posted 06-15-2011 12:50 PM               

That makes NASA's lottery a 0/3 on the last three launches for me.

I saw for Discovery's 133 when I lost the lottery that time, people in England didn't have a problem acquiring them and tossing them on eBay. But a born in the USA, never seen a launch before shuttle baby and four separate friends also entered (local family members/friends) and they all got the reject as well.

Needless to say almost nine months later and I'm still fuming over their LOTTERY.

I really don't know if I want to do Gator Tours again but that's the only game in town that if I'm lucky I can ride their bus to the causeway.

I'm desperately wanting to go see the last launch. Finally getting to see Discovery leave the pad on the second trip down re-affirmed how cool and wonderful all the years of dreaming about space and someday viewing a launch when I finally saw it live Feb. 24th! My heart sank that my family or me as an adult had never made the effort to watch a launch of the shuttle all those years.

I guess that even if unable to get a ticket for STS-135 that I was very fortunate to recognize the end of the program and make a hell or high water effort to watch Discovery light! I'd love to experience that thrill one more time, especially the very final launch of such a historic space vehicle in a historic place that may be chirping crickets for years to come.

I'd also be interested in one causeway ticket if I could hitch a ride with the placard holder! If I knew that I have the ticket in hand I would make flight & car rental happen in a heartbeat.

I'd be quiet, no fussing or whining, rounds of hotdogs for everyone and would be on my ultimate best manners if you gave me a seat in a car with placard!

posted 06-15-2011 03:44 PM               

We were only able to get one ticket (child) for the "eat with an astronaut" so my eight year old daughter will be having lunch with the astronaut while my wife and I wait outside!

This will be our first time at KSC. Any general launch day advice?

posted 06-15-2011 05:40 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by dfox:
Any estimates on the probability of an on-time launch?

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Would reserve a hotel room for Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

posted 06-17-2011 03:35 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by crowe-t:
However now the site comes right up and there are tickets still available.

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posted 06-18-2011 10:53 AM               

I would really appreciate any information you might have.

posted 06-19-2011 07:50 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
The closest viewing area to watch the launch of '135' is given as six and a half miles. I'm sure that I watched the ASTP launch from a distance of only three and a half miles. Why the difference?

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posted 06-27-2011 03:47 AM               

Gator tickets are being posted so you will have to allow for the delay in the postal system. Dolphin tickets are for collection at the office OR collection on the day (morning) at the bus.

quote:

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Originally posted by FullThrottle:
...people in England didn't have a problem acquiring them and tossing them on eBay.

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So quite why England is picked out as the land of milk, honey and launch tickets I don't know.

(I don't think you meant to single out itty bitty England anyway.)

posted 06-28-2011 02:37 PM               

NASA Sets Launch Date For Final Space Shuttle Mission

Space shuttle Atlantis' Commander Chris Ferguson and his three crewmates are scheduled to begin a 12-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-135 mission is the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

The launch date was announced Tuesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems and personnel are ready.

Atlantis' STS-135 mission will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with supplies and spare parts to sustain space station operations after the shuttles are retired.

The mission also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), an experiment designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space - even satellites not designed to be serviced. The crew also will return an ammonia pump that recently failed on the station. Engineers want to understand why the pump failed and improve designs for future spacecraft.

The crew consists of Commander Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. They are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on Monday, July 4, for final launch preparations.

STS-135 is the 135th shuttle mission, Atlantis' 33rd flight and the 37th shuttle mission to the station.

posted 06-28-2011 09:15 PM               

I've done the public launch viewing a couple times and visited plenty of airshows, so I've got a whole checklist of things that can help in these situations. If any other veteran launch viewer has other tips to pass along, please do. Lets make this day a good one.

Launch viewing sites:

On Kennedy Space Center, there are two main ones that will likely be used and they are the Causeway about six miles south of the pad and the Visitor Complex. The Visitor Complex has no direct line of sight to the pads, so you will be watching the launch on a big screen until the shuttle clears the tower and the building, then you will see it. The Astronaut Hall of Fame will have a similar arrangement, although there is a line of sight view, but at a rather far distance.

Space View Park in Titusville is likely going to be the closest you will get to Kennedy Space Center on public land. It sits about 10 miles due west of the launch complex. Of course, it is going to be packed. There are numerous lots up and down the main coastal road in Titusville, but expect to pay to park anywhere (assuming you can find a parking spot at all). It might be best to just catch a bus to Titusville the night before and walk to a viewing site.

To the south, the SR528 A1A road between the mainland and Merritt Island and then to Cape Canaveral/Port Canaveral is where a lot of locals like to watch launches from as you can get a view of the pads in certain areas. But you won't see too much until liftoff. It is also a road, not a viewing area. So the prime parking spots will likely be taken up early. Cocoa Beach has no direct line of sight to the pads as it is too far south.

I am not sure of what views are available north of Titusville and Kennedy Space Center, although I know from watching videos in the past people have watched shuttle launches from there. If you have a local friend in the area, check with them. But the best spots are likely going to be well kept secrets or available for a fee.

Tips for launch day itself:

First of all, go early. I don't necessarily mean camp out in front of a site 24 hours before launch, but give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination even with traffic snarls (and there will be snarls). If you drive, gas up the tank before you go as you'll be burning a bit of gas idling in traffic jams. If your AC is weak, give it a recharge. Pack a cooler or bag full of water bottles. If you are driving to the Visitor Complex or Astronaut Hall of Fame, have some water on hand to take with you on the drive out and the drive back. You can't take the water bottles inside, but they can always stay stored in the car in the parking lot. Drink at least one bottle and possibly two in the lot before going in and have some stashed for when you return because by the time you get back to the car, it will have been a long day. Even if the water isn't cold, it will still do the job.

If you are riding a bus and they allow it, take a couple bottles of water with you. Don't drink them right away when you get on necessarily as you may not be able to stop for a bathroom break until the destination. But make sure when you get to the destination to get yourself hydrated as you are going to be sitting in the sun for a long time. At the Visitor Complex gate, you'll have to finish your water before entry. But, at least doing it this way and hydrating before means you won't necessarily have to buy drinks when you get in just yet. But, most importantly keep yourself hydrated!

What to take:

At the Visitor Complex, you will have to pass through a security checkpoint and metal detector, so plan accordingly. If you purchased a ticket package, it will have instructions for what you can't take. The main thing is no knives, cigarettes, sharp objects, etc... Small bottles of medications are okay if you need to take those (pack small amounts though).

As for my own list of packing materials, I usually take the following:

One simple tote bag (not a backpack, those aren't allowed) that is big enough to contain what I am taking and what small items I might be purchasing (patches, shirts, light books). It is also big enough to house a small camera bag.

Small bottle of sun screen (or apply some before you leave).

Small travel bottle with maybe a couple doses of painkiller (if your head or feet ache) and maybe a couple antacid tablets (in case a hot dog or burger gets to you).

Insect repellant. Apply insect repellant before going (Kennedy Space Center is a wildlife preserve, and it has a mosquito population). A spray can of insect repellant is likely not allowed, but a small lotion sized bottle might be. When in doubt, keep it inexpensive and disposable if you have to get rid of it or don't have a car to store it in.

Beach towel. I use this instead of a chair as it is lightweight, can be folded up and when unfurled it works great for sitting or laying on a grassy area. Some small chairs might be allowed, but don't take anything heavy as once you get to the Visitor Complex, you will be standing in line to board the buses to the causeway in the heat (even though they have fans blowing water on you to keep you cool(er) and having to lug a chair around gets old very quick).

Baseball cap. Keep your head covered. You don't have to wear it all the time, but it is nice to have.

Light jacket or folding poncho. So Florida is the sunshine state right? Well, it is also the lightning capital of the world as rain showers can and often do pop up frequently. So have something lightweight in your bag that you can put on in case of rain. And don't fret if it does rain as it doesn't necessarily mean a launch is scrubbed either.

Small radio. An old walkman will do the trick, although there are some even tinier cheap radios out there these days. Some of you guys will be high tech with the smart phones, but I tend to be an old fashioned guy. Plus, I like to plan ahead in case the high crowd volume causes the cell sites to have signal dropouts. You know the local TV and radio stations are going to cover this and the signal is free (and the radios don't consume much power unlike what some smart phones can). So it is a good idea to keep a small radio handy to listen for any updates, especially if you aren't seated near a PA speaker with the NASA PAO dialog coming over it. Plus, listening to a radio might help pass the time (but keep the volume low so as not to disturb the neighbors).

Camera. If you take a camera, keep in mind you aren't going to see much unless you've got a good telephoto lens on it. Plus, if it is big and heavy, you'll have to lug it around (same goes for a tripod). There are going to be plenty of better photographers shooting photos and video of the launch, so if you don't get the "money shot" then don't sweat it. Take time to take in the sights, sounds, smells and noise of the experience for your memory. Pictures are usually for those that aren't going to be there. The memory on the otherhand is entirely yours and there is a certain something about how vibrant the colors are that not many photos have ever captured to my satisfaction. If you spend all the time looking at an eyepiece view of the event, you'll miss what it really means to be at a launch.

What to do:

Well, if you are at the Visitor Complex you'll have plenty of things to keep you occupied. You might be tempted to take in some shopping. Go ahead, but save the big purchases for after you get back from the causeway. Get the mission patch, pin and/or shirt quick so your favorite size doesn't sell out (they likely won't). Save getting that gigantic lithoprint of the shuttle on the pad or the Monogram 1/72 shuttle stack model kit for later so you don't have to lug it around with you. Plus, there is a second gift shop at the Apollo Saturn V Center (which usually opens after a launch or a scrub once the VIPs have left) and it has mostly the same stuff, yet a little different variety in some spots.

I believe there is a snack wagon or two on the causeway if you get the munchies (or have to hydrate). So food and water typically won't be a problem. But keep cash on hand as the prices can be a little steep for what you get. Just don't eat too much and make sure you have had a chance to visit the restroom when it gets close to launch time as you don't want to have a "nature calls" moment when liftoff is close.

Most importantly, be patient. Be a good neighbor. Clean up after yourself if you make a mess. Think of watching a launch as almost like attending a rock concert in a park. You'll have lots of neighbors around you, so make some friends while you are at it.

Treat people as you wish to be treated, even if they might not act as courteous. Events like this can bring out the best in people, but sometimes it also can bring about the worst. Towards the end though, tempers begin to get a little short as people anticipate trying to get home and other things (especially if a scrub occurs). Kids begin to get cranky and sometimes adults do as well. Whatever happens, you are going to be stuck there for awhile. So you might as well make the best of it.

The trip home:

Regardless of what happens, be it a successful launch or a scrub, you are going to be in traffic for a while unless you scored a very close by hotel room. Things tend to thin out in the local area in two hours, but the routes going back to Orlando or other cities are usually still snarled up with high volume for a little longer the further out of Kennedy Space Center you get. I hope you didn't plan to catch a flight that evening, because you likely will have to miss it (it happened to me once).

posted 06-29-2011 11:29 AM               

But, the more I think about it, Atlantis I think is a worthy last flight orbiter. It was relatively unknown when it first flew, mainly because less than a year after its first flight (which was a DoD payload flight if I recall correctly, so things were a bit secretive for that) we all got caught up in Challenger's loss. Atlantis has been the quiet workhorse of the fleet all these years, flying missions that haven't been as high profile as some of the others. Only thing to show for it is Hollywood likes to blow it up in movies, or do other bad things to it.

posted 07-03-2011 01:10 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by GACspaceguy:
With a crew of four STS-135 is the smallest in a long time. When was the last time a crew of four flew and how were they arranged for lift off?

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posted 07-05-2011 09:19 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by hawk6751:
I thought there might be few out there with similar feelings...

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posted 07-05-2011 11:57 AM               

Hope to see my cS friends at KSC and at Shuttles.