Jessica Rye
Sept. 16, 2004
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

KSC RELEASE: 68-04

KSC CONTINUES WITH HURRICANE RECOVERY AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS

Kennedy Space Center's nearly 14,000 employees returned to work this week,
following an 11-day closure of the Center for Hurricane Frances. During the
closure, the Damage Assessment and Recovery Team (DART) worked on-site to
determine the extent of damage from the storm, which brought sustained winds
greater than 70 mph and gusts as high as 94 mph.

The DART has completed its initial damage assessments, and a thorough
assessment of KSC's 900 facilities and buildings is ongoing. The full
assessment could take weeks or months to complete.

"We have a great deal of work in front of us," said KSC Associate Director
Jim Hattaway. "We have a tremendous team dedicated to returning the Center
and its facilities to a condition to support International Space Station and
Expendable Launch Vehicle processing activities, as well as a safe Return to
Flight of the Space Shuttle."

NASA's three Space Shuttle orbiters -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour -
along with the Shuttle launch pads and all of the critical flight hardware
for the orbiters and the International Space Station, remained well
protected and sustained no damage. Also, the SWIFT spacecraft in Hangar AE
on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was placed into its shipping
container before the hurricane and was unharmed.

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the Thermal Protection System Facility
(TPSF) and the Processing Control Center (PCC) felt the most effect from the
hurricane and received significant damage.  Additionally, the Operations and
Checkout Building, Vertical Processing Facility, Hangar AE, Hangar S and
Hangar AF Small Parts Facility sustained substantial damage.

The VAB lost nearly 850 aluminum panels (14 feet by 6 feet each) on the
exterior of the building, leaving approximately 20 percent of the interior
open to outside conditions. The roof of the VAB also saw considerable
damage. There was no damage to the two External Tanks stored inside, or to
the Columbia debris which is housed on the 16th floor of the A Tower. A
thorough inspection of the damaged area is underway.

VAB Recovery Efforts

ú       Netting was placed above flight hardware to ensure no additional
debris would fall and cause damage
ú       Roof was inspected and is safe for contractors to begin the repairs
ú       High-crew rigging was moved to the south side for workers to begin
inspection, panel replacement and repair

The TPSF, where all of the orbiter Thermal Protection System tiles and
blankets are manufactured, saw nearly 35 percent of its roof removed by the
high winds experienced during the hurricane. This caused significant water
damage, making the second floor where the blankets are sewn unusable for
processing activities and uninhabitable.  Critical equipment has been
temporarily relocated from the TPSF to a hangar at the Shuttle Landing
Facility so processing can resume as soon as possible. The first floor of
the TPSF saw some water intrusion, but none of the critical manufacturing
elements, such as the ovens, were damaged. Tile manufacturing should resume
as early as next week.

TSPF Recovery Efforts

ú       Workers are currently installing a temporary roof
ú       Clean-up and water removal activities are well under way
ú       Grid is complete at the hangar so that workers can begin to process
TPS blankets
ú       The equipment from the second floor, as well as the raw materials
needed to manufacture the blankets, was moved to the hangar

Another facility that saw extensive damage was the PCC. The PCC processes
the Space Shuttle software, and houses numerous computers and networks for
the Center. Although the facility lost a significant part of its roof and
saw extensive water damage, the hurricane preparations that workers
completed included plastic sheeting that helped minimize damage to
electronic equipment located inside. Many employees were relocated until
their offices can be returned to a safe and restored condition.

PCC Recovery Efforts

ú       Temporary roof installed
ú       Clean-up and water removal activities are well under way
ú       Wet tiles are being removed from the facility so that work stations
and offices can be cleaned

Hurricane preparations began on Aug. 30 to protect KSC facilities and flight
hardware for the storm that arrived Labor Day weekend. Center Director Jim
Kennedy closed KSC Sept. 2 to all but essential personnel, allowing
employees to prepare their own homes and evacuate with their families if
necessary. The Center remained closed until Sept. 13.

(Continued to next message)

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