spacetoday.net: Hurricane threatens KSC

Posted: Thu, Sep 2, 2004, 10:48 AM ET (1448 GMT)
Hurricane Frances at 1300 GMT Sept 2 (NOAA)

The Kennedy Space Center shut down late Wednesday as powerful Hurricane Frances bears down on the Florida coast. KSC officials said the center would be closed on Thursday and remain closed through the Labor Day weekend to allow employees to prepare for the hurricane. The storm, as of Thursday morning a Category 4 on a 1-5 scale with sustained winds of about 225 kmph, is currently in the Bahamas and expected to strike the Florida coast. Current projections call for the storm to cross the Florida coastline about 100 km south of Cape Canaveral, which would allow the space center to avoid the brunt of the storm but still be exposed to winds in excess of 160 kmph. However, meteorologists the path of the hurricane could change considerably over the next 24-48 hours. NASA workers have been securing the three shuttles in hangars designed to withstand sustained winds of about 170 kmph. Three expendable launch vehicles on pads at Cape Canaveral will also be secured within their mobile service towers.