As thousands of people prepare to come to the Space Coast for Monday’s historic Artemis launch, Brevard County Public Schools said that children will still attend class and that the district will make minor bus route modifications.
The school district said in a video aired on Monday that it anticipates significant traffic delays the morning of NASA’s Artemis I launch from Kennedy Space Center.
The district said on Facebook that “schools will stay open on launch day and families and staff are strongly urged to make arrangements right now to prepare for the launch.”
Numerous schools’ bus routes will change, according to superintendent Mark Mullins, and additional details will be provided later this week.
Bus drivers will avoid the 528 causeway, one of the most popular launch watching locations, spokeswoman Russ Bruhn told News 6 on Wednesday.
The bus stops for kids won’t alter, according to Bruhn.
According to law enforcement, who he spoke with, the traffic will be controllable—slower than usual but controllable—he added.
According to Bruhn, schools haven’t been closed for space shuttle launches in recent memory either.
Officials from Brevard County estimate that over 200,000 people will converge on the region for the launch. The county has made preparations for heavy traffic around and within Kennedy Space Center.
Tom Yarborough, a parent at Cape View Elementary School, lives close to Jetty Park.
Yarborough observed, “That one route leading out is usually backed up for hours whenever there is a launch.”
According to Port Canaveral, five cruise ships will transport around 40,000 guests on the day of the launch.
Yarborough said of taking his daughter to school, “I’m hoping that if I get her here early enough, 7:15 or so, but I still believe we’re going to have a problem.
The Artemis program has set Monday, August 29, as the intended launch day, with a two-hour window opening at 8:33 a.m. The much anticipated NASA Artemis mission would potentially transport Americans to Mars in addition to returning them to the moon.
A crewed test trip to orbit the moon will come after the first mission if it is successful. The objective of Artemis III will be to land on the moon if that mission is successful. According to NASA, Artemis I might need up to 14 days to reach the moon.
