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Author
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Topic: Watching launches in-person versus on TV
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OLDIE
Member Posts: 380
From: Portsmouth, England
Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 04-03-2026 08:05 AM
  
Judging by the reactions of people watching the live launch of Artemis II, some might think it strange that I get more excitement in watching the launches on TV. I was lucky enough to see live launches of both the launch of Apollo 17 and the first Shuttle. In each case I found most excitement in the countdown, rather than the launch itself (perhaps because of the distances between the pad and the viewing audience). Am I alone in this, or do others feel the same? |
jdcupp
Member Posts: 52
From: Ardmore, TN
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 04-03-2026 08:17 AM
For me, it's yes and no. I like seeing the close-ups and multiple angles TV offers. And yes, countdowns are exciting when you can see the clock ticking down. And the NASA and news commentary adds context to some views that might need explanation to an arm-chair fan like me. But having seen two launches with my own eyes, I have to say I prefer it that way. I saw STS-135 from Titusville and this past Wednesday I was privileged to watch Artemis II launch on-base near the KSC Industrial Area (my son-in-law is an SLS engineer) and they were experiences I will never forget. Even HDTV can't translate how brilliant the flame is compared to seeing it with my own eyes. It can be felt on the retina. And being in the open with a dome view of the almost infinite sky with a full view of the contrail, the trajectory, feel of nature around you — it is a true senso-round experience. To me, it's sort of like watching a ball game on TV vs. attending one. I cheered in the open air with the crowd. I rubbed shoulders with engineers and rocket scientists. I stood on a historic site with my grandchildren and watched my kids who poured their sweat and tears into the SLS project give each other a well deserved hug. Anyway, that's my perspective. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 2042
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 04-05-2026 07:41 AM
I have lived on Brevard County since 1988. I worked at CCSFS/KSC from 1988 to 2024. My first launch was a Delta in 1974. Second was Challenger in 1984. Since 1988, I seen over 500 launches. I may not wake up or drive to the Cape see a routine launch anymore, but I will watch launches from my front yard during waking hours or arrange a visit to the Cape for non-routine launches. I have seen Delta, Delta II, Delta III, Delta IV, Delta IV Heavy, Atlas E, Atlas G, Atlas I, Atlas II, Atlas III, Atlas V, Titan 34D, Titan IV, Shuttle, SLS, Pegasus, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, ATB, Trident II, Hypersonic Missile, Minotaur, SCOUT, and New Glenn. I seen launches from Vandenberg. Been as close as mile away. I will continue to watch them live as long as I can. |
Eddie Bizub
Member Posts: 189
From: Kissimmee, FL USA
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 04-05-2026 09:25 AM
I saw the STS-6 launch 43 years ago yesterday. We were at the old VIP site which was about 4 miles away. I was 16 years old. Despite how my wife of 32+ years looked on our wedding day, that launch is still the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. The brightness of the flame and the sound! The TV just does not do it justice. The coverage is great and the multiple camera angles are cool. But trust me. Seeing launches in person never... and I mean NEVER... gets old!!! |
Headshot
Member Posts: 1469
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 04-05-2026 09:45 AM
I have never been to see a launch in person. However, a dear friend of mine was invited to witness the Apollo 10 launch, along with a number of planetarium educators, in May of 1969. When he returned to the Elgin Illinois planetarium, we were eager to hear his impressions. The thing that he stressed was feeling the sound waves from the launch pounding his chest. It was a very visceral and physical event that seemed, to him, to transcend the visual aspect. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3949
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 04-05-2026 10:48 AM
I have seen two launches at KSC: Apollo-Soyuz (Saturn 1B) from about 3.25 miles; and Space Shuttle STS-117 from about 6 miles. The thing that was common to both, but is never properly translated onto TV, was the blinding, sun-bright glare of the rocket engines at ignition, and during lift-off. The sound is a bit more complicated: in both cases, the crackling roar and low-frequency vibrations were visceral and exciting, but at home I was able to play the launch sounds on a good sound system at high volume and actually outdo the original sounds, at least in some respects. There are always elements of the sound you just can't replicate or improve upon! As for the sight of the launch vehicle rising into a clear blue sky, there is no substitute for seeing it for real, and knowing it's really happening, right there, right above you. |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4677
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 04-05-2026 03:09 PM
I shall never forget watching the Apollo launches on TV in my youth. But having been fortunate to watch Shuttle and Atlas launches from the KSC Press Site and the causeway respectively, there is nothing that matches the visceral assault on one's senses as the shock waves washed over me.My only regret... not having witnessed any of the Apollo launches in person
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Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 4049
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 04-08-2026 05:40 PM
By far, as I am sure most would agree, that seeing a rocket launch in-person can be quite exciting, or better yet, exhilarating! There is really no comparison than watching from a TV or online screen, although a closer and sharper image on some big screens does have their advantages by today's advance imagery technology.
But a "live" in-person liftoff of a missile or rocket cannot be beat in my opinion. Being outside up close or not you can take-in the whole unique experience that can be breathless as the sights and sounds cannot be duplicated elsewhere.
Take for instance the recent Artemis II launch of NASA's new Space Launch System with its crewed Orion spacecraft. The liftoff noise starts just under 10 seconds into flight and builds up to a deep and intensifying sharp rumble. Quickly it becomes a deafening and cracking roar that goes right through you. To me personally, while stationed at the Kennedy Space Center Complex 39 area, it was a sense of relief and jubilation in America going back to the moon since 1972.
Of all the nearly 900 "live" launch viewings that I have been fortunate to witness since 1968 (nearly 60 years), those most impressive would be SLS, the Apollo/Saturn V's, and certain Space Shuttle liftoffs. In addition, the blast-offs of the Titan IIIE rockets with Viking Mars spacecrafts along with the Voyager deep space probes of the 1970's were quite extraordinary. Atlas V, Falcon 9, and New Glenn are quite similar.
You can also check this 2004 thread on "First 'live' viewing of a space launch." It starts with my very first rocket liftoff viewing outside KSC/CCSFS grounds from a causeway over the Banana River on Sept. 1968. It was a Long Tank Delta rocket (#59) that actually exploded during flight.
Other rockets that are rarely mentioned, of which I did view from press site areas, were Ares 1-X, Prospector, Athena 1 and 2, and research rockets Starbird and LOFT-1, of which, I was a philately payload sponsor. Others would be the Army Pershing II and Navy ballistic missiles Poseidon, Chevaline, Trident I and II, and some heavy commercial vehicles.
During the shuttle era, my brother had asked me when will be my 100th U.S. manned spaceflight viewing. As the shuttle flight schedule worked out, it would be a shuttle Columbia launch sometime in the summer of 1997. It was unknown why he would ask me such a thing.
A few days or so before the launch of STS-94, that took place on July 1, my brother Michael, along with some local aerospace friends of mine, gifted a batch of special cachet covers (see below) commemorating my 100th U.S. crewed space launch viewings. Some of the text at bottom read, "...Ken has observed every manned space shot since 1968 as an eyewitness from KSC's "on-site" viewing areas that included all 15 Apollo-related liftoffs and all 85 Space Shuttle launches." Our local main Florida Today newspaper picked up the story that depicted one of the covers postmarked. The article also indicated that at the time (1997) there had been another Merritt Islander, NBC veteran space reporter Jay Barbree, topped my achievement with him viewing the most space shots since the late 1950's.  To help set the record straight, however, I had not witnessed the first few Apollo flights "on site" as the caption implies, but rather being on KSC grounds with Apollo 12 and afterwards. The main VIP site at Kennedy were used for the later Apollo and Skylab missions along with Press Site 39 for Apollo-Soyuz and all subsequent shuttle missions.
Another surprise came from the shuttle flight crew on Columbia's 23rd mission, I believe in the next month or two, when one of the flight crew astronaut friends presented a lovely crew signed NASA montage featuring a flown U.S. flag and mission patch for my 100th, one of the highlights of an unusual or perhaps unique space career. When seeing so many current space shots nowadays, it's not always "on-site," but rather on my backyard deck or even from my office window looking north-east where most of the launch pads are. What more can a space and rocket geek ask for?
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oly
Member Posts: 1537
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 04-08-2026 09:37 PM
Viewing a rocket launch in-person includes an experience of light, sound, and feeling that can't be experienced on TV. While there have been some YouTube channels that record the sound of a launch in high-definition, you just don’t get the same visceral experience, and having a sound system that may replicate the sounds would blow out the neighbours' windows.I have seen a few launches from different vantage points, and was lucky enough to watch a launch from a causeway on the Air Force base, close to the launch pad. When the engines ignited, I could see fish jump from the water, and swarms of lightning bugs rise from the grass. The light from the engines was like the sun rising, and the sound moved through your body. It was tough to know where to look to take it all in. Watching from home is a different experience. You get the benefit of additional information, launch commentary, and the convenience of being at home. It is much like watching a sport at home versus at the game; it's just a different experience.
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3949
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 04-09-2026 04:18 PM
quote:
Originally posted by oly:
When the engines ignited, I could see fish jump from the water...
At last! This is only the second account I have ever heard which refers to fish jumping out of the water at KSC on engine ignition and launch. The other account was given to me by Jaime Evans, daughter of Ron Evans, as she watched the launch of Apollo 17. |
Ben
Member Posts: 1950
From: United States
Registered: May 2000
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posted 04-09-2026 08:16 PM
I routinely see fish jump out of the water for night launches. The launches also cause alligators to bellow.There is no comparison. It's not like sports. (And by the way, you can listen to commentary while waiting). As he said above, the light and sound can only be experienced in person. The flame emits a light that only your eyes can see. It's not a smooth white or yellow like photos and videos capture. More like molten gold or something similar, to describe it as others have. People I have brought to their first launch (sometimes not too close) have come in expecting the sound and walked away saying 'wow, that was much brighter than I was expecting, I could barely look at the flame.' And some of them added that it was not as loud as they were expecting; it was the light that didn't know about in advance. That said, all launches are not equal. If you are very far away and see a daytime launch, especially if it has no smoke trail, you may be far less impressed than you would have been if you were close or saw one at night, or a combination of the two. If your first launch is at night and as close as you can get, you are going to be floored. It's common for me to be asked for tips on what launch to try for if it was their first or maybe their only chance to experience one. I always try to encourage people to aim for one they can get close to, and at night, if they are flexible. Then close in general, night from far away, and far away daylight as the last option. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 4049
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 04-09-2026 08:20 PM
About the fish jumping when rocket engines ignite for a liftoff, I have heard a similar story during Apollo. When observing a launch from Press Site 39's Turn Basin waterway or the Banana Creek Viewing Site near the Banana Creek River, I have never seen such a thing nor did I even try to look for any fish. My primary focus has always been on the launch vehicle itself and the pad underneath. Maybe someone else at those closest viewing sites might have seen the jumping fish not reported before. How about letting cS-readers know?
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Ben
Member Posts: 1950
From: United States
Registered: May 2000
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posted 04-09-2026 08:41 PM
The turn basin area may not be as active with fish as other areas, but just a guess. But my common experience, watching on the water in silence, is as soon as the pad lights up and before the sound hits, you will hear the water start to rustle from the fish going nuts. I don't have it every single mission, but have many times. Perhaps when it is very still out and the water is very calm. | |
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