posted 09-01-2004 03:59 PM               

Most of the buildings at KSC were built in the 1960s to withstand winds of 110 to 115 mph. The Shuttle Orbiter Hangers were built to withstand winds of 105 mph. I know budget cuts have kept a lot of money from being spent on building up keep around the Cape for many years. I hope this doesn't come back to haunt NASA. I have heard the VAB is in pretty bad shape.

posted 09-01-2004 10:47 PM               

It is also forecast to weaken over the Bahamas (also normal) and by the time it reaches land, the winds are expected to be reduced to 115.

posted 09-02-2004 10:34 AM               

"If there were serious damage to one or two of the orbiters or the facilities needed to process and launch the orbiters, I think it would raise a very large question about the continuation of the shuttle program," Logsdon said.

posted 09-05-2004 02:48 PM            

It is to be hoped that other structures — like gantries, viewing stands, comms towers etc — on KSC and CCAFS weathered the storm better.

posted 09-06-2004 12:20 AM               

I noticed today that all of the KSC-based websites that I tried to access were down. Has anyone else noticed this? I was mainly trying to access mission pages.

posted 09-06-2004 01:10 PM               

Emergency crews are on site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and are providing the first information on conditions there following Hurricane Frances. They report that key buildings such as the Launch Control Center and the massive, white Vehicle Assembly Building are still standing.

The emergency crews see some exterior damage to the VAB, where Space Shuttles are readied for launch. There are a significant number of panels missing from the exterior. The Shuttles themselves rode out the storm in their hangars, known as Orbiter Processing Facilities. We do not yet have information on conditions there.

posted 09-06-2004 03:40 PM               

Hurricane Frances has battered the Kennedy Space Center's 525-ft high Vehicle Assembly Building ripping off over 1000 panels from its exterior, Center Director Jim Kennedy told reporters a short while ago. With another Hurricane possibly on course to hit Florida this weekend, the space agency is worried.

"The VAB is something of concern," Kennedy said."Not only because of the initial damage but because of the potential that Ivan brings to us. Our weather people tell us that Ivan could be at the backdoor of KSC as early as Saturday."

Ivan is a powerful hurricane packing winds of 115 miles per hour, currently located 360 miles east-southeast of Barbados.

Although power was lost to all three Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPFs), which shelter the shuttle fleet, there was no significant damage to the buildings other than some minor water intrusion beneath doors. Power has been restored to OPF bays 1 and 2, but not yet at bay 3, which houses Discovery, the shuttle slated for NASA's post-Columbia return to flight.

NASA's efforts to return the shuttle fleet to flight could also be impacted by extensive damage to the tile manufacturing facility at the space center.

"We believe that the roof is partially gone," Kennedy said. "There is extensive water damage within the facility."

Until repairs can be made, NASA is considering reactivating a recently closed tile manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California, according to Kennedy.

With each panel on the side of the VAB measuring 4 by 10 feet, Kennedy estimated 40,000 square feet has been exposed to the elements. The damage occured on the south and east facing side.

A portion of the grandstand roof at the space center press site has been ripped away and the roof of the news center facility has been damaged.

Kennedy Space Center employees, except those in Disaster Assessment and Recovery Teams, are not to report to work tomorrow.

posted 09-06-2004 05:44 PM               

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Jim Kennedy held a teleconference with the news media this afternoon and provided a preliminary picture of the damage Hurricane Frances inflicted upon the space center. The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) has the most visible damage. According to Kennedy the damage can be seen on the South and East walls of the VAB. There are some 1,000 panels that have lifted off of the building. There are also areas of insulation and subpanels missing. Each panel is 4x10 feet in size. The Shuttle Tile Facility suffered significant damage. The roof is partially gone and there is extensive water damage inside. There does not appear to be any damage to the Space Shuttles Discovery, Atlantis, or Endeavour.

posted 06-08-2005 03:59 PM               

On September 5, 2004, Hurricane Francis bore down on Florida's Space Coast, only the second time in recorded history this area was struck by the full force of a hurricane (and second of what would be three strikes that summer). One unfortunate result was the damage of the Mercury Spacecraft mockup atop the Redstone booster found at KSC's Gate 2 on State Hwy. 3. Many of the corrugated panels were tossed around the parking are by the Press Center nearby.

On June 7, 2005, the spacecraft returned. Guard Lee of Apopka, FL, produced the fiberglass reproduction using the original framwork removed earlier. The aluminum escape tower mockup was also cleaned and repainted. This new capsule serves double duty, providing an authentic looking vehicle but also acting as a rain umbrella, preventing future water damage to the booster interior.