How to Watch a Space Shuttle Launch – Another Kind of Horsepower

Photo courtesy of NASA

This was not our view. No guests or spectators are allowed this close. But we joined about 10,000 people at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 14, 2008, to watch the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor.

If you would someday like to watch a space shuttle launch, you might want to make plans to do so soon. The shuttle program is scheduled to end in 2010.

Here’s how we got there and what you can expect if you go:

Our position was about eight miles away from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, between the Rocket Garden and the lagoons beside the Astronaut Memorial. Here’s a photo of where we were pointed. The shuttle appeared to rise between those tall palm trees.

Photo by Rhonda Lane

The STS-126 mission expanded living quarters for astronauts at the International Space Station. The launch was believed to be the last night launch of the space shuttle, expected to retire in 2010.

As of this writing, space shuttle launches are tentatively scheduled for February and May 2009. Check NASA’s launch schedule for specifics.

Planning to attend a launch?

Then, you should decide now. Sign up to receive launch updates via email from the Kennedy Space Center. We heard about the November launch around August.

As soon as you see launch dates projected, book your hotel for around that time. Florida Space Coast hotels fill up early and fast.

About five weeks before the launch, tickets for watching the launch went on sale. We could get VIP tickets for which spectators would be bussed out to a causeway six miles from the launch pad, the closest view.  Or we could get “obstructed view tickets,” in which you could watch the launch from the grounds of the KSC Visitor Center.

Now, two things to remember.

1.  Don’t set your heart on those VIP tickets. Whoever gets them must use a bot — or some automated something that works fast. Or they have a quick clicker finger. Those go fast and reportedly are snatched up by tour companies. If you can get them, email me back and say, “Hah!” (You can find my email on the About link at the top of the page.) Anyway, the KSC site says that the VIP tickets re gone within two minutes. I think they’re long gone by two minutes.

2. There are no guarantees that the shuttle will launch as scheduled. They could “no-go” during the final count and delay the launch. You may be able to schedule Florida trip with some slack, enough to cover any delays — or a launch could be delayed for weeks.

Still, I think you have better odds of seeing the launch than of beating the house in Vegas.

So, what’s launch day like?

In front of jumbo TV, early afternoon/Photo by Rhonda Lane

We were told to be on the space center grounds at 10 am for a 7:55 pm launch. Our tickets were considered obstructed view tickets, which meant that we’d see the shuttle once it passed a line of trees in our view. We could not see the shuttle on the pad, so the KSC helpfully set up a giant screen TV on the grounds so that visitors could see a close-up view before our view cleared the tree line.

We took in lawn chairs and backpacks of food, although the space center gift shop could have set us up with everything. The space center also had food and beverages available throughout the day. Plus, most of the exhibits were open for viewing at no additional charge. And the big screen TV played Discovery Channel-worthy footage all afternoon about the upcoming mission. Plus, astronauts made personal appearances. The whole day was like a festival.

Still, you had to stay put all day?!? What else can we do?

Well, keep in mind that everything you see about the traffic jams on launch day are true. At least, for KSC grounds launch viewing, tickets pretty much stagger admission times so that all ticketed spectators don’t rush the gate at once.

Even though you can reportedly see the shuttle blast into space even from Orlando and parts of South Carolina, the best views are as close to KSC as possible.

NASA has a helpful list of options that include local parks. But also keep in mind that KSC has flush toilets and concessions for sale to aid in comfort.

So – what was the launch like?

Once darkness fell, people staked their claims to their spots. The rise of a full moon — low, orange and heavy — in the night sky caused oohs and aahs among the crowd.

Behind us, in the dark, people with kazoos played “The National Anthem.” At one point, giggles halted them, only to be encouraged to continue playing by the people around them. The kazoo players finished their final notes to applause and laughter.

More people behind us watched the last moments and the countdown on the jumbo TV. Those of us elsewhere kept our eyes on the sky.

When the countdown hit “zero,” the crowd went wild, screaming with hope and joy for the astronauts rising on the rocket.

At first, the only rumble and roar we heard came from the crowd around us. Our first visual was of an orange glow swelling behind the tree line. The glow brightened and whitened and crackled with heat and fire.

The crowd, bouncing with dizzy exhilaration cheered and screamed with joy.

The tip of the roaring man-made comet hefted itself past the trees into the depth of night, then arced itself over toward the International Space Station. The receding glowing dot, the temporary home for seven souls, receded into the embrace of night to go straight on til morning.

Whew. I think I need a glass of water after that. Maybe you do, too.

Anyway, in summation — if you can manage it and you’d like to see a shuttle launch, decide now, then get on the KSC email list and make your plans to go. You can fly into Orlando airport, which handles lotsa flights from everywhere. The Space Coast is about an hour’s drive from the airport.

A shuttle launch is a sight that you’ll never forget.

Another story from the Florida trip, an evening at Arabian Nights, the equestrian dinner theater, is coming soon — and will be a return to our “regular programming.”

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Tags: Endeavor, Kennedy Space Center, shuttle launch, space shuttle, STS-126, watch a shuttle launch