Atlas launch on october

[totalitor]

After shooting rockets to space in Kerbal I decided to go watch launching live on 30th october. Once in a lifetime maybe, I have to fly from Finland to USA. I have read that Playalinda is the best place to watch the launch. Anyone been there and watched?

I booked a hotel on Cocoa beach. I have plans to rent a bicycle but maybe distance is too big. Car is ok but I like biking.

I you have some tips to me please let me know.

Anyway, I'm ok to go!

[User Unrelated]

I watched a launch of an Atlas 5 from the front lawn of the Kennedy Space Center visitor center last summer, it was incredible! I can't give much viewing advice, though, besides you can pretty much see it from everywhere in the area...

It was during a NASA sponsored robotics competition that I was part of, too, so I got to play with robots at Kennedy Space Center AND watch a rocket launch! Great week!

Earlier in the week, I had taken a tour of the launch complex, and seen the rocket sitting on the pad ready for launch

And many years ago, I actually saw a shuttle launch from a highway near the area... The road was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, as people wtood on the roofs of their cars to get a batter view...

And I live on the complete opposite end of the East coast, so I feel pretty lucky to have been in the area by happenstance both times (The shuttle launch was during a high-school robotics competition... Yeah I do a lot of robots...)

[DDay2021]

Any one of the Cape Canaveral Beach hotels is great, there are plenty of good viewing areas on the beach. I got lucky and was able to see a Delta IV launch in late July prior to boarding a cruise ship. Here is the link to the forum post, video is at the end, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/129572-Lucked-into-launch-viewing, it was taken from the beach next to the Holiday Inn Club Vacation hotel.

This site is up to date with all the launches: http://www.mynews13.com/launch-schedule.html

and this one shows the publicly accessible viewing locations: http://spacecoastlaunches.com/

Here's hoping the weather and mechanical issues don't get in the way.

Tip have your camera ready to go right at the begining of the launch window, when they go they go fast.

[totalitor]

Thanks for info. It would have been great to watch when the first satellite from Finland would be launched to space but thanks to Falcon accident the exact date is unknown. And by the way, it has the same name than my surname - AALTO. Well, any launch is ok.

[totalitor]

That launch is midday, so maybe Playalinda beach is not a good site to watch becouse sun is on the same direction that launchpad. I think maybe Saturn V center is better place, launchpad is to north-east, sun is no problem. Does this make sense?

[Tristonwilson12]

Plus playalinda is a nude beach

[Redjoker]

Hope for good weather, I spent two days at a beach to watch the second to last shuttle launch, but both attempts were scrubbed.

[G'th]

As someone who lives in the area, I can give you some better locations. There's two I can recommend that you shouldn't have to pay to get into. If you want to bike, you should be able to get to Jetty Park up in the port if you leave early enough.

If you want to use your car, there's also Kars Park across the bridge (the first one going across Banana River). Both sites will give you great views of the launch as they're more or less the closest you'll be able to get to short of getting into the Space Center or somehow the base itself. Sun shouldn't be too big an issue if the rocket launches when its supposed to.

The absolute best place though is the Space Center as they specifically have areas set up for the best viewing of the launches. And its well worth the upfront cost to get in. And if you're coming here to see a rocket go up, why not spend the rest of the day at the center?

Its a shame I'm working that day because I'd hoped I would be able to come out and see it.

[totalitor]

So I was there on 31 th October (launch was one day delayed). I was on Saturn V center and I looked the launch with small binocular. I took no pictures becouse there is not so much time to do all the things. Becouse it was the smallest version of Atlas 5 it was very fast climbing. Some clouds prevented visibility, I didn't see the rocket all the way.

Kennedy Space center visitor complex is worth visiting. I spend there two days and still there is something that I didn't explore. Space shuttle Atlantis is great, but there is not so much light. I took better pictures in Air and space museum in Washington D.C where Discovery is.

I live in Finland Europe and I have a word for all American people there in Florida: I had one of my best vacation there, not only becouse of those space things but becouse of people. I have never met so friendly people. I would like to come back some day.

I was that man bicycling everywhere on Cocoa Beach and Merritt island. Maybe you saw me? That was fun!

Edited March 31, 2016 by totalitor

[legoclone09]

I wish I could see a rocket launch, my brother and dad have been to Florida though. I might be going this summer though, maybe see a launch.

[Rybo]

Go to the Cape for the entire month of May and you could see an Atlas, a Delta, and a Falcon launch