Re: STS-117 Processing latest

• #40 by alan w on 08 Feb, 2007 23:06
• hi im new here , just like to ask a question about traffic in the area on launch night/day (14/15). I should arrive in Orlando at 5.30pm on the 14th and have a hire car at the airport booked (coming from the U.K.) Will driving to Titusville and then onto the Kennedy Space Centre, be Easy or is traffic insane? in other words will it be fairly simple to get To Titusville from Orlando international at that time, or have i no hope in hell? Thanks in advance for any advice.
• #41 by Rocket Guy on 09 Feb, 2007 19:46
• You'll be fine the night before. Any traffic starts picking up maybe four hours before launch going into KSC. Since you have a causeway or visitors center ticket, you should be given a time when to show up on your ticket.
• #42 by Concorde on 09 Feb, 2007 20:02
• Hi and welcome.
  
  I am doing pretty much the same thing but get to Orlando half an hour later and am intending to check into a hotel just south of Kennedy before the launch. Its my first time and don't really have a clue but I have noticed a tour company that has a package including the LTT tickets and they "pick up from hotels in the Orlando area between 12:15am and 1:30am". I thought I saw another company that said 3am !!! I think this should give a good indication. The 528 seems to take you most of the way.
  
  I see Ben has answered already.
  
  Can anyone answer if I the road tolls are coin only or can I get change from a note?)
  
• #43 by scubaroo on 10 Feb, 2007 19:29
• ALAN W...
  
  I'm landing around the same time on the 14th, flying VA075 MAN-MCO...
  
  yet to book a hotel, doesnt look like anything decent in Titusville itself.
• #44 by Jim on 10 Feb, 2007 19:36
• Quote

  Concorde - 9/2/2007  4:02 PM
  
  Hi and welcome.
  
  I am doing pretty much the same thing but get to Orlando half an hour later and am intending to check into a hotel just south of Kennedy before the launch. Its my first time and don't really have a clue but I have noticed a tour company that has a package including the LTT tickets and they "pick up from hotels in the Orlando area between 12:15am and 1:30am". I thought I saw another company that said 3am !!! I think this should give a good indication. The 528 seems to take you most of the way.
  
  I see Ben has answered already.
  
  Can anyone answer if I the road tolls are coin only or can I get change from a note?)
  

  Notes are fine
• #45 by alan w on 11 Feb, 2007 23:18
• Quote

  scubaroo - 10/2/2007  2:29 PM
  
  ALAN W...
  
  I'm landing around the same time on the 14th, flying VA075 MAN-MCO...
  
  yet to book a hotel, doesnt look like anything decent in Titusville itself.

  
  im staying here http://www.ramadaksc.com/ booked it a long while back, dont know if thats any help to you?
• #46 by MySDCUserID on 12 Feb, 2007 01:29
• There is also the Hampton Inn just off of I-95 on SR 50.  It's fairly new, and Hampton Inns are pretty good hotels.  As a bonus, it is within walking distance of Cracker Barrel.   There is also the Holiday Inn on US-1 in Titusville.  It's right on the river with a clear view to KSC.  It is an older hotel.  I doubt it is as nice as the Hampton Inn.  Though, it is probably equal to the Ramada.  The Ramada has its own Denny's, so you can get an early breakfast before the launch.
• #47 by Budweiser on 19 Feb, 2007 20:19
• Quote

  Ben - 27/1/2007  1:06 AM
  
  After the tickets sell Monday (if you don't get one) they have another causeway ticket offer, with the Greyline tour bus company from downtown Orlando. They never seem to sell out of these additional tickets; they will cost $109 each I believe.
  
  Otherwise, Titusville is the place.

  
  I was unable to get a causeway ticket, yes they sell out very fast.  I did book a "VIP Ticket" thru one of the tour companies from Orlando.  So my question is, will this be at the VIP launch viewing site or am I mistaken?  I did send a request to my Senator, and finally heard back 2 weeks after I requested, saying they were working with NASA on the request but could not guarantee anything.
  
  This will be my first view of a launch, and am very excited about it.  Finding these forums makes it even more anticipated.
• #48 by uko on 19 Apr, 2007 21:34
• Can somebody help me.. I don't understand if I need to buy the launch viewing tickets in advance or can I also buy them on launch day at KSC?
• #49 by Rocket Guy on 19 Apr, 2007 22:06
• Advance only. You won't be able to get to KSC in the first place without a ticket to drive in on launch day.
• #50 by TNCMAXQ on 20 Apr, 2007 16:26
• Just wondering where these launch dates of the 14th and 15th are coming from. Did I miss something? The very accurate spaceflightnow.com still has 117 on for June 8.  
  
  Watching from Titusville is good and there is a clear view of the pad *IF* it is a clear day. The one launch I watched from there, STS-28, was on a day with significant ground fog so you could not see the vehicle on the pad. It took at least 20 seconds before it was visible. So that launch was quite "short" but still memorable. Not to disappoint anyone but I found a drawback to watching from Titusville is that you don't hear much sound from the vehicle. I think it took close to 2 minutes to hear any rumbling from the engines. At least that was my experience in 1989. Maybe it depends on the wind and weather. The 2 launches I saw from the causeway were much louder, and the sound hit a lot sooner.
• #51 by uko on 20 Apr, 2007 16:38
• Oh my.. a big dilemma for me here.. I can't decide if I should buy tickets for KSC Visitor Center launch viewing or watch the launch from Titusville (Space View Park etc).
  I'm coming to Florida from Europe (Estonia) and it's my first time ever to see a space launch.. actually it is my first visit to US too
  
  Just keeping my fingers crossed here that the launch happens in early June.
  
  
  Go Atlantis!!!
  
• #52 by Rocket Guy on 20 Apr, 2007 16:40
• The posts saying the 14/15th were from when the launch was in March :-)
  
  We don't get too many days in Florida where you can't see ten miles, so I wouldn't worry too much. But I guess it can happen once in a while. You are correct, the sound takes about 55 seconds to travel 11 miles. Reports I've heard from people who watched there multiple times say it can be loud to almost nothing, and yea, the wind and humidity can play a factor.
• #53 by Bubbinski on 24 Apr, 2007 03:51
• I was in no way, shape, or form, able to head for Florida for a March launch or anytime before that....but now an opportunity has come up and I'm seriously considering making it (for my 2nd shuttle launch viewing) on June 8th.  SO....are causeway tickets now available for the 6/8 attempt, or are they still sold out?
  
  EDIT: Looks like I answered my own question.  As per KSC Visitor Center site the causeway tickets are sold out so I got KSC Visitor Center launch tickets.
• #54 by uko on 25 Apr, 2007 07:58
• Can somebody tell if the KSC Visitor Center launch tickets are also sold out usually?
  Should I buy these quickly if I want to view the launch from there?
  
• #55 by Bubbinski on 25 Apr, 2007 15:57
• If I recall correctly, the first time I saw a launch in 2001 (STS-104) the KSC VC tickets were indeed sold out so I saw it from the astronaut hall of fame.  The bird turned night into day, it was awesome.
• #56 by Rocket Guy on 25 Apr, 2007 20:05
• I would not recommend the hall of fame tickets. Choose between Titusville and the VC.
• #57 by Concorde on 26 Apr, 2007 09:07
• Any views on the potential for 8th June to slip before role-out? Need to book flights soon.
• #58 by uko on 26 Apr, 2007 09:13
• You know, I take it this way.. In theory the probability for a slip is very high based on previous flights, but I try to say to myself that if I even can't see the actual launch, the trip to Florida is still worth it
  
• #59 by reed911 on 09 May, 2007 15:55
• since KSC is now sold out of tickets to view at the causeway for STS-117  is there any private/third party companies that I can try to get tickets from?