A digital display and PA system track the countdown. At zero you can see billowing smoke and the growing tail of orange flame. Then the sound finally reaches your ears. Many in the crowd clap and cheer. Some wave flags or salute.
Eyes crane skyward, tracing the rocket as it gets smaller.
At 90 seconds, you can barely see the solid rocket boosters burn off before the space shuttle arcs out of sight. You cannot reserve a pass for a specific launch, but you can get on a waiting list for a vehicle pass to the first available shuttle launch. Don't bother inflating your hot-air balloon or chartering a helicopter. Air traffic anywhere near the launch pad is strictly prohibited, and violators are discouraged by US Air Force fighter planes. The stretch faces the Indian River, about 10 miles west of the launch pad.