h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Good article - but if you want to view an ESA launch or a launch by any other nation, ie Russia, China, Japan, Great Britain, France etc... where would you go?

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For the ESA try Kourou, French Guyana

Not all NASA launches are out of Florida. There are a number of satellites and exploratory spacecraft (from JPL)launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base (also refered to as Western Spaceport). Launches from there can be seen all over Southern California; the bigger vehicles, like Titan II or Deltas (forget the vehicle number) can be seen from Arizona, depending when they launch. We had a considerable number of launches when the Iridium communications network of 80 satellites was launched a couple of years ago. There were launches (of 5 satellites at a time) about once a month. Not as impressive as the Shuttle, which I have yet to see, but still inspiring.

Sea Launch, (which is a commercial vehicle and launch platform system run jointly by the U.S. and Russia), combines an oceangoing drilling platform modified into a launch platform, with a Russian launch vehicle. Their home port is in Long Beach, CA. They launch out in the ocean off of Hawaii at the equator, to give them the maximum advantage of range. Not easy to see though, unless you live in Hawaii! (Don't I wish!)

There's a race on tonight (Jan. 8), between Ariane and Sea Launch as to which will have the first launch of the New Millenium. Ariane will be first, if they don't have a hold and miss their launch window, with Sea Launch taking off a mere 87 minutes later!

Oops! Make that 27 minutes apart! Just checked my facts at UniverseToday.com .