Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!pdn!goofy!steve
From: steve@goofy.nm.paradyne.com (Steve Fowler)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Watching the Shuttle Launches
Keywords: April 28
Message-ID: <5962@pdn.paradyne.com>
Date: 20 Apr 89 13:13:52 GMT
References: <4505@mtuxo.att.com> <4509@mtuxo.att.com>
Sender: news@pdn.paradyne.com
Reply-To: steve@goofy.paradyne.com (Steve Fowler)
Organization: AT&T Paradyne, Largo, Florida
Lines: 60

In article <4509@mtuxo.att.com> tee@mtuxo.att.com (54317-T.EBERSOLE) writes:
>In article <4505@mtuxo.att.com>, tee@mtuxo.att.com (54317-T.EBERSOLE) writes:
>< 
>< I'll be in Florida next week and will be trying to watch Atlantis
>< leap for the sky. .....
>< .. getting tickets or passes from my Congressman ....
>< Tickets aren't needed for the public viewing area, as it's first-
>< come-first-served.
>< So, I thought I'd check with you folks on the correctness of this
>< opinion, and for suggestions on how to best view the shuttle launch. 
>< Is there someone else I should try to contact?
>< 
>
>To followup my own article, I called Robert Torricelli, the only
>NJ Rep. listed by Peter Scott as a member of the Committee on
>Science, Space and Technologies. (Peter, thank you for posting
>that list.) His office said passes are required (although I'm
>still hazy on what the passes are for; some public viewing area,
>I suppose). Passes should be mailed to me by the NASA Liaison
>Office today.
>
>I would still like to read suggestions on how to best view the
>shuttle launch, when I should get there, directions to wherever
>the passes get me in, ...
>
>-- 
>Tim Ebersole ...!att!mtuxo!tee 
>                 or {allegra,ulysses,mtune,...}!mtuxo!tee


If have been  to  only  one  launch.   The  return  to  space  of
Discovery.  The gentlemen I went with have relatives that work on
the shuttle itself.  They relayed to me that the passes will  get
you  onto  the  Space  Center  causeway.  The causeway is about 8
miles away from the launch pad and be seen cleary.   Unforunately
I  was  not  able  to get on base due to unforseen problems, so I
ended up about 11 miles out on a causeway on the  north  side  of
the  base.   If  you  get passes for the launch, most likely they
will get you onto the  causeway.   The  Challenger  accident  had
forced  the NASA people to move the civilians to at least 8 miles
out from the pad to avoid problems with  civilians  should  there
any kind of accident.  The press is allowed to within three miles
from the pad, this press area sits along side the launch  control
center.   The  only  persons allowed closer than 3 miles during a
launch is the crew of the shuttle itself.  I would highly  recom-
mend  that  you get there EARLY to avoid traffic problems. When I
went, we get there about 4:30am fro an  11:30am  launch  and  the
traffic was backed up then, so, be for warned.

I live in the Tampa Bay area and seen  two  launches  from  here.
Both were spectacular.  I hope you get on base to see the launch.
It will be well worth any hassles you encounter  along  the  way.

Good Luck.

Steve F.
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