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Watch a Space Shuttle Launch

Country: United States of America

City or Region:
Orlando

Cost: $50-99

Themes: Sightseeing - Popular Attractions, Sightseeing - Off the Beaten Track, Museums, Science and Unique Experiences

Suitable for: Everyone

Website: http://www.ksctickets.com

Watch a space shuttle launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Premium Launch Package gets you:

- Admission to the Visitor Center, including shops, exhibits, the rocket garden, and a Shuttle Launch Experience ride
- Lunch (buffet) with an astronaut
- Access via shuttle bus to the closest public viewing site

You'll need to act fast once a launch is announced, as tickets sell out quickly! Of course, if you're not able to get tickets to KSC, the launch will still be visible. The KSC website includes a list of good places to watch from.

Your visitor center and shuttle bus tickets are good for a particular mission, even if that launch is postponed -- which is likely, given the number of things that have to go right! Buy your tickets early before they sell out, but wait to reserve your flight and hotel until only a few days before. Plan for a 3- or 4-day stay in Orlando so that you can get another chance if the launch is postponed by a day or two. Make sure your reservations are refundable if you have to cancel.

You will not be reissued another shuttle bus ticket if the launch is scrubbed, so wait until about two hours before launch before boarding. The viewing site is on a causeway in the middle of a river, so there's not much to do out there anyway. Make sure to buy drinking water at the visitor complex to stay hydrated -- there are concession tents at the viewing site, but the lines are long and they sometimes run out!

If you want to do this, you'll need to act soon. The space shuttles will be retired in the next two years, once construction on the space station is complete.

Transport information and advice
You're best off renting a car to drive from Orlando about 45 minutes east to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center. Once there, transportation to the viewing site within the complex will be via a shuttle bus.

Traffic on the direct route back to Orlando after a launch is pretty crazy, because much of it is only two-lane roads. Make sure your gas tank is full, you could be sitting for a while! You may also be better off taking SR-3 or US-1 south and getting on the Beachline highway from Cocoa.

By Michael Kolb | Flag Inappropriate | Print This Page | Email This Page