Watching a Rocket or Shuttle Launch

Watching a space shuttle launch in Florida is a truly memorable occasion. Words cannot describe the anticipation and then the sights and sounds of a space shuttle blasting off from the NASA Kennedy Space Center. At the point of engine ignition and lift off there is no sound (sound travels a lot slower than light) and then the ground literally shakes.

Whereas arrangements could made to watch a space shuttle launch in Florida, there were equivalent arrangements to watch it land. Originally space shuttles used to land at Edwards Air Force Base but they now routinely land back at the NASA Kennedy Space Center.

With the ending of the shuttle programme, the opportunity to see a shuttle launch has now gone but you can still watch the many NASA and commercial rocket launches from the Cape.

If you had happened to be around when a space shuttle was coming back to earth, then you may well have heard a double sonic boom as it returned earthwards.

Having watched the launch of the Columbia/STS-83 mission in 1997, it was then cut short because of fuel problems and we heard the double sonic boom whilst waiting to watch the afternoon parade in Magic Kingdom a few days later when it was forced to make an early return.

Watching a launch from inside the Kennedy Space Center

NASA used to offer free passes to watch a space shuttle launch in Florida from the NASA causeway but like Spaceport USA itself, NASA now charges for tickets though if you have contacts within NASA you may still be able to get a pass.

You can watch the launch from the Astronauts Hall of Fame by buying an Astronaut Hall of Fame Launch Viewing ticket (though the view is not that good). For an extra fee you can watch from the roof.

Alternatively you can watch from the Space Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex by buying a normal Maximum Access Launch Viewing ticket.

For a few extra dollars, you can purchase a Launch Viewing and Admission Package which gives you all the facilities offered by the Maximum Access Launch Viewing but with the added bonus that you can watch the launch from the NASA causeway.

This is by far the best option as the causeway offers a clear view of the launch pad; from the other sites, the initial lift-off can be obscured by trees.

Watching a launch from outside the Kennedy Space Center

Even if you cannot obtain a pass or buy a ticket, you can still watch a space shuttle launch or rocket launch from a number of locations nearby outside of the NASA complex, in particular along US Highway 1 between Route 406 and US 50 around Titusville or on the coast: