IMPORTANT NOTES
All NEWLY updated information is in GREEN TEXT below.
Information still to be determined is in RED TEXT below.
Dates and times that are subject to change at NASA’s discretion are in PURPLE TEXT below.
Last update of this page: August 25, 2021 at 10:43 am ET
Launch planning is based on the currently scheduled liftoff for SpaceX-23
August 28, 2021 at 3:37 a.m. ET
(see NASA Consolidated Launch Schedule)
This page provides logistical information for the SSEP delegations traveling down to the launch of the Mission 14 to ISS Gemini experiments payload and the Mission 15 to ISS Skylab experiments payload aboard SpaceX CRS-23, currently scheduled for liftoff at August 28, 2021 at 3:37 am EDT, from Space Launch Complex 39 (SLC-39), Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Currently, we have 39 attending (10 SSEP Student Researchers, 2 Mission Patch designers, 8 teachers/administrators, 17 family members, and 2 other stakeholders from 2 communities:
Dress code: Student Researchers are advised that dress code is business casual for the oral presentations and poster sessions, e.g., slacks, shirt with collar (no T-shirts or sneakers).
GENERAL CONTACT: for general questions, please contact SSEP Flight Operations Manager John Hamel at johnhamel@ncesse.org or call 434-882-5177.
A. Basic Travel Information
1. Airline and Airport
Where should folks fly in? NASA recommends to their guests that they fly into Orlando given it is serviced by multiple carriers. You can certainly try flying in to Melbourne, which is closer, but flights are far more limited.
However, we strongly advise you to use Southwest, which only flies into Orlando. Here is why—
Everyone traveling to Florida needs to be aware that you’re planning a trip—with significant expense—to see a historic event that may not happen on the date it is scheduled. You may book travel and then find a day later that the launch is postponed. Or … everything is going just fine, you get to Florida and then you find the launch is delayed (“scrubbed”) to a date after your scheduled departure, and you’d like to stay a few more days in the hope of seeing the launch. The main problem is airfare. For most carriers, if you book at their cheap, non-refundable rate, and you need to make a change, you’ll pay a significant change fee per ticket (typically $150) AND you’ll need to pay the difference between the fare you already paid and the new fare. The new fare could be $1,000 or more higher than your original purchase price given most carriers dramatically increase the cost of a ticket as you get closer to the travel date. With the change fee, you might be looking at a $1,200 per ticket added cost—on top of the original price you paid! But that is not the case with Southwest—
If you book on line, Southwest offers Wanna Get Away non-refundable fares which are very reasonable. If you need to change your flight, there is no change fee, and you can try to get another cheap Wanna Get Away far if they are still available. If not, you can get their refundable Anytime fare, which is still reasonable and likely the highest price fare you’d need to get. The Anytime fare for the same flight does not change as you get closer to the travel date. For a flight change you pay the price difference between the fares. That means you know right now what the likely worst potential added cost of a change would be. Also, the Anytime fare is refundable. So if you end up making a flight change from a Wanna Get Away to an Anytime ticket, but then end up not going to Florida (say the launch is delayed yet again to a date you cannot attend), you can get reimbursed for the difference between the Wanna Get Away fare and the Anytime fare.
You cannot beat Soutwest’s fare structure if you need to build into your thinking that the launch can slip—and you DO need to build that into your thinking.
2. General Information – Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC)
The KSCVC is currently open and has implemented new health and safety procedures. To view the new policies, please visit the Trusted Space page on the KSCVC web site.
The KSCVC provides access to a number of attractions, including: the Shuttle Launch Experience (a launch simulation), IMAX films, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (including interactive spaceflight simulators), the Apollo/Saturn V Center, the Kennedy Space Center Tour, and the newly arrived, retired Space Shuttle Atlantis.
DOWNLOAD MAP of Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex
Here is general visitor information for the KSCVC:
General admission is $57 adult/$47 child (ages 3-11) plus tax
You can add behind-the-scenes tours, KSC Up-Close Launch Control Center Tour, KSC Up-Close Cape Canaveral: Then & Now Tour and KSC Up-Close Explore Tour. The added cost of a behind-the-scenes tour is $25 adult/$19 child (ages 3-11) plus tax.
NOTE: behind-the-scenes tours are currently unavailable. Due to Covid-19, no tour buses are operating.
Important notes:
a. You must pay KSCVC general admission even if you only want to take a behind-the-scenes tour.
b. General admission tickets include a second day free for use at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, if used within seven days.
c. Behind-the-scenes tours can book up well in advance of your trip, particularly when close to a launch day, so reserve a tour in advance of your trip!
d. To book reservations for general admission and a behind-the-scenes tour call 888-737-5235.
3. Hotels
We have identified a number of hotels in the area. When booking a hotel, make sure to find out what happens to your commitment of payment if the launch date slips before you arrive in Florida.
Jump to the Hotels page.
B. The SSEP Launch Plan for SpaceX CRS-23
1. Key Thinking for Planning
Fly in as late as possible before the launch and/or presentation day so that if the launch is delayed by just one or two days, there is still an opportunity to see the launch if folks can schedule to be in Florida for a few days. However, we strongly advise you NOT to fly in the day of the launch, which will likely cause you to miss it due to flight delays or traffic. In addition, for a morning launch, there is no ability for you to fly in on the same day and get to NASA Kennedy on time. The recommendation is therefore to fly in the day before launch, and extend your stay until at least the day after launch.
2. Viewing the Launch
Schedule for Saturday, August 28, 2021
Unfortunately, due to the rise in COVID cases in the area, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center will not be supporting launch viewing for the launch of SpaceX-23. Therefore, the SSEP delegation will need to find the best public viewing location available for themselves based on their travel and accommodation plans. The SSEP National Team will provide a document with suggested public viewing locations to each delegation. Once a viewing location is selected, each delegation should consider contacting the location, if possible, given the time of the launch (currently 3:37 a.m.).
Schedule for Sunday, August 29, 2021
8:30 a.m. – Arrival at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center (KSCVC). SSEP delegations meet at the flagpole at the front of the KSCVC to receive tickets and to handoff posters
9:15 a.m. – Teams meet at Atlantis Building for Poster Session
9:15-9:45 a.m. – Teams set up posters (easels, backboards and binder clips will be provided).
9:45-10:30 a.m. – Poster session underneath Atlantis Orbiter
10:30-11:00 a.m. – Break and move to Journey to Mars Building
11:00-11:30 a.m. – Presentation set-up and warm up for Oral Presentations
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Oral Presentations in Journey to Mars Theater
12:00-5:00 p.m. – Lunch on your own and enjoy KSCVC
5:00 p.m. – KSCVC closes
3. Current Schedule
[August 28, 2021] Launch Day
Delegations will find a public viewing location to watch the launch of SpaceX-23.
[August 29, 2021] Presentation Day
Please see the schedule above.