a Space Shuttle Launch in the United States.
I have had a few people ask, and seen the question posed a few times on the forums, so figured putting it in one thread is the easiest thing to do for easy reference!
How to get Launch Viewing Tickets.
Tickets normally go onsale around a month to two months before launch.
Tickets can be purchased online through
www.ksctickets.com
If you happen to miss out on tickets, don't panick.. there are other avenues. Keep an eye on the website, normally Orlando Bus Tours go out on the first launch day attempt, but normally do not advertise for any attempts after the first day.
There are two types of tickets. One is for entry to the Kennedy Space Centre, the second is a launch viewing ticket, the launch viewing ticket is limited number about 1000 tickets, but dont panick.. further information below if you dont get a ticket for this one.
You will not be able to go to the Viewing gantries on the day of launch. I didn’t know this.. However… your entry ticket allows your for launch day and the following day, either day before or after launch. Go the day before. I have heard that you are able to go to the viewing gantries to get photos. So it may be possible that you can get some good photos of the shuttle if you are taking a SLR camera.
Also after the 2nd time your ticket is used, you show it to the people and they let u through the gates because its programmed for 2 day use, but your ticket allows you on site to go to the launch regardless of how many times the launch is cancelled.
Ok YAY you have your Launch tickets!
Firstly, NASA has never had the shuttle take off on their first scheduled launch date. Always bumped due to either weather or malfunctions.
So make sure that you have booked at least a week in florida after the schedule date of launch.
DAY 1.
Secondly, there will be many many buses that will take you out to the launch site if you managed to get the closest viewing launch tickets (limit 1000 for sale). Don't go for getting on the first bus. Once you get on the bus your launch ticket becomes invalid, and if the launch is rescheduled, you will not be able to go again (unless u get more tickets.. I will tell u how later..).
Nasa officials normally does a call for the last bus call. That’s when you decide to get on the bus or not.. This is normally around 1hr to 40 mins before take-off. If there are weather or shuttle problems, they would or should have been mentioned and 9/10 times the launch would be cancelled by the time the last bus call. Jump on the last bus.
As you already have the tickets, I would of suggesting buying an extra 2 tickets when you bought them. Because of reasons above… but don’t panick if you havent…
If you DO get on the bus, and the launch is cancelled, then this is the stuff you do need to know.
YOU CAN get more tickets… however nasa officials will tell you NO there are none left. Check out the NASA website that night. They will put details up about launch tickets will be available from the gate the next morning you will not be able to buy them online. So many visitors plan for the lift off on day one, that when u go on the 2nd day, you will notice half the amount of people.
Also day 1. The traffic… Getting there in the mornings, its heavy but not so bad. You will get a card for arrival time. I had two cards one for 8am one for 1pm (I had tickets for me and my mum we bought seperatly - but I ended up using the 8am card for car parking). They do have a huge car park. I left at 7:15ish on the first day and get there around 8am. Was in the first car park closest to the gates. Oh and when gates open, takes about 30-40mins to get through due to heavy security. They don’t muck around, so don’t take in any of the banned list, it will get confiscated. i.e scissors nail clippers.. etc
I REALLY would suggest do not leave NASA within the first two hours after the launch or after it has been re-scheduled on the first day. It took me over 2 hrs to drive from Cape Canaveral to Orlando (30 min trip normally). I would go relax, go watch a imax movie… trust me.. Traffic is HELL on the first day. You will not have seen anything like it in australia and it does go all the way from Cape Kennedy to Orlando.
DAY 2.
This is the day launch transportation tickets went onsale, and 2nd launch attempt day.
I left orlando at 6:30am thinking there would be bad traffic and got my closest launch tickets this way. I arrived at 7am at NASA.
There was about 20 people in front of me inline for launch transportation tickets. People got there a lot later then me aswell. A LOT of people used their transportation tickets cause they were only there for day 1 and that’s it.
Other wise if you do use your ticket and cant get it from the gate try the bus service orlando buses I think.
But if you guys aim to get there at 7 or earlier, you should get your launch transportation tickets pretty easily.
(I never had launch transportation tickets on day 1, and managed to score them on day 2! SO SO happy!)
Attempt two didn’t go up, and I didn’t use my launch transportation tickets on day 2 aswell.. So had attempt 3 to use them on, which was 4th of July, and I had astronaunt training tickets that day aswell.
I watched it with a real life astronaunt ontop of the NASA building, which you drive past on the way to the main NASA site (just before the river and longish bridge 200m bridge) That’s the 3rd site. My mum watched it from the launch transportation site, and with her CRAPPY camera compared to my EOS 300D Digital SLR she got slightly better pics! Damn it! So if you are doing to NASA experience, it’s a hard call. I had the choice of going to the launch site, but woulda missed half of the experience. I choose the experience, only because they did have a astronaunt to watch with us, and he gave us commentry and we could ask him a million questions afterwards.
Any questions just message me!
Rowena
