keithl (12/23/82)
A space shuttle launch is one of the most exciting things you can see.
The anticipation, followed by the incredible noise and heat of liftoff are
a heady experience. Then comes thousands of people making whoopie after it
goes, with the smell of the solid boosters in the air. Having watched the
launch of STS-1 from the press site, here are some good ways to get within
3 miles of the pad:
1) Get a press pass. This isn't tough; I sent a letter to the head of
Public Affairs at NASA on the letterhead for a small space activist group
I was running. You can also work out a deal with a local college paper,
newspaper, radio station, museum, or your company paper. Send in letterhead
request perhaps two months in advance. If you get to the Space Center a few
days early, you can sign up for press tours, sign up to photograph the
astronauts as they leave for the pad, etc. I came back with a shopping bag
full of press releases, books, samples, and lots of film. Be sure to write
something when you get back...
2) Get together a group of people, and get a BUS pass to the VIP site.
Charter a bus out of Orlando or Daytona Beach. I set this up for some
friends; the bus cost $300 for 40 people. Leave at 8PM the night before;
allow about 6 hours for a 30 mile trip (CROWDS!). NASA would rather have
people come in the chartered buses; the drivers know what they are doing,
and a parked bus takes up a lot less room than a dozen parked cars. GET A
BUS PASS BEFORE CHARTERING THE BUS, of course.
3) Join the National Space Institute, and go on one of their tours.
If you get into the press site, bring plenty of film, spare batteries if
your camera needs them, a hat, sun screen, mosquito repellent, a folding
chair, a change of clothes and some munchies. Plan on spending a night
without sleep. The roads will be jammed; you will be at the press site
from noon the day before to about 6 hours after the launch. There are vending
machines and chemical toilets. You will swat your weight in mosquitos.
Remember the inverse square law. The closer you get, the better the show!
Keith Lofstrom
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