Posted: Sun, Oct 23, 2005, 4:11 PM ET (2011 GMT)
With Hurricane Wilma bearing down on Florida, NASA announced Sunday that it would close the Kennedy Space Center on Monday. The spaceport went into "HurCon 2" at noon EDT (1600 GMT) Sunday, sending workers home. The center will remain closed through at least through Monday, with a rideout crew remaining on the site overnight. NASA said in a statement that all facilities, as well as the three shuttle orbiters and the New Horizons spacecraft being prepared for launch there, have been secured. Wilma is currently a Category Two storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 km/h, and may strengthen somewhat during the day Sunday. The storm is expected to make landfall on the southwestern coast of Florida Monday morning and cross the state during the day, remaining south of KSC but subjecting the center to tropical storm or hurricane-force winds.

Related Links:

•  NASA/KSC press release