Tips for NPAC Visitors to NAVO MSRC

Stennis Space Center, MS

Formalities

All visits to NAVO must be arranged in advance through David Bernholdt (bernhold@npac.syr.edu). US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) can get in easily on short notice. Foreign nationals without green cards can get on site with a little paperwork and an escort. PET staff can serve as escorts, so this is generally not a problem.

The Location

Note that Stennis Space Center is located in Mississippi quite close to the Louisiana border. Don't be confused by the fact that your airport and hotel may be in LA while your meetings are in MS.

Getting There, Part 1 ... Air

New Orleans (MSY) is the closest major airport (about 1 hour). Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport is about 25 miles (40 min.) in the opposite direction. US Air and Delta serve New Orleans, while Gulfport has only Delta. My experience is that flight schedules to New Orleans on both airlines are better than those to Delta (more frequent flights, shorter layovers at hubs).

Getting There, Part 2 ... Car

New Orleans Airport to Slidell, LA

Follow the signs from the airport to Interstate 10 East. Take I-610 to skirt the city proper and return to I-10 East. Allow about 1 hour to Slidell in non-rush hour traffic.

Slidell, LA to NAVO

Get on I-10 East. Stay on I-10 East (right lane) where I-59 and I-12 split off. Continue on I-10 East to Exit 2 (about 10-15 miles from Slidell). Head north on Hwy 607??? to get to Stennis Space Center, about 5 miles.

The road actually passes through Stennis, and is limited access. You will see a white guardhouse in the road, and a one-story white concrete building on the right side of the road. Although the sign for the building says only Earth Imaging Center (or something like that), this is in fact where you must go to register for the site. You will need to get a vehicle pass, which will get you past the guardhouse during the rest of your visit. They will give you a site map and directions of how to get from the gate to the building where the PET offices (Bldg 1103) or the MSRC itself (Bldg 1002) are located. Visitor registration can be rather crowded first thing in the morning -- allow extra time on your first morning!

With a vehicle pass, travel time from Slidell to NAVO itself is about 15 minutes.

Staying There

If you fly into New Orleans, Slidell, LA is the closest town to Stennis. There is a cluster of hotels just off the Interstate in Slidell (Hwy 190/Gauze Blvd). Check with the Business Office to see where people have stayed before (Quality Inn is one place).

If you fly into Gulfport, I can't help you much.

Things To Do

Stennis itself is a functional NASA center, which has a nice museum/visitor's center a couple of buildings down from where the NAVO MSRC PET offices are located.
Of course the biggest attraction is probably New Orleans.
There are also a lot of casinos out on the coast, not far away.