want to watch sts-133 launch

PracticalProblemSolver

Does anyone have experience watching the shuttle launches? What's the best way to do it? I would be flying in from oregon with my wife and two kids. Anyone watch one when they were a little kid, was it memorable? My kid is pretty into space stuff but he's only four, for some reason I thought the last launch was going to be in 2012, so I was definitely going to go to that if he was a little older but I'm not sure about doing it now. At least airplane tickets are pretty cheap right now.

Boredom

It's the kind of memory that stays with you forever. I vividly remember watching a shuttle launch as a toddler and I still remember it perfectly 20 years later in what is almost photographic detail.

I was too young to understand what exactly was going on, and I never did find out what shuttle it was... but man, it was surreal.

rfalias

Having spent my childhood within eyesight of the VAB from my roof, I can firmly say I've seen every launch; rocket or otherwise since I can remember. Seen Titan rockets blow up at night (epicly awesome), and everything in between. So close in fact launches shook windows violently, and sonic boom's you can straight up feel.

A few things to keep in mind:

Weather will scrub launches. They scrub them a LOT. So be prepared for an extended stay. If at all possible, book from a day before launch (to see the sights, and cocoa beach and the sort) and a good long window after the launch date. Like a week or more. They scrub them like it's nobodies business. If they do launch on time, then you get an awesome Florida/Disney/Orlando vacation out of it.

You used to be able to get very close, but you can't anymore. The closest you will get is parked on the side of A1A/528. Which is still a great view and you will still feel the rumble as it rips through the sky. You should also be able to see the SRB's drop by naked eye, but some decent optics and a good camera(video or otherwise) would be a good way to capture it.

Your biggest thing will be launch scrubs. The good part is, if they scrub that launch, you are a 40 minute drive or so from Disney, Epcot, MGM, Universal, Islands of Adventure, Downtown Disney (Adventure Quest, giant ass arcade I'm sure your son would love), Circ du soleil, and a slew of other Downtown Orlando attractions as well as Cocoa Beach (Ron Jon's).

L|ama

jump on it, if NASA spending gets fucked up in the future your kid should love you for it

PracticalProblemSolver

Thanks for the input.

I'm sorry I didn't respond to this thread in a more timely fashion, something came up right after I posted it which pretty much guarantees we won't be able to go.