vapor trails, the 4.5-million-pound launch vehicle

reached an earth orbit of 140 miles in less than eightminutes.

"I've been to nine launches and witnessed four

of them, and I'll tell you they never lose their

excitement," says Paul Foerman, news chief at NASl%

Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, "Each launch is

unique and has its challenges, but to see a launch, no

matter how hardened a space veteran you are, its justbreath taking."

Even from a vantage point six miles from the

launch pad, the roar of the powerful rocket engines is

thunderous The ground and even the air itself shake

in reaction to the 7.1 million pounds of thrust created

by the shuttles three main engines and two rocket

boosters. It is a thrilling Sight to see, even more so

knowing that Louisiana and Mississippi both play

important roles in each and every shuttle launch.

The shuttle is the most complex machine ever

created. Each launch-ready shuttle assembly, called

a "stack," contains over two billion parts. The

largest Single component of the space shuttle

launch vehicle assembly is the 154-foot external

fuel tank, which is made at NASl% Michoud

Assembly facility in eastern New Orleans. The large

orange tank, the backbone of the shuttle stack,

:;i holds over 530,000 gallons of liquefied hydrogen«iand liquefied oxygen in two separate tanks that feed

~ the shuttle's three main engines. Each of the

r1I!'ahg ,i shuttle's main engines is tested and flight rated at

Countdown to Retirementby Jamey Landry

What you need to know to see one of the12 remaining space shuttle launches in person.

Discoverylifts off

from Launch Pad

39 A. The orange

external fuel tank is

built in New Orleans "WE HAVE GO for main engine start. T minus 5, 4,

at the Michoud 3, 2, l...booster ignition and liftoff of Discovery,

Assembly Facility hoisting Harmony to the heavens and opening new

while the shuttle gateways for international science!" As though on cue

main engines are from the NASA announcer, the space shuttle

tested at the Stennis Discovery leapt from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy

Space Center Space Center in October 2007. Powering through the

in Mississippi. partly cloudy Florida sky on a plume of flame and

84 INSIDE NORTHSIDE

the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

As the Discovery sped away from the KSC on its

way to the International Space Station, a mother

visiting with her family from Australia said, "This is

far and away the most spectacular thing we've ever

witnessed. Having visited the launch pad area the day

before and seeing its massive size relatively up close

makes the launch truly remarkable."

The clock is ticking on the shuttle

program. After the loss of the shuttle

Columbia in 2003, President George

Bush declared that the shuttle fleet

would be retired by the end of 2010.

of January 2008, no more than 12

shuttle missions are scheduled. The

Aries launch vehicle will launch the

Orion manned spacecraft to the moon

and Mars beginning in 2014.

VIEWING A SHUTTLE LAUNCH

The Kennedy Space Center is

NASl% primary launch facility Many

unmanned and all manned missions

are launched from the 219-square-

mile facility located near Cape

Canaveral, about an hour's drive from

Orlando. Although it is relatively easy

to see a launch from practically

anywhere along the nearby coast and

neighboring towns, the launch site is

at least 10 miles away. For the

ultimate awe-inspiring launch

experience, seasoned launch

spectators agree that nothing beats a

Launch Viewing package offered by

the KSC Visitor Center.

The Visitor Center offers two

packages: the Launch Viewing package

and the Launch Transportation Viewing

package. Both offer a "Meal with an

Astronaut" upgrade, where an active-

duty NASA astronaut joins your group

for a designated meal. Admission to the

museums and attractions is also

included with the package of your

choice. Complete package details,

launch schedules and launch update

bulletins via e-mail are available by

visiting the centers website. Launch

Viewing tickets for the most immediate

launch scheduled can also be

purchased on-line or by calling the

center. A call can also provide a list of

hotels in the area.A Launch Transportation Viewing

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package lets you get up close and personal for a

launch, as close as three miles from the launch pad!

That's close enough for an unobstructed view of the

launch from main-engine start to liftoff. It is the most

popular package offered by the KSC Visitor Center

and sells out quickly Coach busses ferry ticket

holders from the center to the NASA Causeway, a

land bridge on the Banana River that connects

outlying parts of the space center. It is the closest

publicly accessible vantage point to the launch site,

but the thrill of that accessibility does come with

some trade offs.

Above: The Saturn V rockets launched men to the

moon and eventually lead to the space shuttle.

Saturn V technology will also contribute to the

planned return to the moon around 2020.

Left: The author and the Saturn V booster rocket,

seen here in the Apollo Saturn V center. The rocket

was built at the Michoud Assembly Facilityin New

Orleans and launched all Apollo moon missions.

The NASA Causeway is a road like our own

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, so amenities are

sparse. There is no seating other than what you

bring with you. Transportation ends two hours prior

to the scheduled launch, which means waits of up

to five hours exposed to the Florida weather are

routine. If the launch is delayed until later in the

day, that adds more time to the wait. There are

portable comfort stations and some concessions

stands offering limited items for purchase. Despite

the Spartan accommodations, Launch

Transportation tickets sell out quickly

MARCH-ApRIL 2008 87

The Louisiana-MississippiConnection

LIKE THE SHUTTLE'S EXTERNAL FUEL TANK, all 12 of

the Saturn V booster stages built for the Apollo manned

space flight program were built at the Michoud Assembly

Facility in the late 1960s. The Saturn Vs massive F-l

booster stage engines were each tested and flight rated at the

Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss. Today, the

Stennis Space Center tests the main rocket engines for the

shuttle, proving their reliability and making the engines safe.

"Everyone at the NASA Stennis Space Center is

extremely proud of the continuing role we have played in

Americas space program for more than 45 years-testing

the rocket engines that propel our astronauts to space," said

SSC Center director Bob Cabana. As the shuttle mission

draws to its close, Stennis is already preparing for the nextchapter of manned flight: Ares.

"We will continue testing the main engines for the

The John C. StennisSpace Center's

visitorcenter, StenniSphere, isone of

Mississippi'sleading tourist attractions

and features a 14,000-square-foot

interactive review of StennisSpace

Center's role in America's space program.

space shuttle until it retires in 2010," Cabana says, "and our

engineers have already begun testing engine components

for NASl%next generation engine, the J-2X. This is the

engine that will power the nations new Ares launch

vehicles on voyages that will send humans to the moon."

Teachers and parents may already be familiar with one of

Stennis Space Centers most public faces, the StenniSphere,

part of the NASAcommitment to education. Designed to

educate all ages about space technology and i.tsapplications on

earth, the exhibits at the StenniSphere also serve to encourage

young minds to pursue studies inmath and science. Inside the

StenniSphere, interactive displays bring NASA technology right

down to earth. A full-scale replica of the space shuttle cockpit

gives visitors an opportunity to try their hand at "piloting" the

shuttle on a science mission. Nearby, a module of the

International Space Station is waiting to be explored. Outside,

visitorswill find a collection of exhibits that

include actual rocket engines and a scale replica

of the Saturn V rocket.

Admission to the StenniSphere is free

and open to the public. It offers a chance to

experience NASA technology close to home.

A free bus tour of the Stenni.s Space Center

takes visitors by the rocket engine test

stands, where visitors lucky enough to be

present can observe the engine test.

For information about the Stennis Space

Center:, StenniSphere, call 1-800-237-1821 or

click on MVW l.sse.nasa.gov!publiclvisitors.

88 INSIDE NORTHSIDE

ARMCHAIR ASTRONAUTS

WILL LIKE THIS

The Launch Viewing from the KSC

Visitor Center provides many of the

same thrills as a Launch Transportation

ticket, but offers the amenities,

attractions and comfort of the center.

On launch day, the Visitor Center takes

on an atmosphere of Mardi Gras in the

suburbs. Kid-friendly and family-

oriented, numerous concession stands

offer food, drinks and mission-specific

souvenirs. There is even a sit-down

restaurant-and a large gift shop offers

every imaginable item that can hold a

NASA logo.A generous amount of seating on

the center's parade grounds is available,

but visitors are encouraged to bring

folding chairs or blankets. A portable

stadium-sized video screen on the

parade ground and dozens of monitors

throughout the facility let visitors keep

tabs on the launch preparations via live

NASA TV broadcasts. There is also a

stage where other NASA astronauts

interact with the audience, answer

questions and pose for photographs.

Regardless of the package chosen,

the launch ticket includes admission to

the Visitor Center and its many

attractions, such as the IMAX theater,

museums and interactive displays. The

recently opened Shuttle Launch

Experience is an amusement park-style

attraction that very realistically simulates

a shuttle launch in real time, from the

countdown to the external tank

separation, about a three to five minute

mission. Former shuttle astronauts

narrate every second of the launch

experience with the help of amazing

NASA footage of actual shuttle

operations to help you better

understand the launch process. The

exhibit simulates every bump, shake,

roll and sound of a shuttle launch as

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The external fuel tank falls away from the

shuttle after being jettisoned in space and

disintegrateswhen it reenters the atmosphere.

The external fuel tank isbuilt at NASA'sMichoud

Assembly Facilityin New Orleans.

though you were an astronaut on an

actual mission.

MUCH MORE TO SEE AT KSC

The Launch Viewing tickets are

good for the launch day and one

additional visit to the Space Center

within a seven-day period of the first

use of the launch ticket. Admission to

the Visitor Center also includes

admission to the Astronaut Hall of Fame

and a bus tour of the Kennedy Space

Center. The tour takes you to three

stops: the LC 39 Observation Gantry,

the Apollo Saturn V Center and the

International Space Station Center.

Veteran launch watchers suggest

planning your visit to KSC the day

before a scheduled shuttle launch,

because the shuttle will be on the

launch pad, clearly visible from the LC

39 Observation Gantry.

The International Space Station

Center is the actual preparation facility

used to prep components of the ISS for

space flight. Visitors can observe

workers as they ready components for

delivery to the shuttle assembly areas.

The Apollo Saturn V Center is

dedicated to the men, women and

technology that helped us reach the

moon in 1969. Fully contained within

the massive indoor facility is a

complete unused 363-foot long Saturn

V rocket, laid end to end on its side.

Visitors enter through a reconstruction

of the actual command center used to

gUide the first manned orbital flight of

the moon on Apollo 8. After a dramatic

presentation, visitors are ushered into

the main display area, where you are

first greeted by the booster stage of the

Saturn V rocket. In addition, an actual

space-rated lunar landing module from

a cancelled Apollo mission is among

the thousands of items related to the

Apollo program on display.

The bus tour is suspended on

launch day because of the sheer number

of visitors and security issues. That is

just as well, because you will want to

spend time at each stop of the tour,

especially the Apollo Saturn V Center.

PERSONAL SPACE

NASA technology is undoubtedly a

marvel of the modern world and well

worth experiencing. Be a part of space

history and witness the thrill of a

shuttle launch in person. It truly has

the right stuff. •

The Kennedy Space Center VisitorCenter is funded solely through visitors'paid admissions. No NASA funding is usedto run the Visitor Center or its attractions.Information about launch tickets and anupdated launch schedule can be obtainedby calling 321-449-4400 or visitingwww.kennedyspacecenter.com.

SHUTTLE FACTS

• Each airplane-like shuttle orbiter measures 122feet long with a 78-foot wingspan, which isabout the size of a 737 airliner.

• The shuttle orbiter is attached to the externaltank, as are the two solid rocket boosters.Theassembled stack of orbiter, external fuel tankand two solid rocket boosters stands over 184

feet tall, taller than a 15-story building, andweighs more than 4.5 million pounds.

• 7.1 million pounds of thrust are created by theshuttles three main engines and two SRBs.

• The shuttle returns from space unpowered. Itorbits the earth at speeds of more than 17,000miles per hour, and then slows as it flies

through the atmosphere to a little more than211 miles per hour at touchdown.

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