Launch into history

THE Space Shuttle program is being wound down, but a new NASA launch simulation ride is set to keep the historic missions alive for years to come.

We have ignition ... the adventure ride allows visitors to experience a space launch which NASA astronauts claim faithfully mimics the real thing. Picture: NASA

ON life's list of things to see before departing this planet, few events compare in popularity or spectacle to a NASA Space Shuttle launch.

Since April 12, 1981, NASA has hosted arguably the most awesome man-made event short of a nuclear bomb, with 117 Shuttle missions spanning 26 years.

But with escalating costs and the imminent completion of the International Space Station, NASA has announced it will wind down the Shuttle program in 2010.

To compensate, somewhat, NASA will open its $60 million Shuttle Launch Experience later this month.

The adventure ride starts from T-minus three months, fast-forwards through the shuttle assembly process and culminates in a launch and orbit.

Located at the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC), 45 minutes east of Orlando, Florida, the 4000sqm exhibit creates a first-person experience – infused with interviews and presentations by NASA astronauts – taking riders from the gantry-style walkway into a building replicating aspects of the real Shuttle processing facilities.

After a mission briefing and passing through the payload bay to be strapped into the cockpit, riders experience a countdown and launch that NASA astronauts claim faithfully mimics the real thing.

Large projection screens, plasma screens that move on robotic arms, special seat effects, rumblers and a "kicker" that jolts at the right mission moments are accompanied by the entire cabin shaking from the simulated pair of main rocket boosters as the cabin tilts backwards forcing "astronauts" into their seats.

It all combines with images of the launch pad and engines igniting, and atmospheric lighting and sound to dramatise the moments of a launch.

As the Shuttle "lifts off", the Earth recedes, followed by the booming effects of booster separation, then the relative silence of engine cut-off as the orbiter enters the tranquillity of space.

The cargo bay doors then open to reveal the spectacular view of Earth. Riders then unbuckle and exit down a spiral ramp symbolising the journey back to the ground.

The Shuttle Launch Experience is part of the $US38 Space Centre admission fee; this includes two IMAX films, access to the rocket garden which contains artefacts such as the real Apollo 11 gantry used in1969, leading to a mock astronaut capsule.

There's a full-size replica shuttle walk-through, along with entry to the Astronaut Hall of Fame complex, a short drive away where, among other attractions, is a spaceflight simulator that generates up to a sickening 4Gs.

The narrated bus tour of the KSC facility is a must-do, including a tour past the huge shuttle crawlers, the two launch pads, the 4.5km long landing strip, orbiter processing facility and the Apollo/Saturn V centre where a huge, never-used Saturn V rocket is housed – the same rocket used on the Apollo missions.

The tour passes NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building, the largest single-storey building in the world, built for the massive Saturn rockets and now home to the final launch preparations of the smaller shuttles. So large is the assembly building that almost four cut-and-stacked Empire State Buildings could fit within its walls.

Back at the main visitor centre, there's the chance to experience lunch with an astronaut, an opportunity to dine and talk with one of NASA's space travellers, plus plenty of hands-on activities for both kids and adults.

Naturally, the most logical time to visit the KSC is during launch week to experience a real Shuttle lift-off, with almost 20 launches scheduled before the program ceases.

The next lift-off, STS-117 (Space Transportation System), is set for June 8.

Launch tickets are available by booking online: a $40 launch ticket will ensure a spot at the public viewing platform and gain basic entry to the KSC, but it's not essential as launches are clearly visible from most areas around east Orlando.

With enough sound pressure to kill a human being at close range, the launch pad is located a safe 8km from the public viewing area.

Seconds before ignition, the launch pad is flooded with 135,000 litres of water, not only to cool the pad, but to suppress the sound: an intense rumble that takes more than 10 seconds to reach the viewing area.

That's when the immense force of 18 million kilowatts of power is felt (a Holden Commodore produces around 180kW), propelling the 2050-tonne shuttle into orbit.

And if everything goes to plan, two weeks later the orbiter will return to Earth at the nearby landing strip.

In every way, the Space Shuttle is one of the finest examples of human engineering, and one of life's truly incredible spectacles that will only be visible for a few more years. Get in now: the Shuttle's final countdown has begun.