Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!jmh From: jmh@engin.umich.edu (Jeffrey M. Hansen) Subject: Re: Seeing Launch... Message-ID: Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 02:22:43 GMT Organization: Campus Computing Sites, University of Michigan References: <1991Jun02.092719.26176@demon.co.uk> In article <1991Jun02.092719.26176@demon.co.uk> Andre Willey writes: > >When I was in Florida at the time of a launch, I went down to a little place >called Titusville (sp?) just up the coast from the space centre, and almost >directly opposite the launch pad itself. If you get there an hour or so >before the launch (before too many cars arrive) and park in the MacDonald's >car park you can have a burger while you wait; there will be lots of other >people there, all with radios tuned to the KSC broadcasts... We did about the same thing when we saw STS-7 (Sally Ride, Challenger). Only crowds were a lot bigger then--we drove there the night before the launch and slept in the car in a bank's parking lot until the lift-off the following morning. There were cars, campers, people lining that north/south road through Titusville. >Then, when the time comes, you can stroll a hundred yards down the small road >beside the restaurant to the water's edge, where you have a clear view over >to the pad. I got a *great* view, and some nice pictures. Of course, my little >200mm lens was overpowered by folks with 1000mm lenses and tripods, but what >the hell, I saw it! And heard it (wow!) Yeah, you can hear it! I remember calculating how far away we were using the time delay between seeing and hearing the lift-off. Around 4 miles, I think. I was disappointed because they were supposed to land back at KSC, but diverted to Edwards instead. I wanted to hear/see the shuttle break Mach--it apparently does it right over the town! >Don't forget to have your car radio tuned into the local station which >carries the KSC stuff. If the launch is scrubbed before you arrive you can >always turn back or change your plans. Also, you can follow the progress >of the mission once the shuttle is way out of eyesight and you are back >in the traffic jam! >BTW - it's a good idea to park close to (or even on) the road ready for a >quick getaway as soon as the shuttle is out of view - those extra couple of >minutes getting back onto the road can make the difference between a one >hour and a three hour journey back to Orlando! Or you could always sit >around for an hour until KSC is open to visitors again, but I guess it would >be a bit crowded! >We did our trip to visit KSC *before* the launch date, and though you can't >get close to the pad with the shuttle on (fuel, explosives bolts, etc), you >Andre >Andre Willey | Email: (1) andre%cix@ukc.ac.uk >7 Oaklands Road, Sutton Coldfield, | (2) andre@cix.compulink.co.uk >West Midlands, B74 2TB, England. | (3) ...{mcsun}!ukc!cix!andre >Phone: (UK) 021-308-5251 | "Il est mort, Jean Luc..." >Note: Some mailers have problems with replies to address (2) at the moment -- Jeff Hansen ----------- Internet: jmh@aal.itd.umich.edu BitNet: userHCQ7@UBUMICH Jeff_Hansen@ub.cc.umich.edu