First trip to KSC! What should we know/see/do?

OK, so I'm a complete newbie to this stuff. We're going to KSC to
(hopefully!) watch the New Horizons launch -- we'll be there on the
17th but have to fly home that night so everyone cross your fingers for
good weather, please, OK?

So my question is -- what else should we see there? What's a "must
see", what's a "don't bother" -- should we plan on going there on
Monday for the sightseeing and back on Tuesday for the launch, or will
we have time to see everything on Tuesday?

What's it like watching a launch, anyway? I mean, not the actual
takeoff itself, but the part about getting there, fighting the crowds,
figuring out where the best place is to see everything -- any hints to
make it a better experience in any way? Should I bring all my camera
equipment or will I (as I suspect) be too overwhelmed watching it live
to even think about taking pictures? Any other touristy-type tips you
can share?

I know this is all old news to you s.s.h. regulars, but it's brand new
to me and I don't want to miss out on anything good. Also, I'm going
with a guy who's a real NASA hound, so I want to be able to act like I
know at least a little bit about where we're going to be and what we're
going to see and do there.

Help! I mean, thanks! I mean, thanks for the help!

/... I'll save the Disney World questions for another time

Okay - you gotta have two days at KSC. The tours are excellent. I went
on the NASA: THEN & NOW tour and loved it. It will take two days to do
the tours & really see the entire exhibit.

Then you have the Astronaut Hall of Fame. That's probably close to a
day by itself.

Nearby is the Valiant Air Command museum at Titusville. If you like
aviation (specifically military) it's a must see. They have some
beautifully restored aircraft on display.

If you are in the area, I'd also go see the Flying Tigers Museum at
Kissimmee and Kermit Weeks' Fantasy of Flight museum near Polk City.

That's all I had time to do there, but it was well worth it. Visiting
KSC was a dream come true for me.

Hard to believe I went to the US (from Australia) the first and so far
only time of my life - and I didn't go to Disneyland.

nancy13g wrote:
OK, so I'm a complete newbie to this stuff. We're going to KSC to
(hopefully!) watch the New Horizons launch -- we'll be there on the
17th but have to fly home that night so everyone cross your fingers for
good weather, please, OK?

So my question is -- what else should we see there? What's a "must
see", what's a "don't bother" -- should we plan on going there on
Monday for the sightseeing and back on Tuesday for the launch, or will
we have time to see everything on Tuesday?

What's it like watching a launch, anyway? I mean, not the actual
takeoff itself, but the part about getting there, fighting the crowds,
figuring out where the best place is to see everything -- any hints to
make it a better experience in any way? Should I bring all my camera
equipment or will I (as I suspect) be too overwhelmed watching it live
to even think about taking pictures? Any other touristy-type tips you
can share?

I know this is all old news to you s.s.h. regulars, but it's brand new
to me and I don't want to miss out on anything good. Also, I'm going
with a guy who's a real NASA hound, so I want to be able to act like I
know at least a little bit about where we're going to be and what we're
going to see and do there.

Help! I mean, thanks! I mean, thanks for the help!

/... I'll save the Disney World questions for another time

"Evil Roy" wrote in message
...
Okay - you gotta have two days at KSC. The tours are excellent. I went
on the NASA: THEN & NOW tour and loved it. It will take two days to do
the tours & really see the entire exhibit.

Then you have the Astronaut Hall of Fame. That's probably close to a day
by itself.

Nearby is the Valiant Air Command museum at Titusville. If you like
aviation (specifically military) it's a must see. They have some
beautifully restored aircraft on display.

If you are in the area, I'd also go see the Flying Tigers Museum at
Kissimmee and Kermit Weeks' Fantasy of Flight museum near Polk City.

That's all I had time to do there, but it was well worth it. Visiting KSC
was a dream come true for me.

Hard to believe I went to the US (from Australia) the first and so far
only time of my life - and I didn't go to Disneyland.



I first went to KSC back in the early 1980's when I was a kid. First
visit to Florida. It was during the summer time so it was packed with
people. That place was just as spectacular in it's own way as Sea World,
Gator Land, Disney World, and Epcot were. I just went back to KSC January
2005. Since it was January it wasn't really crowded at all. They did have
a good crowd, but it was not packed like summer time. Again I had a great
time. We went on the general bus tour again where they take you by the big
building where they build the shuttle, then to some building with the old
computers and screens from the old launches from the 60's and 70's and also
the big lookout tower where you can get views of the two shuttle launch
pads. Then onto the Saturn complex. Then back to the main KSC area.

I have to say that NASA has done a very good job with KSC. It's cool
and fun. You can easily spend a good part of the day there. And as others
have said you can spend more time there if you want. And it's so hard to
walk out of that place without some souvenir with KSC on it. lol

One thing I have not done yet was visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
What's in it? Is it any good?

Here is a sign of how time's have changed - on my first visit to KSC in
the 1980's I remember on the bus tour the guide pointed out some Bald Eagles
that were nesting in the area. They pointed their nests out as we drove
buy. Back then that was kind of a big thing since Bald Eagles were
endangered and all that. Well, on the same tour last year they drove buy
the same area and pointed out the Bald Eagles. The funny thing is my
relatives live on a small lake in Orlando and Bald Eagles land on a big flag
pole in their yard by the water - and it's nothing special at all. lol It's
like, you seen one Bald Eagle you seen them all!

Anyway, KSC is a great place to visit. The people at NASA should get an
award or something for running such a nice set up.

"Evil Roy" wrote in message
...


Hard to believe I went to the US (from Australia) the first and so far
only time of my life - and I didn't go to Disneyland.


That would be Disney World if you were in Florida. But anyway, why not
a repeat visit? Except for air line tickets everything can be had cheap
(hotels/cars.)

Also, I was always told that astronauts were giving Cyanide to take in
case of disaster. After tasting Australian Vegemite I now know that's
wrong - they were given Vegemite to kill themselves! lol How can you eat
that stuff?

In article .com,
nancy13g wrote:
So my question is -- what else should we see there? What's a "must
see", what's a "don't bother" -- should we plan on going there on
Monday for the sightseeing and back on Tuesday for the launch, or will
we have time to see everything on Tuesday?

Better to start your sightseeing Monday, so you'll be able to continue
it Tuesday if (as is quite likely) there's too much for one day.

...Should I bring all my camera
equipment or will I (as I suspect) be too overwhelmed watching it live
to even think about taking pictures?

It's easy to fall into the trap of being so busy getting the best shots of
everything that you don't really find time to watch!

When I was down there for a shuttle launch, I didn't take a camera.
Although I used binoculars to watch during preparations, when I saw main
engine start, I admired it briefly and then put the binocs down, so I
could watch liftoff and early ascent with the Mark One eyeballs. Mind
you, this exact strategy depended on being relatively close; there aren't
any public viewing sites that close any more, so you may find that you
need binoculars throughout to get any sort of decent view. Do take them,
but go easy on the camera gear. Focus on watching.

(Note also that, particularly from today's viewing sites, you'll be seeing
liftoff and the first part of the ascent in silence. The sound takes a
while to reach you.)

Any other touristy-type tips you can share?

It's coastal Florida. Even though it's January, take mosquito repellent
and sunscreen. You may not need them, but you don't want to find out the
hard way that you do.

Take a portable radio; you can get a countdown that way even if you're not
near a PA speaker. Take spare batteries for the radio and for your
camera. If it's chilly, dress extra warmly, because you may be standing
around for a while waiting.

Weather, circumstances, and timing permitting, take a picnic lunch, and
don't unpack it until after launch. That way you can be sitting
comfortably, eating and relaxing, while everybody else is inching along
bumper-to-bumper leaving. Take your time eating, and with any luck the
traffic will be just about clear when you do pack up and leave. (This
trick works well for airshows too.) Also take a few accessible snacks, so
you won't have to dip into the lunch if there's a delay and you get a bit
hungry.

Take some water, but go easy on fluids, starting a bit before you go to
watch -- depending on where you are, there might not be a convenient
washroom.
--
spsystems.net is temporarily off the air; | Henry Spencer
mail to henry at zoo.utoronto.ca instead. |

(Henry Spencer) wrote:

Weather, circumstances, and timing permitting, take a picnic lunch, and
don't unpack it until after launch. That way you can be sitting
comfortably, eating and relaxing, while everybody else is inching along
bumper-to-bumper leaving. Take your time eating, and with any luck the
traffic will be just about clear when you do pack up and leave. (This
trick works well for airshows too.)

And baseball games - I've found that sitting in my seat until the
aisles clear followed by a leisurely stroll to the parking lot gets me
to the highway just as soon as if I'd joined the lemmings.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

Henry Spencer wrote:
In article .com,
nancy13g wrote:
So my question is -- what else should we see there? What's a "must
see", what's a "don't bother" -- should we plan on going there on
Monday for the sightseeing and back on Tuesday for the launch, or will
we have time to see everything on Tuesday?

Better to start your sightseeing Monday, so you'll be able to continue
it Tuesday if (as is quite likely) there's too much for one day.

...Should I bring all my camera
equipment or will I (as I suspect) be too overwhelmed watching it live
to even think about taking pictures?

It's easy to fall into the trap of being so busy getting the best shots of
everything that you don't really find time to watch!

When I was down there for a shuttle launch, I didn't take a camera.
Although I used binoculars to watch during preparations, when I saw main
engine start, I admired it briefly and then put the binocs down, so I
could watch liftoff and early ascent with the Mark One eyeballs. Mind
you, this exact strategy depended on being relatively close; there aren't
any public viewing sites that close any more, so you may find that you
need binoculars throughout to get any sort of decent view. Do take them,
but go easy on the camera gear. Focus on watching.

(Note also that, particularly from today's viewing sites, you'll be seeing
liftoff and the first part of the ascent in silence. The sound takes a
while to reach you.)

Any other touristy-type tips you can share?

It's coastal Florida. Even though it's January, take mosquito repellent
and sunscreen. You may not need them, but you don't want to find out the
hard way that you do.

Take a portable radio; you can get a countdown that way even if you're not
near a PA speaker. Take spare batteries for the radio and for your
camera. If it's chilly, dress extra warmly, because you may be standing
around for a while waiting.

Weather, circumstances, and timing permitting, take a picnic lunch, and
don't unpack it until after launch. That way you can be sitting
comfortably, eating and relaxing, while everybody else is inching along
bumper-to-bumper leaving. Take your time eating, and with any luck the
traffic will be just about clear when you do pack up and leave. (This
trick works well for airshows too.) Also take a few accessible snacks, so
you won't have to dip into the lunch if there's a delay and you get a bit
hungry.

Take some water, but go easy on fluids, starting a bit before you go to
watch -- depending on where you are, there might not be a convenient
washroom.
--
spsystems.net is temporarily off the air; | Henry Spencer



Everything Henry has stated above is very good advice especially the
picnic lunch and radio. I tried to watch the first launch attempt of
STS-114 from Manzo Park in Titusville, the radio and picnic lunch came
in handy as I learned the launch was scrubbed for the day. Our family
ate our lunch and enjoyed the park,yet we still got caught in a huge
traffic jam trying to return to our hotel on Cocoa Beach. When in Cocoa
Beach, be sure to stop at Bernard's Surf restuarant and check out all
of the astronuats and cosmonauts who have visited there over the years.
Spend some time on the beach too. I understand that you will be there
in Jan. but the beach is quite pretty.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip!

Gene DiGennaro
Baltimore, Md.
mail to henry at zoo.utoronto.ca instead. |

In article , says...
In article .com,
nancy13g wrote:
So my question is -- what else should we see there? What's a "must
see",

If you have a bit of extra time and money, you can have a hands-on
aviation experience. You can fly a WW-II advanced training aircraft,
just like Neil Armstrong. http://www.warbirdadventures.com/t-6_page.htm.
If you have more $$ than I had when I was there, you can even fly a P-51
from the same airport. Somewhere between the T-6 and the P-51 is a
chance to fly the "MASH helicopter".


what's a "don't bother" -- should we plan on going there on
Monday for the sightseeing and back on Tuesday for the launch, or will
we have time to see everything on Tuesday?

Much of the easily available stuff at KSC is little more than what you'd
find in Florida's famous Theme Parks. Focus on the bus tours, not on
"the guy in a mock-spacesuit doing doing the Mickey Mouse thing for the
sightseers". Plan your visit on the assumption that you will see exactly
one thing, and make that one thing the Saturn V exhibit -- do whatever
you have to do in order to touch the Moon. If you can manage to see a
second thing, make it the "Then and Now" tour. If you can fit in a third
thing, then "Lunch with an Astronaut" (or a variation on that theme) is
worth the time and $.


...Should I bring all my camera
equipment or will I (as I suspect) be too overwhelmed watching it live
to even think about taking pictures?

Bring it to Florida. Use it while waiting for lift-off. When you get
close to T-0...


It's easy to fall into the trap of being so busy getting the best shots of
everything that you don't really find time to watch!

Agreed, mostly. But... Those of us who are photographers know that the
most concentrated, most intense, form of seeing is seeing through a
viewfinder.


Focus on watching.

YES! Watch however is best for you. For me, a viewfinder helps...


(Note also that, particularly from today's viewing sites, you'll be seeing
liftoff and the first part of the ascent in silence. The sound takes a
while to reach you.)

The big format space launches in the movies (Apollo 13, IMAX Space
Station 3-D, etc) don't get this right. I've never seen a big rocket
launch, but every time I've talked to someone who has, they have told me
-- without prompting -- that is spooky to watch a zillion pounds of
rocket lift off the ground in total silence.


Any other touristy-type tips you can share?

It's coastal Florida. Even though it's January, take mosquito repellent
and sunscreen. You may not need them, but you don't want to find out the
hard way that you do.

Some kind of rain protection is also needed. Umbrella, tarp, raincoat,
or some such. Cape Canaveral is known for space launches, crocodiles and
Thunderstorm Research!
--
Kevin Willoughby lid

In this country, we produce more students with university degrees
in sports management than we do in engineering. - Dean Kamen

In message , Kevin Willoughby
writes
In article , says...

It's easy to fall into the trap of being so busy getting the best shots of
everything that you don't really find time to watch!

Agreed, mostly. But... Those of us who are photographers know that the
most concentrated, most intense, form of seeing is seeing through a
viewfinder.


You must have a better viewfinder than any camera I've seen. Henry's
advice is similar to that given for total solar eclipses (seen two,
missed two due to weather). A binocular or small telescope gets you
closer, but all those focussing aids or the LCD display of a digital
camera will really get in the way.


Focus on watching.

YES! Watch however is best for you. For me, a viewfinder helps...

Some kind of rain protection is also needed. Umbrella, tarp, raincoat,
or some such. Cape Canaveral is known for space launches, crocodiles and
Thunderstorm Research!

Alligators, surely? ;-)

In article ,
lid says...
You must have a better viewfinder than any camera I've seen. Henry's
advice is similar to that given for total solar eclipses (seen two,
missed two due to weather). A binocular or small telescope gets you
closer, but all those focussing aids or the LCD display of a digital
camera will really get in the way.

Depends on the viewer -- not everyone sees better through a viewfinder.

Depends on the camera. My cheapest camera, which produces some of my
best results, has just a simple, unadorned, big ground glass viewfinder
with no "aids" of any kind.

I wouldn't think of watching a significant event through the viewfinder
of my order-of-magnitude more expensive dSLR.
--
Kevin Willoughby lid

In this country, we produce more students with university degrees
in sports management than we do in engineering. - Dean Kamen