It looks like Katrina is going to affect NASA's planned March Space
Shuttle launch:
Hurricane Katrina has indefinitely idled the Louisiana factory
that assembles space shuttle fuel tanks, and NASA said it is
looking to see if other facilities can make critical tank
repairs. NASA had tentatively planned its next shuttle mission
for March, but additional delays were likely due to
interruptions in the tank repair work that must be done before
the shuttle can fly again. The agency was primarily focused on
trying to find the employees and contractors who work at the
assembly plant in Louisiana, as well as a field center in
Mississippi where space shuttle engines are tested. Both sites
were in the path of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed huge
sections of the U.S. Gulf Coast when it blasted ashore with 145
mph (232 kph) winds on Monday. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility
near New Orleans and the Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis,
Miss., appear to have sustained roof and water damage in the
storm. Neither was expected to resume operations soon. Roads to
Michoud were still under water and hundreds of people employed
by plant operator LOCKHEED MARTIN lost their homes in the
hurricane.
(Reuters 03:57 PM ET 09/02/2005)
Mo
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