dta@cpsc53a.UUCP (Doug Anderson) (07/10/85)
From: Doug Anderson Subject: VIP Shuttle Passes. NASA has provided an address to write to to get VIP passes for future shuttle launches. These passes allow the holder to take one (1) vehicle on to Merritt Island (the place you see all the TV footage from during the launches). You can pile as many people in the vehicle as you wish. The sight is about 1.5 miles from the shuttle launch pad and you get GREAT viewing!! NASA Public Affairs, PA-VIC, John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center Florida, 32899 While I've never requested a pass for a particular launch they seem to try to get you one for the next launch available so if your comming down to Florida you may just want to try and get a pass. Doug Anderson ATT-IS Orland Florida
jeffg@pyramid.UUCP (Jeff Glover) (07/15/85)
In article <112@cpsc53a.UUCP> dta@cpsc53a.UUCP (Doug Anderson) writes: > Subject: VIP Shuttle Passes. > > NASA has provided an address to write to to get VIP passes for > future shuttle launches. These passes allow the holder to take one > (1) vehicle on to Merritt Island (the place you see all the TV > footage from during the launches). You can pile as many people in > the vehicle as you wish. 1. The pass mentioned is not called a VIP pass. I forget it's real name, but the VIP pass is entirely different and is *OFFERED*, not requested. The TV footage is from the VIP area, not the pass area. > The sight is about 1.5 miles from the shuttle launch pad and you get > GREAT viewing!! 2. The site for the pass mentioned is about 5 miles due south of the launch pad; I think even the blockhouse (Is that what it is called these days?) is 3 miles away! > While I've never requested a pass for a particular launch they seem > to try to get you one for the next launch available so if your > comming down to Florida you may just want to try and get a pass. 3. I've been to that location twice; both times on someone else's pass. They seemed to have waited forever for them. -- Jeff C. Glover, Tektronix, Inc. PO Box 500, MS Y6-546, Beaverton, OR 97077 { decvax, allegra, hplabs, ihnp4 } tektronix!tekcbi!jeffg
karn@petrus.UUCP (Phil R. Karn) (07/20/85)
My own suggestion is to, if at all possible, get a PRESS pass instead of a VIP pass. This gives you access to the "bleachers" and the rest of the Pad 39 Press Site, including the press conference room, and the Press Dome, with dozens of nifty handouts for the taking. (My stack was about a foot high.) There were plenty of bus tours. One was a general tour of the rest of Cape Canaveral, while the real highlights were the three trips (daytime, sunset, RSS rollback) out to the perimeter of the pad fence. Standing just east of the pad at night as the xenon spots were turned on was quite a memorable experience; after that, the launch itself was almost anti-climactic. Press passes are given to anyone with a bona-fide role as a writer or reporter. In my case I was there with a colleague to "cover" the launch of STS-9 (the first "ham-in-space" flight) for AMSAT's magazine. Others were there from L-5, etc. Press interest in shuttle missions has waned considerably (only half the stands were filled for STS-9, and that was 1.5 years ago) so the competition isn't bad. Most of the press there were obviously hard-core space junkies, but NASA certainly didn't mind that they enjoy their "jobs". The only problem with seeing a launch in person is that there is no instant replay. Phil
stanley@bmcg.UUCP (Stanley S. Acton) (07/23/85)
> > > The sight is about 1.5 miles from the shuttle launch pad and you get > > GREAT viewing!! > > 2. The site for the pass mentioned is about 5 miles due south of the > launch pad; I think even the blockhouse (Is that what it is called > these days?) is 3 miles away! The closest you can get to a shuttle launch is about 3 miles. That is where the building with all the big dark windows next to the VAB is. If you are so lucky as to be there, i.e. family of crew, employee or someone very important, you get to stand on the roof of this place with a great view. The press section is about 500 yards from there and also has a great view, just about 4 stories lower. Then there is the Offical Guest area, I think this is the area of which a previous article spoke. It is about 4.5 miles away, and the ascent of the shuttle is somewhat blocked by the huge steam cloud produced by the firing of the mains for 6 seconds before launch. There is also a large viewing area about 5-6 miles away that is open to the general public for all launches. This may not be true for DoD launches. This area is really not all that bad, and they have all sorts of loud speakers and port-a-toilets to handle any size crowd that might show up. If I were you, I would make it a point to see one of these lift-offs from where ever. It is really amazing. -- ..!sdcsvax!bmcg!stanley Stanley S. Acton Burroughs Corporation Advanced Systems Group (619) 485-4494