NASA is in the middle mitigate the destructive potential of a powerful hurricane heading towards Florida. Tuesday featured another flash of chaos, when a fire broke out inside the building that currently houses the agency’s Moonbound Artemis I rocket.
Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Director Janet Petro told reporters on Tuesday that NASA leaders were considering how to handle the alarming weather reports they had received. What started as a tropical depression in the western Caribbean last week quickly developed into Hurricane Ian, which is expected to hit eastern Florida with tropical storm winds Wednesday morning.
Note: If you follow Hurricane Ian news, consider watching this National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) video on how to interpret hurricane track predictions. DO NOT use the cone to assess your risk of strong winds, storm surges, heavy rain or tornadoes.
KSC is spared from a direct hit due to its location at Cape Canaveral on Florida’s Atlantic coast, but the wind and lightning are still dangerously strong. The teams met several times over the weekend starting Friday to discuss the storm’s track and intensity. “We have the hurricane plan that applies to all NASA hurricane and contractor organizations,” Petro said.
KSC prepares for Hurricane Ian
HURCON’s four stages, or hurricane conditions, describe NASA’s storm preparation stages, beginning at IV and gradually descending in 72, 48, 24, and 12 hour increments until the storm hits.
KSC began scanning its hurricane warning system on Monday. “At that time, notifications and preparations began with communications with each organization and our center, and we began identifying personnel who would weather the storm as members of our exit team.”
After a meeting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, KSC moved on to the next step. “We declared and entered HURCON III this morning,” Petro said. This is the 48-hour period before the storm’s arrival, “when the bulk of the hurricane’s work occurs,” Petro added. “We are proceeding to secure our facilities, property, equipment and hopefully Exit Team members will be able to return home and prepare their homes for the arrival of this storm.”
Shortly after this meeting at 9:15 a.m. EST, Artemis I entered KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) so that NASA could protect it from harsh weather conditions on the way. VAB has withstood past storms and even lost hundreds of exterior panels to consecutive hurricanes in 2004.
But then, a few hours later, a fire broke out in that shelter. “At approximately 11:45 p.m. today, a fire was reported in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Employees were evacuated and no injuries were reported,” KSC said via Twitter. “The VAB is fireproof and the Artemis I vehicle was not in danger. We will provide updates as we get them. The agency later said on Twitter that it happened at 11:45 a.m.
Petro said no injuries were reported and it probably had no effect on Artemis I since it happened “at a good distance” from the rocket. NASA says it is still investigating the cause of the fire.
What does this mean for the launch of Artemis I?
NASA is coordinating several factors to see which is the best choice for the next launch target. A launch in October, starting next week, is not excluded. But Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Missions Directorate, suggested that was unlikely. Free told reporters he didn’t want Artemis I to return to the launch pad too quickly without first addressing “life-limited items” that require periodic reassessment.
Free also said the team would rather do a daytime launch, but the November launch opportunities wouldn’t support it.
For now, NASA personnel are completing final pre-storm preparations for the rocket and their families.