Updated May. 29, 2020 2:53 PM
Despite warnings from NASA officials and the risks implied by the current pandemic, which has so far claimed over 100,000 lives in the U.S., approximately 150,000 people gathered on Florida's space coast to watch SpaceX's first attempt at launching astronauts to space yesterday (May 27).
SpaceX attempted to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft with two veteran NASA astronauts from NASA's Kennedy Space Center yesterday as part of the Demo-2 test flight to the International Space Station. Unfortunately, bad weather delayed the launch to no earlier than Saturday (May 30).
Despite the risks of the coronavirus pandemic (there have been over 52,000 cases and 2,300 deaths related to the novel coronavirus in Florida so far), stormy weather and a tornado warning, approximately 150,000 people traveled to watch the event. "We are still running cell phone data and other reports for possible additional insight, but the estimated number of viewers in person was 150,000," Florida's Space Coast Office of Tourism told Space.com in an email.
Spectators watch from Titusville, Fla. as SpaceX Falcon 9 prepares to lift off with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in the Dragon crew capsule, Wednesday, May 27, 2020 from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch of the SpaceX test flight to the International Space Station was scrubbed with more than 16 minutes to go in the countdown due to lightning. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine made a public announcement before the launch, urging people to do the exact opposite of what these visitors did: stay home. Bridenstine said that people should watch the launch virtually, as full launch coverage was available live on NASA TV and, by gathering and not social distancing, there is a risk of spreading or contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
“Not many masks were sighted among the onlookers. Crowds were far smaller than for high-profile launches of the past and between the COVID-19 crisis and bad weather ... NASA had urged spectators to stay away” and watch on TV.
floridatoday.com/story/news/202… via @Florida_Today
Kennedy Space Center was not even open to visitors for SpaceX's launch attempt yesterday, but its visitor center reopened to the public today (May 28). NASA scheduled the facility's big reopening for after the SpaceX launch. But, as photos from the event show, people still came in droves and packed into Florida's nearby beaches and the causeway, desperate to get a peek at the launch.
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