Mars Polar Lander
Watching The Launch In Person
Mars Global Surveyor Launch November 6, 1996 |
All unmanned vehicle launches are conducted on Cape Canaveral Air Station. No on-site public viewing areas are available, nor are any car passes issued to the public to view unmanned launches on Cape Canaveral Air Station. However, there are several off-site viewing locations that can be used to view the Delta 2 launch:
Map Of Public Viewing Sites |
- Along the Indian River on U.S. Highway 1, especially in Titusville.
- The Bee Line Expressway, also called State Road 528. The portions of the Bee Line crossing over the Indian River (the Bennett Causeway) and the Banana River are good vantage points.
- Off State Road A1A along the Atlantic Ocean in Cocoa Beach.
- Jetty Park (407) 783-7111 at Port Canaveral, on the Atlantic Ocean just south of the Cape Canaveral Air Station border. Both Space Shuttle and expendable launch vehicle liftoffs can be viewed from here. There is a minimal admission fee. The park typically closes at 9 p.m. but adjusts its hours to accommodate launch viewing.
- Boaters viewing launches should tune to Channel 17 VHT-FM for instructions from the Coast Guard pertaining to restricted areas. The Coast Guard will patrol those areas in the rivers and offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Boaters may not enter the southern part of Mosquito Lagoon (past the Haulover Canal). However, the Canal, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, will remain open to traffic. Boaters may not set foot on any land that is part of the Kennedy Space Center or the Cape Canaveral Air Station.
- Although not an official source of NASA information, the Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System (LISATS) retransmits both NASA audio and video signals for launches. Audio transmissions are at 146.94 Mhz and video is transmitted on amateur television at 421.75 Mhz. LISATS transmissions may be somewhat sporatic, but generally begin about three hours before liftoff and continue through landing. These are not official NASA transmissions and are not subject to NASA oversight or quality standards. NASA does not endorse or otherwise sponsor or support the LISATS and/or its retransmission efforts.
Delaware North Park Service, Inc., the concessionaire who operates the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for NASA sell tickets to the public to view launches from Kennedy Space Center. For additional information you can contact them directly by calling (407) 449-4444.
For additional information about visiting Kennedy Space Center, please checkout this site:
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/visit/visitor.htm
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