Orlando Fl Condos

Atlantis launch will draw 1 million visitors

If you’re hoping to “feel the thunder” for the last launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for July 8 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, expect lots of company — and a tough time finding hotel rooms close to the action.

An estimated 1 million spectators will be on hand for what Space Coast Office of Tourism executive director Rob Varley calls “the world’s greatest tailgate party.”

As a result, Varley says, most hotels, condos and campgrounds between Titusville and Melbourne Beach are sold out. “We’re sending people to Orlando, where the airport area (about 35 miles from the space shuttle launch site) is pretty much booked up, too,” says Varley.

Elsewhere in Orlando, particularly along International Drive, “there’s still plenty of availability and we’re seeing some great deals the Fourth of July week starting at $60 for a two-star hotel,” says Visit Orlando’s Susan Lomax.

Tickets for the closest viewing spots, at the Kennedy Center Visitors Complex and along the NASA Causeway, were distributed through a lottery system for $20 to $65 each — but demand has been so high that ticket packages have sold for up to $5,000 on websites such as eBay, reports Florida Today .

Other prime areas include Titusville (12 miles across the Indian River from the Space Center) and the cruise ship port of Port Canaveral, says NASA photographer Ben Cooper, who publishes an online guide to launch viewing (launchphotography.com).

“Anywhere else, including the beaches, you won’t be able to see the launch pad,” says Cooper, who adds that spectators can still feel, if not actually see, the liftoff from Cocoa Beach.

His advice: Go early. Atlantis is scheduled for a late-morning launch, which means you’ll want to stake out a spot no later than sunrise. And be prepared with plenty of water, sunscreen and insect repellent. Expect a six-hour drive back to Orlando, normally about 45 minutes.

Visitors also will need to be flexible because last-minute problems could delay the launch.

Copyright © 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

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