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Aftermath of Hurricane Ike: Johnson Space Center Closed For Another Week
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Mission flight controllers will be working from temporary quarters for at least another week, NASA officials announced. Mission teams are working out of Austin, TX, with assistance from resources from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
Good news for flight trainers and astronauts getting ready for upcoming spacewalks: the Sonny Carter Training Facility wasn't damaged as Ike roared through Houston. Named for popular astronaut Sonny Carter, who died in a commercial airline crash, the off-campus facility contains a huge water tank for astronaut training.
Wearing their heavy spacesuits, astronauts practice spacewalking tasks in a controlled neutral buoyancy environment. The training is so arduous that rescue divers help the astronauts into the work area of the tank and monitor them at all times.
The facility is just one of several flight-essential resources at JSC. Hurricane rideout crews are inspecting the site, restoring power as it becomes available, and leading the transition back to operations.
NASA managers are asking that all JSC employees check in and report where they are and how they are. They've provided a hotline at Marshall Space Flight Center: 877-470-5240.
It's not yet certain if Ike will affect upcoming space shuttle launches. The docking of a Russian Progress supply ship at the International Space Station had been delayed until Wednesday. There's no word yet whether or not that operation will proceed.
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