The Orlando, Florida area offers some incredible experiences you can not find anywhere else; theme parks adventures at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are among them, of course, but one of the more incredible ones is viewing a launch at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Launches at the NASA facility are getting rarer and rarer these days, but next month will see a historic launch as the STS-125 Space Shuttle Atlantis gets sent into space in order to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Tickets went on sale April 3 for the launch, which will take place on Tuesday, May 12. The viewing will take place in the main Visitor Complex Rocket Garden.

This will be the fourth and final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Veteran astronaut Scott D. Altman will command the mission with Retired Navy Captain Gregory C. Johnson serving as pilot. STS-125’s crew also includes mission specialists John M. Grunsfeld and Michael J. Massimino, as well as first-time space-fliers Andrew J. Feustel, Michael T. Good, and K. Megan McArthur.

Upon arriving at the Hubble Telescope, the crew will make various repairs over the course of five back-to-back spacewalks. They’ll install a wide field camera, a spectrograph, a full set of batteries, six new stabilizing gyroscopes, a new fine guidance sensor, new insulation, and they’ll repair two other instruments that are currently inactive. All these measures will keep the telescope in top shape through at least 2014.

On the ground, those at Kennedy Space Center will be able to watch from a safe distance as the shuttle goes through its pre-launch procedures, which include the launch platform being drenched with 300,000 gallons of water to protect the orbiter from damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust. Then, six seconds before launch, those in the garden will be able to hear and see the main engines ignite and the water on the platform flash into a large amount of steam. If all systems are go, the shuttle will take off, trailing an amazing plume of fire behind it.

On launch day, a large video screen at the Rocket Garden will broadcast live NASA TV launch coverage, and there’ll be astronaut appearances and launch briefings as well.

For those who plan on seeing the launch, we highly recommend paying a visit to the KSC’s Visitor Complex afterwards. There, guests can put themselves in the shoes of an astronaut inside the space shuttle with the Shuttle Launch Experience. A wild ride that incorporates all the sights, sounds, and sensations of a real space shuttle launch, the experience features astronaut testimonials and a step-by-step recreation of the launch sequence made all the more real with sound and lighting effects and brilliant imagery on video screens.

Other great attractions at the KSC include Astronaut Encounter, IMAX Films, the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, tours of the facility, and more.

Those wanting to be on hand for Atlantis’ incredible ascent into space can get tickets for the launch on the Kennedy Space Center website. But for tickets to the KSC Visitors Complex, you can save by checking out discount Kennedy Space Center tickets on OrlandoFunTickets.com. Whichever way you go about it, you’ll definitely want to turn your head to the Orlando skies on May 12, and if you’re at Kennedy Space Center on that day, you’ll see a sight you’ll never forget.

Labels: Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center Events