14 DAY TRIAL // On April 29, the space shuttle Endeavor will launch on its last mission ever, and the American space agency expects that thousands of people will turn up for the occasion. This is usually the case with any shuttle launch, but this one – and Atlantis' after it – is special.
Officials with the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, say that they are expecting numerous tourists to come down and see the orbiter blast off to the International Space Station.
As the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) is gearing down, and getting ready to shut down, crowds have been increasing in numbers continuously. Each of the last few shuttle take-offs were witnessed by more and more people, and records are expected to be shattered next Friday.
Most likely, the most significant visitor turnover will take place on June 28, when Atlantis will carry out the last flight of the SSP, dubbed STS-135. That take-off will be the last one ever by a shuttle.
After some 30 years of continuous operations, the Program has become so familiar to Americans that almost no one can believe it is actually coming to an end. This is why increasing numbers of people are traveling for hundreds or thousands of miles to see the last flights.
This February, when the space shuttle Discovery launched to the ISS, the Florida Space Coast Office of Tourism estimated that between 400,000 and 500,000 tourists attended the event. The announcement was made by executive director Robert Varley.
“We think we're going to do better than that this time. It's going to be a big day next week,” he tells Space, referring to the planned, April 28 launch date. Endeavor is scheduled to blast off at 3:47 pm EDT (1947 GMT).
Nearly all of the area's 11,000 hotel rooms, 4,000 to 5,000 condominiums and 35,000+ campsites are booked for next week. It is estimated that visitors will bring in between $10 and $15 million.
“Most people are now aware that it's the last of the shuttle launches and so they're trying to come see one. It's very difficult – just about everybody is sold out,” explains Cape Winds Resort employee Sheryl Rodriguez.
In addition to average Americans, there are also some high-profile guests expected to come see the launch. The most prominent of them is US President Barack Obama, who promised to be there together with the First Family, to witness the launch firsthand.
The KSC Visitor Center is already reporting high numbers of visitors, way above normal. For the past few weeks, people have been pouring in from all corners of the country to see the exhibits, but also Endeavor, which already stands tall at the Launch Pad 39A complex.
For officials, this launch is a rehearsal for Atlantis' flight. The last-ever shuttle mission is expected to draw in over 1 million people, up from the usual attendance level of just 100,000 to 200,000.