spacetoday.net: KSC weathers Hurricane Jeanne

Posted: Tue, Sep 28, 2004, 9:53 AM ET (1353 GMT)
VAB damage from Hurricane Frances (NASA)

NASA's Kennedy Space Center escaped major additional damage from Hurricane Jeanne, center officials said late Monday, but the overall damage and disruptions could force a delay in next year's first post-Columbia shuttle flight. Jeanne, which struck Florida on Sunday, stripped about 30 panels from the sides of the Vehicles Assembly Building (VAB); that giant building lost over 800 panels when Hurricane Frances struck in early September. The Operations and Checkout Building also suffered some water damage from roof leaks. However, the three shuttle orbiters, as well as space station hardware, escaped any damage from the storm, which KSC director Jim Kennedy called a "kinder, gentler" storm compared to Frances. Three rockets on launch pads at neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station also survived the storm without damage. However, the overall damage from the hurricanes, as well as the work disruptions — KSC reopened Tuesday after being closed since Friday — could force NASA to delay the launch of the shuttle Discovery in March or april 2005 on the first shuttle mission since the Columbia accident. Shuttle managers are scheduled to meet Friday to weigh the effects of the storms on shuttle flight preparations and whether a launch postponement will be needed