Shuttle Launches

[Mr Bogus]

Ok figuring that watching a top fuel dragster on tv is like kissing your sister... watching a shuttle launch must be the same way...

I have thought about making a trip to FL just to watch one... anyone else ?

Thing must be pretty awesome in person... How about you FL riders?

 

[Don Hardcastle]

The submarine I was assigned to pulled in to Port Everglades several times back in the early 90s. We got to go over and watch a launch. It was awesome.


Don

 

[Gunnybusa]

I'd love to see one.

 

[DNGrumpy]

I saw one back in 96 or 97. Neat to watch. I have pictures somewhere...

 

[ibified]

If i ever go to watch a launch, i want to see a night launch. my cousin and her husband saw one and said it was breathtaking.

 

[FastBusa]

Never saw a shuttle launch, but did see the last Skylab crew go up on a Saturn 1B, Biggest launch until the Shuttle. Also a titan 3C was a very fast launch.
If you get the chance do it

 

[Mr Bogus]

well I guess I should look at the launch schedule

I did see a missile launch from California desert about 6 years ago that was pretty neat in the middle of the night..

 

[zukracer]

I saw it going up when I was in Daytona one spring. It was impressive, cant imagine being there

 

[Sloto200]

Man... i'd love to see one in person!

 

[Mr Bogus]

figures the week of Spring bash is a launch 600 miles away...

 

[FastBusa]

Spring bash at the Cape???

 

[LA Busa]

Saw one in the late 90s when I lived in the Orlando area. They make spectators stay waaaaaaaaay back - thats miles for you and me.

Pretty cool but I still cant comprehend that thing going as fast, fps wise, as a .30/30 bullet...

 

[omslaw]

I took the Family to Disney World last year, right after Labor Day... It took 3 trips to Kennedy (cuz they kept scrubbing), but we finally got to see it go up!

It was definitely an experience!! You see the shuttle go up...and then about 5 seconds later, you hear AND feel it!!

On the day of a launch, you have to get to KSC *early* if you want to get launch tickets and go out to the visitor's viewing area. The parking lot gates also close early on launch days - again, be there early!

Otherwise, you can watch from the road(s) heading to KSC or from the mainland in Titusville, along Hwy 1.

 

[VaBusa]

Mike and I have been talking about taking the kids...only drawback is the drive down and then find out the weather doesn't cooperate, the shuttle's delayed...

Definitely something on the "to do" list one of these lifetimes...it's got to be an amazing thing to watch/feel

 

[rubber2burn]

Well I have had a chance to witness a couple of launches of the shuttle the first Launch the ship I was on in the Navy was off the coast and we were able to track and video the launch. Well then on the same ship but with different Captain's we pulled into to Cape Canverial and I had the pleasure of going with the captian along with a few more sailors from the ship to Launch control and watching the launch it was very impressive a ton of planning and other stuff goes into preping for a Launch and we got to see it first hand all come together. Then on the DDG I was on right before I got out of the Navy we tracked the shuttle as it was comming back from it's space mission and was providing radar data back to shore stations though that was pretty cool.

 

[CrashBomb]

If you're as fascinated by human exploration and the brilliance of space flight as I have been since I was a small child then it is literally a life changing experience to watch the orbiter go up. Like VaBusa said, it's awfully hard to pinpoint a launch with the endless delays and rescheduling, so it's a bad idea to plan an entire vacation around it only to get there and find out it's slated to go up the day after you leave, but if you're in the area and have the chance to see one you're only doing yourself a disservice if you miss the opportunity.

I wish I could have been around to see the old Saturns. Nothing else in the world can shake the earth like the V's 35 mega newtons of rocket force generating almost eight million pounds of lift thrust.

See as many shuttle launches as humanly possible before the program disappears forever. You'll thank yourself and it may even help to restore some of your faith in humanity. We can do unimaginably brilliant things with the simplest Newtonian physics.

 

[ozz]

only watched on a feed at work    we do build and service the orbital maneuvering system(oms engines) for the shuttle        speaking of the saturn v, that was tested at our test stand on property their going to build more homes on   all the equipment is still sitting out there even a test stand that blew up when one of the saturns exploded

 

[05 Busa LE]

Watching the shuttle take off was something I never thought of doing until you asked ... sounds like it'd be awesome!

 

[P-Willy]

This is something i've thought of many times myself. I'm like you, if a top fuel dragster is as awesome as it is to see in person, the sound and fury of a shuttle launch must really be impressive.

 

[Mr Bogus]

I think I am going to try to go for either the Dec launch or the Aug 08 launch... that thing has got to rock your world when it lifts off....