Nasa hit by Katrina. Shuttle launches delayed further.

Nasa's Michoud Assembly Facitilty which is responsible for manufacturing, repairing, and solves the current problems related to the large external fuel tanks has been rendered inopperable. This facility is located only fifteen miles from New Orlean's french quarter and has suffered some damage from Katrina. It has been cut off from all electricity and water which is needed for the facility to operate. Most of the workers at this facility have lost their home's and most of their possesions.

From www.popsci.com

Link to Popular Science article.

When Hurricane Katrina roared through the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, devastating New Orleans, it shut down a major NASA facility, bringing the space agency's seemingly endless struggle to resume shuttle flights to a swift halt. The Michoud Assembly Facility, located about 15 miles east of the French Quarter, manufactures and repairs the space shuttle's giant external fuel tank-the same tank whose shedding insulation led to the destruction of Columbia in February 2003 and grounded the shuttle fleet last July. Work had been under way at Michoud to fix the tanks to enable a hoped-for return to flight next March. But now the shuttle's future seems more uncertain than ever. "We don't have a schedule," admitted Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, in a recent news conference.

www.space.com...

www.nasa.gov... ate.html

www.nasa.gov... a.html

In my opinion I'm not sure if NASA will be able to put the shuttle program back together after this. With the last launch failing in several areas and then a set back like this which will cost months and over a billion dollars to recover from its looking grim.

I seriously think this damage to NASA's facilities however relatively small may be the straw that broke the camels back.

[edit on 10-9-2005 by Xerrog]

[edit on 10-9-2005 by Xerrog]