Posted on 06/10/2007 5:42:06 PM PDT by sig226
STS-117 was the second launch I've attended since I moved to Florida. The threads always get hundreds of posts and thousands of views, so I think an upcoming launch would be a good place for FReepers to meet, share some lunch (or breakfast or dinner) and watch one of man's greatest achievements.
I'm starting this thread with pings to several FReepers who live in Florida and posted on the STS-117 launch thread. This is just because we can drive there without worrying about hotels and taking multiple days off work, so it's easier for us. If you are not from Florida, no problem. We'd still love to have you, and we'll get into what you might need in a bit.
I'd like to meet at Sand Point Park in Titusville. Several reasons advocate the park:
*It's easy to find. Take I-95 to the Garden Street / SR 406 exit and go east. When you get to the tall buildings at the river's edge and the bridge, Sand Point Park is on the left.
*It has a good view and it's fairly close. If you want, you can walk across the bridge and get even closer.
*Easy parking and lots of it.
*It's a nice big park, with fields and a baseball diamond. Set up your grill, play wiffle ball, toss a football, whatever.
*It's still in town, so you can walk to food and a CVS.
*There is a bathroom a couple of hundred yards to the east.
You will need:
*sunblock (yes, you will have to go outside)
*comfy chairs
*a radio - someobody should bring one since they broadcast the countdown all day
*food
*grill, if you want
*cooler full of beverages
*reading matter - you'll be waiting for a while
*frisbee, football, baseball, anything if you want to get a game going
*camera
*binoculars
*tripod
*hat with wide brim
If you plan to come in from out of state, you will need to be available for up to eight days. They plan the launch around a launch window that can be eight days long, like this one. You'll need all of the above, plus whatever cash you might use to visit Orlando, Miami, or anywhere else you might like to go. NASA posts the launch windows on the web, so we can post the dates when we pick a mission.
I'd like to find a December launch because I'd rather not draw a bunch of FReepers into Florida and then have a hurricane. There is also less chance of bad weather delaying the launch, and it's cooler. This map shows Sand Point Park in Titusville.
You are being pinged because you posted on the launch thread for STS-117 and you live in Florida. I’d like to have a FReep at a future shuttle launch. It’s not really a FReep, more like a good time at a great event and a chance to meet fellow FReepers. Everyone is invited, but it will be easier for us to do this since we live here. Please post whether or not you’re interested.
You are being pinged because you showed an interest in attending a shuttle launch on the STS-117 thread. I’d like to organize a FReep at a future launch. I’ve started with people from Florida, but all are invited and welcome. It would be a great chance to meet fellow FReepers and watch one of man’s greatest achievements.
Please let me know if you are interested or not.
Does anyone know if the NASA channel still exists. If it is my cable provider does not have it. Does anyone know?
Please ping me. I’ll attend. If the other FReepers want, I can bring a commercial wok & stove; we can have black bean sauce chicken wings.
GG
NASA TV does exist but not all cable systems carry it. I know DirecTV does.
Going to the Moon and back was a great achievement. The Shuttle Program, and everything else NASA does these days, has become a huge boondoggle.
ML/NJ
‘tis possible but chasing after launches can be very frustrating. Then again, if it doesn’t go we’d still be together. There is talk about them adding a December launch to the schedule.
Some people on the launch thread were watching it. I think they got it on Dish Network. You can also watch it on the web. NASA runs a live link on launch days. The link is available on the shuttle page, just search space shuttle to get to it.
So don’t go.
I don’t live in Florida, but I am dead serious about going to a shuttle launch. Whether I go back to FL with my family or alone, I want to see the Kennedy Space Center.
Meeting FReepers would make it all the better.
That’s why I warned off the non residents of Florida - I wanted to go to more of them, but the varying schedules made it impossible. But I’ll keep you updated.
Can you park an RV where you’re talking about meeting?
You’re on. If this gets big, you might regret the wok offer. Black bean sauce wings sound tasty. :)
There are lots within a quarter mile or so that have RVs parked there. You can’t overnight at them but if your only concern is day parking, there are plenty of RVers on launch days. I’m sure there are plenty of overnight RV parks nearby.
Good to know. I don’t want to reserve a spot in an RV park not knowing how long I’ll need it. I can get by for a day or so without external power or water so it would be nice to overnight in a parking lot if possible. I’ll have to check on RV parks, but winter time will be rough with the snowbirds in town.
Please add me to your ping list
If you go, you’ll want to be there for several days. They often move the actual time around within the window. You’ll have plenty of time to tour Kennedy Space Center. You can get the tickets through the NASA web site. Orlando is about 50 miles away. There are also eighty million golf courses in Florida. It’s a bit of a hump, but you could drive to a Bucs or Dolphins game from Titusville, too.
Wish I could go with you all, might go with family for the next shuttle launch if possible....Have fun in any case, cheers...
I won't. But I have seen one launch from the base, and two or three others from Melbourne.
ML/NJ
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