Thinking about making a trip to Cape Canaveral for a launch sometime this summer, or maybe early fall.

Anyone who has been or lives in the area have any advice on the best location or other helpful hints?

More than likely it'll be a SpaceX launch from 39A, as the kids are excited about what SpaceX has going on.

Thanks for any words of wisdom you might have!

Note that we have made a trip in the past 2 years and have seen the full Kennedy Space Center museum / tours out to the VAB / 39A, see the Saturn V exhibit - while we might consider doing some of that again, that isn't a primary goal. If there is anything else space related to see, that might be interesting to fill in the day / days around a launch window.

My suggestion, wait a year. Next year Solar Probe Plus will be launching around the end of July on a Delta IV Heavy. The launch window is about a week long or else they have to wait a year or so for the next window. I think I'm going to fly out for the launch. I'd like to see a Heavy liftoff and I've worked on SPP.

SpaceX does amazing things, but maintaining a launch schedule is not one of them. Their launch dates are more fluid than water.

I saw several Shuttle launches in the early '80s and they were impressive. But the older style rockets stayed on the pad longer and gave a better show with great rumble and flame.

"Heavy" now that's the ticket. A night launch would be even better.

quote:

Originally posted by HuskySig:
My suggestion, wait a year. Next year Solar Probe Plus will be launching around the end of July on a Delta IV Heavy. The launch window is about a week long or else they have to wait a year or so for the next window. I think I'm going to fly out for the launch. I'd like to see a Heavy liftoff and I've worked on SPP.

SpaceX does amazing things, but maintaining a launch schedule is not one of them. Their launch dates are more fluid than water.

It's only a 6 hour drive for us to get there, so the cost is minimal to try to see a launch. Hotels are on points and easy to reschedule - obviously if it's a delay on the pad, there isn't much that can be done for a last minute scrub. The kids are at the right age and still interested, so it's worth a risk for us. If it doesn't light off, a trip to the beach and some ice cream will do the trick.

But I agree that a Delta Heavy or Falcon Heavy would be sweet to see. Solar Probe Plus is definitely on my radar as one to see

quote:

advice?

don't stand too close.

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Originally posted by 46and2:

quote:

advice?

don't stand too close.

Shit, I'd jump on top today and ride one, if the opportunity presented itself.

Go for a night launch, and watch from some distance away... like a barstool on the Cocoa Beach pier.

When I'm rich and famous, I'm definitely taking a rocket to the moon.

http://www.floridatoday.com/st...ket-launch/99730718/

I watched a shuttle launch from a hotel in Cocoa Beech, can't remember which one. It was incredible.

Take a camera with a long lens. Might want a tripod, too.

flashguy

Watched a Delta 4 Heavy launch from Vandenberg a few years ago, and it wasnt a impressive as I thougt it would be. The Atlas and old Titan IVs were much louder, but it did look pretty big going up. My dad/grandparents lived just a few miles from the base and I got to watch alot of launches growing up.

We went for a Disney cruise and stayed at Cape Canaveral Holiday Inn Resort. There was a launch scheduled so we went to watch it from the nearby beach. There is a pretty great view from there but we had to pay $15 parking fee since we drove. It was called off in the last 12 seconds and began to rain at the same time. It launched the next day so be prepared for possible cancellations. If it's an early morning launch they won't allow folks into Kennedy so you'll need to find a option for watching the launch and there are plenty of options. Took my daughter through Kennedy and spent all day doing everything available there. Hope the launch you're going to see doesn't cancel for longer than your stay.

Bring some really, really good ear protection.

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the launch of Challenger STS-61A on Oct 30, 1985 at KSC. We were at the viewing area by the big digital countdown clock 3 miles from the launch pad.

At T-4 the Shuttle engines fired. It took a few seconds for the sound to reach us. It started as a dull roar that quickly got louder.

Then the solid rockets ignited.

That was by far the loudest sound I've ever heard. The noise was so loud it was pounding against my chest. It sounded like a continuous explosion for two full minutes. I've heard fighter jets take off at full afterburner and I've heard the report from a 50BMG rifle - I've even seen Judas Priest in concert at the Meadowlands in NJ. That Space Shuttle was louder.

Enjoy your trip!

I grew up on the Space Coast, and watched every Space shuttle and air force launch for over 20 years. My dad worked at NASA, and my sister works for Space X. My favorite place to watch from is in Titusville. You look across the Indian River at the Space Center, and the view is amazing. Most tourist crowd the roads closer to the Space Center and dont know about the amazing views from Titusville. The launch looks amazing over the water, especially if it is a night time launch.

The large building is the VAB(Vehicle Assembly Building) and the launch pad is centered in the photo.



There are also excellent views off the SR-405/NASA causeway.

Thanks for the responses and suggestions so far. Having a background in military aviation, I get the cancellations issue.

Complex machines, doing dynamic things, shit happens and they cancel unexpectedly.

There are a bunch of waterfront restaurants in the port that have a great view point for the launch.

If you're going, go out of your way to go to Dixie Crossroads in Titusville for dinner, the seafood is amazing there, especially the rock shrimp.

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Originally posted by jimmy123x:
If you're going, go out of your way to go to Dixie Crossroads in Titusville for dinner, the seafood is amazing there, especially the rock shrimp.

+1, wife and I stop there every time we drive through Titusville. The rock shrimp are an incredible delicacy that I'm surprised almost no other restaurants in America serves.

Cool history behind the rock shrimp.
http://wildoceanmarket.com/history/

Thanks for the suggestions. On a whim, we drove over last week for the CRS-11 launch. It was delayed the first day for weather but launched successfully on Saturday.

As my kids really wanted to see the first stage landing, we watched from the shore just north of FL-528. Several pairs of 10x binos were helpful for us to observe the launch directly, then once it was up we just watched it with the naked eye as it popped in and out of the clouds.



To see that booster fall out of the sky and do a pinpoint landing, that was straight out of science fiction. Very impressive. And the sonic boom just after landing got the kids jumping! Not my videos (obviously) but we definitely noticed the booster canted over a bit as it flew to the landing point.



Dixie Crossroads was great as well. On the day between launch windows we spent time at the American Space museum, at some of the monuments for the various Space Programs, and swimming in the pool.

Thanks again for the recommendations.