Florida: Gawkers welcome at nighttime launch of Delta 4 rocket
Travelers who go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida next week will have an opportunity to watch a night launch of a Delta 4 rocket near the Cape Canaveral site.
Those who buy tickets to visit the center Aug. 7 can stick around for the launch currently scheduled to blast off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station between 8:29 and 9:18 p.m. local time (subject to change). Visitors can bring lawn chairs to the center’s viewing area where they’ll also hear live commentary from mission control.
The rocket, 200 feet tall with four solid-rocket boosters, will launch a Wideband Global SATCOM satellite to aid U.S. military communications, according to a statement from the center.
Before the launch, the center is hosting a meet-and-greet with Karol “Bo” Bobko from 6 to 8 p.m. at the center’s Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction. Bobko, who became an astronaut in 1983, flew on the shuttle Challenger in 1983, and on Discovery and Atlantis in 1985.
Atlantis, which completed 33 space missions, is now part of a six-story, $100-million exhibit at the space center. After 30 years, America’s space shuttle program ended with a final Atlantis mission in 2011.
Info: Tickets cost $50 for adults and $40 for children 3 to 11, excluding tax. It includes admission to the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the center’s attractions as well as launch viewing and meeting with astronaut Bobko. Tickets available online or by calling (877) 313-2610
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