STS-119

A forum for the discussion of actual scientific events, phenomena, space-related news, etc.

Moderator: Vincent

Post Reply
SpaceCanada
HabForum Junkie
HabForum Junkie
Posts: 2125
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:07 pm
Location: Canada

STS-119

Post by SpaceCanada »

...is delayed... projected launch date unknown.

I hope they can solve this problem sooner than later. There hasn't been a launch in a few months and I am getting antsy.
- Jennifer -
Youth ASA 6-Day 1998 1999
Adult ASA 8-Day 2004; Alumni 2007, CSC 2013, 2015, 2017
bnaivar
Camper
Camper
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:48 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

Post by bnaivar »

I know what you mean. I kept looking at the previous launch dates getting earlier and earlier in the AM. Hopefully the new date will launch in the mid AM to early PM range.
Outstanding Trainee Award-Adult Space Academy Sept. '90
Best Mission-Parent & Child Space Camp
Right Stuff Award-Adult Space Academy
Most Enthusiastic-Adult Space Academy
Best Mission-Adult Alumni Weekend June '08
CastAway
Top Gun
Top Gun
Posts: 574
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:32 pm
Contact:

Post by CastAway »

Hey everybody... long time, no see.

The stars have aligned, and after 22 and a half years of waiting, I am finally going to get to see a launch! This one, specifically, assuming something doesn't jack up the mission.

So, I had a question... what is the best vantage point for a typical member of the public to see a launch?
The less time spent in Orion Bay, the better.
User avatar
monkeynautt
Counselor
Counselor
Posts: 1910
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2002 2:20 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Post by monkeynautt »

Lucky!

I'm hoping to go to a launch early next year.

Make sure to come back and tell us about the launch.
-Laura
ASA:
Aug 2001 - Shepard
Aug 2002 - Shepard
July 2003 - Goddard
Dec 2003/Jan 2004 - Von Braun
May/June 2004 - Enterprise
Alumni SA:
June 2007 - Challenger
July 2009 - Columbia
Counselor:
Summer 2009
Robotics Counselor:
Summer 2010
SpaceCanada
HabForum Junkie
HabForum Junkie
Posts: 2125
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:07 pm
Location: Canada

Post by SpaceCanada »

You could pay for tickets from KSC but I know lots (and I mean LOTS) of people simply park on the side of the highway (NASA Causeway?) and watch from there.

I would imagine watching the launch from the Port Canaveral cruise ship terminal (or thereabouts) would be spectacular. We had a great view of both launch pads from there. Check out a spot along the Bennett Causeway and State Road 401. I don't know if they will let you in, but maybe you can pay for parking and then walk to the water edge? Just an idea.

Find your viewing spot a good two or three hours before launch time. Bring a book to read afterwards while you wait for the crowds to thin a bit before you leave. It took us two and a half hours to get back to our hotel after STS-118, when it usually took only 50 - 60 minutes. It took friends of mine 3 or 4 hours to get back to Orlando after the same launch. I hear those times are fairly common.

Also, if you feel adventurous, there is a park/greenspace near Titusville that has a good view of the launch pads. It is on River Edge Drive - you have to get there from Titusville and head towards NASA Causeway. I'm only going off what a fellow Space Camper told me - he lives in Florida and watches every launch from there, so take those directions with a grain of salt. Check Google.

Mind you, anywhere along the coast in Titusville would give you a great view.

Scope out a viewing spot ahead of time on the day you are visiting the KSC Visitor Complex.

Wherever you watch it from - yay for watching the launch. It's incredible. Have fun!! Make sure you post a full report when you get home.
- Jennifer -
Youth ASA 6-Day 1998 1999
Adult ASA 8-Day 2004; Alumni 2007, CSC 2013, 2015, 2017
CastAway
Top Gun
Top Gun
Posts: 574
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:32 pm
Contact:

Post by CastAway »

Cool, thanks for the advice! Sounds chaotic, though. What's worse is the fact that I'm driving from Davidson, NC, and I can't leave until 10:20! Google tells me it's an 8 and a half hour drive, so that's going to be cutting it close. I'll take what I can get, but I'll try to figure out one of those places to aim for. Any idea which might be the least chaotic?
The less time spent in Orion Bay, the better.
SpaceCanada
HabForum Junkie
HabForum Junkie
Posts: 2125
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:07 pm
Location: Canada

Post by SpaceCanada »

The closer you get to the launch pad, the more chaotic it will get. For that reason, a side street in Titusville may be better than the NASA Causeway. Then again, there is lots of room on the Causeway so you may still be able to find a parking and viewing spot somewhere along the road. Best of luck!
- Jennifer -
Youth ASA 6-Day 1998 1999
Adult ASA 8-Day 2004; Alumni 2007, CSC 2013, 2015, 2017
CastAway
Top Gun
Top Gun
Posts: 574
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:32 pm
Contact:

Post by CastAway »

I remember driving on the Causeway to get to KSC last time I was down there. Does the Causeway essentially shut down as people park on it to view the launch? I don't remember if it had a very defined shoulder or not. I'm looking at Google Maps right now to try to find a place. Similarly, is the Bennett Causeway also full of parkers?

I see Riveredge Dr, but, at least on Google Maps, there doesn't appear to be any park area. It just looks wooded (map view). If I drive on that section of it between NASA Causeway and US-1, am I likely to find it?
The less time spent in Orion Bay, the better.
SpaceCanada
HabForum Junkie
HabForum Junkie
Posts: 2125
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:07 pm
Location: Canada

Post by SpaceCanada »

Sorry, I don't know enough to answer your questions... I wish I did.

I do know that the Causeway closes between the Hall of Fame and the KSCVC but other than that your guess is as good as mine.

You may find this useful:
http://www.launchphotography.com/Shuttl ... ewing.html
- Jennifer -
Youth ASA 6-Day 1998 1999
Adult ASA 8-Day 2004; Alumni 2007, CSC 2013, 2015, 2017
SpaceCanada
HabForum Junkie
HabForum Junkie
Posts: 2125
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:07 pm
Location: Canada

Post by SpaceCanada »

It's been delayed again. They found a fuel leak...
- Jennifer -
Youth ASA 6-Day 1998 1999
Adult ASA 8-Day 2004; Alumni 2007, CSC 2013, 2015, 2017
bnaivar
Camper
Camper
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:48 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

Post by bnaivar »

"Why don't you fix your little problems and LIGHT THIS CANDLE!?"
Outstanding Trainee Award-Adult Space Academy Sept. '90
Best Mission-Parent & Child Space Camp
Right Stuff Award-Adult Space Academy
Most Enthusiastic-Adult Space Academy
Best Mission-Adult Alumni Weekend June '08
User avatar
Hotdog
Top Gun
Top Gun
Posts: 902
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:11 am
Location: Rocket City, USA

Post by Hotdog »

do it, in de suit.
4-time Space Camp/Academy alumni
1989, 1991*, 1992, 1994
*Right Stuff Award Winner
User avatar
Hotdog
Top Gun
Top Gun
Posts: 902
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:11 am
Location: Rocket City, USA

Post by Hotdog »

Wow! Discovery's launch was phenomenal. No, I did not have the luxury of attending, but it looked great on NASA TV. Glad to see it go off without further delay!
4-time Space Camp/Academy alumni
1989, 1991*, 1992, 1994
*Right Stuff Award Winner
SpaceCanada
HabForum Junkie
HabForum Junkie
Posts: 2125
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:07 pm
Location: Canada

Post by SpaceCanada »

It was a beautiful launch. Only one casualty:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shutt ... chbat.html#

http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/ima ... %3C%2Fa%3E

RIP little bat.
In the hours before Discovery's liftoff, NASA's Final Inspection Team
(called the "ICE team") investigated whether the creature would pose a
risk to the shuttle if its body impacted the orbiter's sensitive heat
shield tiling. Ultimately, NASA officials signed a waiver confirming
that the bat was safe to fly with.

"The bat eventually became 'Interim Problem Report 119V-0080' after the
ICE team finished their walkdown," the memo said. "Systems Engineering
and Integration performed a debris analysis on him and ultimately a
Launch Commit Criteria waiver to ICE-01 was written to accept the stowaway."

This isn't the first time a bat has attempted to travel into space.
Another bat was seen clinging to the side of the external tank attached
to the shuttle Endeavour on its STS-72 flight in 1996. That one maybe
have been a bit more cautious, though: It flew away to safety right
before launch.

Coincidentally, an astronaut aboard that flight, Koichi Wakata of Japan,
also flew on Discovery this week, making him the first spaceflyer to
share two rides with bats. Discovery's STS-119 mission is headed to the
International Space Station to drop off the final segment of the lab's
backbone truss and set of solar array panels.
And since Koichi Wakata was onboard for both bat missions, I am sure his callsign will soon be 'Batman'.
- Jennifer -
Youth ASA 6-Day 1998 1999
Adult ASA 8-Day 2004; Alumni 2007, CSC 2013, 2015, 2017
bnaivar
Camper
Camper
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:48 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

Post by bnaivar »

Here's a tribute to the "Batranaut".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibq2Iwzn ... r_embedded
Outstanding Trainee Award-Adult Space Academy Sept. '90
Best Mission-Parent & Child Space Camp
Right Stuff Award-Adult Space Academy
Most Enthusiastic-Adult Space Academy
Best Mission-Adult Alumni Weekend June '08
Post Reply