NASA's first deep-space mission to launch from Virginia's Eastern Shore is scheduled for Friday, and while all eyes are on the sky, most of the uncertainty swirls around what will happen on the ground, on tiny Chincoteague Island, where hotels, restaurants and traffic cops must deal with thousands of spectators.
On one hand, the town has experience: every summer, it deals with an estimated 15,000 tourists who come for the famous pony roundup. But Friday's spectacle is different in so many ways.
NASA's visitor center on Va. 175, a popular spot for watching rocket launches from the Wallops Flight Facility, will be closed to the public to accommodate at least 1,000 VIPs expected by the space agency. In addition, the beaches of adjacent Assateague Island - which can park 989 vehicles - will be closed because the rocket's trajectory places the shoreline in a hazard zone.
That leaves the island with two official viewing spots, limited parking and potentially thousands of spectators trying to cram in.
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3 comments:
You read where these rockets can be seen from hundreds of miles away,but there is no substitute for being at ground zero.There has never been a serious draw in the past to our area,and the prospect of this is exciting.
It may be big if it falls on Ocean City or Salisbury. What a waste of money.
Could this be why FEMA and other Gov vehicles are all on the Lower Shore?
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