Im off to see a shuttle launch in June. Was thinking of Hilton cocoa Beach but theyre booked out.Anyone had a good hotel room where they could see the pad?I have been to nasa once before but this will be my final go at seeing a launch.i do know that sometimes they dont go to schedule so that is why id love to find somewhere to watch it on the TV and out the window. am i asking too much????


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Hyatt Diamond/Hilton Diamond/Starwood Platinum/UA1K-Ansett-WHITE/Qantas-WHITE

We were there in December at a meeting at the Holiday Inn - a real dump! Unfortunately, ALL the Cocoa Beach hotels tend to book out for launches, so we were stuck there the night of the launch. Then moved to the Doubletree, which wasn't too awful. I had to hassle afterwards to get Hilton credit for the stay, however.

The pad's much too far away to see from the hotels in Cocoa Beach. And since the hotel rooms orient towards the ocean, east, and the Cape is roughly north, I can't think of where you could watch from a hotel room. Maybe one on the causeway side, where you could be looking northeast? I wouldn't trust it, though, without checking in person.

About half of our group went to the Cape for the launch (and loved it). The rest of us just went down to the beach to watch. It was a little more distant than I'd hoped for, but still pretty neat. The night launch was quite the fireworks display.

Alternatively, lots of people park on the causeway for a closer view - but you have to spend hours there to get a space, because people show up early.

Good luck - let us know how it goes!

Related question: How do you find out the schedule for Shuttle launches? And don't they have a pretty bad history of being delayed or cancelled (just like the airlines!)?

Bruce

This link will take you to the KSC site. Yes, they sometimes are scrubbed or delayed. We were very pleased the December mission went off right on time.

GG thanks for the info.That is the link I used . I managed to get Cocoa Beach.watched the April one last night on CNN-What a BLAST!!I am thinking of buying a ticket to the launch pad but if the launch doesnt go ahead as planned I cant give the ticket to anyone else.I think thats a bit rich!Anyone done the launch pad thing-Is the view better than from the road??


[This message has been edited by tinkybelle (edited 04-19-2001).]

About 10 years ago we watched the shuttle launch, from the deck of a cruse ship, the big red boat. The captain sailed out of the normal route to get us as close as legally possible to the launch site. I realize that might not be a possibility but it was magnificent. You feel the launch in the pit of your stomach and it is high in the air when the sonic booms start as it roars away from earth. My family will never forget that vacation.

tinkybelle, I just noticed that there's a
Trip Report posted by a new FTer who just watched a launch TODAY, from Port Canaveral. You may want to check that out.

FYI, if you buy "up close" tickets to the launch, NASA has an elaborate set of rules about refunds, based on what happens when. Like if the launch is cancelled X time in advance, you get X amount back; if later, X is refunded, and so on. I have good friends who work for NASA, but they ARE a government agency, and the refund policy is sort of typically bureaucratic. But there is one.

thanks GG youre really on the ball!!!That was a great report by TIMCLE

I got really lucky this past Feb and saw the shuttle launch from 31,000 feet. About 25 minutes or so out of Miami, I heard ATC let the pilots know that the shuttle had just launched. Looking out the window I was able to watch a nice bright flare for quite a while! A once in a lifetime experience in timing!!