Joining in the fun of a rocket launch

Getting a good view at Canaveral requires a bit of planning ahead

Author: By Steve Cohen, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, October 25, 1998

Page: P13

Section: Travel

Crowds in excess of 1 million spectators who routinely converged on Cape Canaveral to watch early shuttle launches have thinned considerably. Without much advance planning, if you're nearby at the time a shuttle is lifting off, you can probably get a great seat for the best fireworks show anywhere.

The best seats for a space shuttle launch are provided by the Space Center to 1,500 people who pay $7 per adult, $4 per child to be bused to a site approximately three miles from the launch pad. Reservations for these tickets are only available one week prior to launch dates by calling 407-452-2121, ext. 4400. Tickets must be picked up in person prior to launch day.

Three weeks before each launch date, as many as 20,000 car passes are issued for free to the first people who request them. One of these passes (which you should request two to three months in advance) gets you nearly as close to the launch pad as the bus tours, allowing you to park on the narrow strip of land connecting the Space Center to the Canaveral Air Station. The land traverses the Banana River and is three to five miles from the launch pad. People bring lawn chairs, blankets, tents, picnic baskets, binoculars, and cameras to this narrow tailgate party. There are first-aid stations and portable bathroom facilities, as well as souvenir stands.

A digital display and PA system track the countdown. At zero you can see billowing smoke and the growing tail of orange flame. Then you feel the sound, a rolling thunder; the ground shakes. Then the sound finally reaches your ears. Many in the crowd clap and cheer. Some wave flags or salute. Someone will probably blast a cassette of ``America the Beautiful'' or Elton John's ``Rocket Man.'' A sonic boom masks everything for an instant as the ship pierces the sound barrier. Eyes crane skyward, tracing the rocket as it gets smaller. At 90 seconds, you can barely see the solid rocket boosters burn off before the space shuttle arcs out of sight.

You cannot reserve a pass for a specific launch, but you can get on a waiting list for a vehicle pass to the first available shuttle launch. There are two launch-viewing options for those without passes -- seeing it from land or sea. Don't bother inflating your hot-air balloon or chartering a helicopter. Air traffic anywhere near the launch pad is strictly prohibited, and violators are discouraged by US Air Force fighter planes.

From land, the best places to see the shuttle liftoff are:

-- On US 1, from State Road 528 at Cocoa, north to SR 406 in Titusville. The stretch faces the Indian River, about 10 miles west of the launch pad. People park on the sides of the road. There is not much space to walk around, but it is a good close spot and it is free. If 10 miles sounds far away, remember that on a clear day the shuttle can be seen from as far away as 40-50 miles.

-- From Jetty Park, located at Port Canaveral, off the Bee Line Expressway (SR 528) toll road. The park is about 15 miles from the launch pad. Because there is more room to move around than on the shoulder of a highway, it is considered a prime viewing spot south of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There is a small parking charge. Camping sites are available. Write to Jetty Park Campground, 800 East Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral, FL; phone 407-783-7222.

-- Along the sides of the Bennett Causeway, on SR 528 toll road, between Cocoa and Jetty Park.

-- Farther away, the 17th Street Bridge in Vero Beach. Any Brevard or Indian River county beach offers good shuttle-watching possibilities, except one. Playalinda Beach is closed for several hours before and after launches as a safety precaution.

Motorists are advised to check with local newspapers, radio, or TV stations, with NASA, or with the National Weather Service in Daytona Beach (904-252-5575) for accurate weather reports, which can affect launch schedules. Boaters planning to view a launch are permitted beyond three miles into the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the following unrestricted waters: The Mosquito Lagoon, north of Haulover Canal; the Banana River, southeast of the NASA Causeway, south of Marker 35 and east of the channel; and the Indian River near Titusville, but not in Banana Creek.

All other waters around the area are restricted by NASA during launches, and the Coast Guard continues to patrol off-limits waters for four hours after a launch. For further information on special boating rules and regulations on launch days, call the US Coast Guard Station at Cape Canaveral, 407-783-2730.

Although viewing a space shuttle launch is indeed a great show, unmanned launches look remarkably similar, and they are on tap frequently. Launches of one sort or another are currently scheduled approximately every two weeks.

For the latest information on launches, phone the Space Center or NASA at 407-867-4636. For a free car pass to a Space Shuttle launch, write to NASA Visitor Services, Mail Code PA-PASS, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899, or phone 407-867-6000 for more information.

For additional information, write to Space Coast Office of Tourism, 2725 St. Johns St., Melbourne, FL 32940, call 800-USA-1969, 800-93-OCEAN, or 407-633-2110, fax 407-633-2112, or visit www.space-coast.com/florida/.