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: October 29, 2024 at 1:00 pm EDT
This page provides basic logistical information for the SSEP delegations traveling to Florida for the launch of the Mission 18 to ISS Surveyor experiments payload aboard SpaceX CRS-31. Liftoff is currently scheduled for November 4, 2024 at 9:29 pm EST, from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), NASA Kennedy Space Center. In case of a 24-hour scrub, the launch will be rescheduled to November 5, 2024. at 9:06 pm EST.
Launch Viewing Summary – all SSEP Mission 18 delegations will be viewing the launch from the outdoor bleachers at the Banana Creek launch viewing location, which adjoins the Saturn V Building at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC). The launch is taking place outside the normal operating hours (9:00 am – 5:00 pm) for the KSCVC. No KSCVC attractions will be accessible, including the Saturn V Building. We encourage delegations to explore the KSCVC during normal operating hours while you are in Florida.
Delegation Status – currently, we have 113 attending (46 SSEP Student Researchers, 1 Mission Patch designers, 26 teachers/administrators, 31 family members, and 9 other stakeholders) from 16 communities: Ukraine; Mesa, AZ; Tolleson, AZ; Colorado Springs, CO; Edina, MN; Garden City, NY; Grand Forks, ND; Athens, OH; Kent, OH; Pittsburgh, PA – CCAC; Columbia, SC; Arlington, TX; Houston, TX; Plano, TX; Texarkana, TX and Waxahachie, TX.
Please note that the deadline for providing final attendee numbers is Monday, October 28, 2024 by 12:00 pm ET. After this time, the delegations will be locked and new attendees will not be added.
CONTACTS
For general questions, please contact SSEP Flight Operations Manager John Hamel at johnhamel@ncesse.org or call 434-882-5177.
SSEP Host On-site at KSCVC: Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NESSE), SSEP National Program Director: jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org, cell 301-395-0770
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 online, 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 fare 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 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 $75 adult/$65 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. KSCVC and NASA/KSC cannot offer a discount to SSEP delegates to the launch.
Important notes:
a. You must pay KSCVC general admission even if you only want to take a behind-the-scenes tour.
b. 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!
c. 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. The hotel we recommend in the Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center by Marriott. This hotel is approximately 7 miles from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and has a great space theme. Please note that 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.
Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center
Jump to the Hotels page.
B. The SSEP Launch Plan for SpaceX CRS-31
1. Key Thinking for Planning
Fly in as late as reasonable before the launch so that if the launch is delayed by just one or two days there is still an opportunity to see the launch if you stay in Florida for a few days. However, we strongly advise you NOT to fly in the day of the launch, which could cause you to miss it due to airline 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 in Person
All delegations will be bused from the KSCVC main gate to the outdoor bleachers at the Banana Creek launch viewing site, which adjoins the Saturn V Building; the building will be closed, but bathrooms will be accessible from the bleachers
Attendees are able to bring water, snacks, and hand held umbrellas
For us to view the launch after hours, the KSCVC needs to contract for buses and drivers, contract for security, and secure the jumbotron and a technician at Banana Creek. This requires a cost of $60 per attendee.
On the day of the launch, November 4, 2024, the SSEP delegations will meet at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex main gate no later than 7:30 pm. The SSEP delegations will then be bused to the Banana Creek launch viewing site. If you miss the bus, you will need to find a public viewing space outside the KSCVC to watch the launch (see section 3 below).
Schedule for November 4, 2024
7:30 pm – Meet at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Meet at the flagpoles in front of the main entrance. Each community POC (Point of Contact) should check in with Jeff Goldstein at the flagpoles.
8:00 pm – Enter KSCVC through security checkpoint and board buses to Banana Creek launch viewing site.
8:45 pm – Arrive at Banana Creek launch viewing site
9:29 pm – LAUNCH of SpaceX-31
9:45 pm – Board buses to return to KSC Visitor Complex
If there is a 24-hour launch scrub before we board the buses, we will work with the KSCVC to reschedule for November 5 for a 9:06 pm EST launch, and will need to work with all delegations to assess how many can still attend. There will be no added charge per attendee for rescheduling.
If there is a 24-hour launch scrub after we board the buses, KSCVC can reschedule a return to Banana Creek on the following day, but there will again be a cost per attendee to cover KSCVC again securing all required services for transport to, and launch viewing at, Banana Creek. This will require us to assess with the delegations how many will return a day later. If the number of attendees is significantly reduced, the cost per attendee may go up from the $60/attendee for the first launch day (depending on impact to the number of buses required), and we will need to assess if we should redirect to a public viewing location (see next section).
Note on costs incurred by the delegations – once we board the buses we are contractually committed to pay the KSCVC for all launch viewing services whether or not the launch occurs. The delegations are therefore committed to pay the cost per attendee fee whether or not the launch occurs.
3. Viewing Locations – Kennedy Space Center and Public Viewing Locations
The map below provides multiple viewing locations, including: the main KSCVC, Banana Creek, and multiple public viewing locations in Titusville, Port Canaveral, and Cocoa Beach.
Of note –
- the Banana Creek Launch Viewing Site is 4 miles from LC-39A
- the main KSCVC is 7.5 miles from LC-39A
- our preferred public viewing site, the center of the Max Brewer Bridge, is 12 miles from LC-39A, with a parking lot at Sand Point Park
Click on Map to Zoom
Download: Public Viewing Sites
Download: Launch Viewing Map Document