Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center

The family will be in Florida next week. I just found out that there will be a Rocket launched during our stay. I am wondering if anyone has actually been there ti see a rocket launch? Any suggestions? It is scheduled to launch at 11:00pm. With 9, 7, and 4 year old boys, I wondering if it is worth spending the money to actually get into a launch area. Or can we see it at distance with some satisfaction.

We are currently planning on spending the day at the center on Friday, but the launch is scheduled for Tuesday.

Thanks for any tips and to suggestions.

FDR

You will be able to see it from far away but I suppose just like fireworks the closer the better. I would think anywhere north or south on the beach would be good viewing. I once saw a launch standing on the Beach. Unfortunately it was the Challenger.

What area are you going to be vacationing at when you come? I wouldn’t bother with getting into the launch area, unless you went primarily to see the space center on that day. The launches get scrapped a lot. The last rocket they actually scrapped once (auto system abort) it after initial ignition. This was after 1 or 2 previous scraps.

Here’s a good link with info and public viewing areas.
spacecoastlaunches.com

The last launch I kicked myself because I didn’t watch it. It was the same rocket I mentioned above and I had no idea how good the view would be 50 miles from Canaveral where I live. It was bluebird skies and low humidity, so I saw the tail end of it picking up take out. The time was near sunset, so I saw a reflection like stars of both the payload and the rocket after they separated and the contrail they left behind.

I hope we have similar conditions for this next one, but being after dark, it won’t be as cool for me being so far away.

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Having lived quite close, you can save yourself the time and money of driving to the Cape and hit any public beach access.

Cape Canaveral sticks out further east than the surrounding coastline, so you will be able to stand on the beach and see it very clearly anywhere south of the Cape. It will look like its being launched from the water.

If you are anywhere close, as pug states, you will be able to see it.

Hell, I grew up on the gulf coast and we would always go outside for shuttle launches and be able to see them from ~200 miles away.

suzuki wrote:

You will be able to see it from far away but I suppose just like fireworks the closer the better. I would think anywhere north or south on the beach would be good viewing. I once saw a launch standing on the Beach. Unfortunately it was the Challenger.

Watched that live on TV in 6th grade. The principal didn’t exactly know what to tell us. We all watched in silence.

FDR

mplspug wrote:

What area are you going to be vacationing at when you come? I wouldn’t bother with getting into the launch area, unless you went primarily to see the space center on that day. The launches get scrapped a lot. The last rocket they actually scrapped once (auto system abort) it after initial ignition. This was after 1 or 2 previous scraps.

Here’s a good link with info and public viewing areas.
spacecoastlaunches.com

The last launch I kicked myself because I didn’t watch it. It was the same rocket I mentioned above and I had no idea how good the view would be 50 miles from Canaveral where I live. It was bluebird skies and low humidity, so I saw the tail end of it picking up take out. The time was near sunset, so I saw a reflection like stars of both the payload and the rocket after they separated and the contrail they left behind.

I hope we have similar conditions for this next one, but being after dark, it won’t be as cool for me being so far away.

We will be staying in Clermont, Florida. Just West of everything Disney I believe.

FDR

You should be able to see it clearly from there if you can find a place with not so many trees.

I wouldnt suggest driving out from there, as the traffic in Cocoa at launch times can be frustrating at best.

francisco4 wrote:

We will be staying in Clermont, Florida. Just West of everything Disney I believe.

FDR

Been there. My friends mom-in-law has a house on Lake Minnehaha.

i say go to Jetty park early. let the kids run around on the beach, you can do some fishing =D and then watch the launch.

Launch pad is 3 miles from viewing area. We visited there in February, if it cost more to get in during an actual launch I think I would just try to watch from another local viewing area.

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francisco4 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
You will be able to see it from far away but I suppose just like fireworks the closer the better. I would think anywhere north or south on the beach would be good viewing. I once saw a launch standing on the Beach. Unfortunately it was the Challenger.

Watched that live on TV in 6th grade. The principal didn’t exactly know what to tell us. We all watched in silence.

FDR

I was a senior in HS at the time… same thing, classrooms & the gym full of students watching… it was just the 30th anniversary of the disaster.