Witness Orion launch from Space View Park

For decades, crowds gathered along the Indian River in Titusville, Florida, to witness historic launches of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle missions.



On Thursday, Dec. 4, thousands will return to the Space Coast to watch the next milestone in space exploration as NASA's Orion flight test carries an uncrewed capsule about 3,600 miles above Earth.

You can get a great view of the launch for free at Space View Park in Downtown Titusville, which is only about an hour's drive from Orlando and the theme parks.

Throughout the park are huge monuments to the programs and people responsible for building the U.S. space program. There are also mission plaques and bronze hand prints of six of the original seven astronauts.

The project was the result of a partnership between the city and U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation, which will be on hand Thursday with Orion t-shirts and coins to mark the event.

The 2-hour, 39-minute launch window for liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy opens at 7:05 a.m.

After the launch, you can tour the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum at 308 Pine St. on U.S. 1, which only a few blocks away from Space View Park in Downtown Titusville.

The museum, where visitors can see launch consoles and gear from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programs as well as other spaceflight memorabilia, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day of the launch.