BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The opposite of what NASA is advising, the Brevard County sheriff continues to tell launch visitors if they want to come out and watch the SpaceX Demo-2 launch in person, they are welcome to do so responsibly.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey said there are plenty of spots to watch in person where you can keep a distance.
“Along the great viewing points in Brevard County, we know that this place is going to be what it always is - people coming here to see a great piece of history,” Ivey said.
The sheriff said to do what makes one comfortable - either watch astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley take flight by streaming from home, or see the first American human spaceflight mission in nine years with a trip to the Space Coast.
For those who will travel to Brevard County, the sheriff said his office will activate 80 reserve deputies to help work the crowd.
"My anticipation is that it's going to be a tremendous turnout and if there are people who want to wear masks, we want to make sure that they're available to them," the sheriff said.
The sheriff's office is receiving a donation of 20,000 masks from Cape Canaveral beach merchandise store, Beachwave Beachwear.
Also ahead of the astronaut mission, this weekend there are two rocket launches scheduled.
The sheriff said monitoring crowds who watch those rockets will help authorities prepare for the astronaut launch.
Demo-2 is on target for May 27.