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Hurricane Frances Imperils Space Flight's Scheduled Return
Miami FL (AFP) Sep 06, 2004 Hurricane Frances ripped hundreds of panels from NASA's huge space shuttle assembly hangar and officials feared Monday that another powerful tropical storm heading toward Florida could slow down the return of manned space flights. The 128-meter (420-foot) tall Vehicle Assembly Building, known as VAB, lost 1,000 panels, leaving the hangar exposed by about "40,000 square feetsquare meters) of open window," said Jim Kennedy, director of the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. None of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space shuttles were in the assembly building during the hurricane. But officials worried that Hurricane Ivan, which US forecasters said was 360 miles (580 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados on Monday at 2:00 pm (1800 GMT), could add more damage to the space agency. Last month, Hurricane Charley violently swirled through Florida, causing 700,000 dollars in damage at the space center. The damage caused by Frances could significantly surpass that figure, Kennedy said. And Ivan could wreak more havoc. "The VAB is something of concern because of the potential that Ivan brings to us," Kennedy said. "Ivan could be at the back door of (the space center) as early as Saturday. Part of our priorities is to see what can we do to protect the VAB from further loss." Officials worried Monday whether the 500 workers repairing the assembly building would have time to fix it if Ivan hits the state over the weekend. Another hurdle to cross is the loss of power and telephone lines, which were cut when France's winds struck the space center. Only one building has electricity. "We are working hard to protect the shuttle return to flight date of March (2005)," Kennedy said. Officials have yet to establish the extent of damage caused on the shuttle's two launching pads. NASA plans to resume space flights next year, after it makes modifications deemed necessary following the Columbia shuttle disaster in which killed seven astronauts in February 2003. The fleet is down to three ships, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavor. Over the weekend, the space center was hit by peak winds of 94 mileskilometers) per hour as Frances moved across Florida. The wind was mostly measured at 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. Hurricane Ivan, a Category 4 tropical storm, was packing 115-mile (185-kilometer) per hour winds as it moved toward the Caribbean Monday afternoon, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Although it had lost some steam, forecasters warned it could regain strength before it reaches some islands. The damage caused by Frances and Charley could total 20 billion dollars, equaling the destruction wrought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which is considered the worst storm to ever hit the southeastern state. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
Heads Up, Space Station, Discovery Is Ready To Blast Off
Cape Canaveral (AFP) Jul 12, 2005A plastic and foam cover fell off a window of Discovery, but damage to the space shuttle was rapidly fixed and will not cause any delays, NASA said Tuesday on the eve of the planned launch. |
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