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NASA Shuttle Tank Factory Facing Catastrophic Ruin From Katrina
As tens of thousands of people fled New Orleans Sunday amid fears of catastrophe as Hurricane Katrina barreled toward the low-lying southern US city, a key component of NASA Space Shuttle program faces the prospect of being wiped out. Industry watchers say the situation is very serious as NASA's shuttle tank factory - Michoud Assembly Facility - is located on a large canal, directly between Lake Ponchetrain and a funnel-shaped bay that will face directly into the wind. The storm surge is predicted to be at least 28', and the top of the factory levee is only 19' above sea level. The levee will also hold the water in after the tide goes down. The Army Corps of Engineers would help drain New Orleans by blasting gaps in the levees. In light of the Shuttle stand-down, there are now seven complete ETs stored in the factory (plus components for 8-10 more). NASA still has two tanks at KSC, that were supposed to be barged back to Michoud for mods. Should Katrina hit New Orleans the Michoud facility will require major repair -- if NASA even bothers. "We are facing the storm that most of us have feared," said New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin as he issued an unprecedented mandatory evacuation order for the city known as "The Big Easy." "I do not want to create panic. But I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it's of the highest nature," Nagin said. Katrina, which looked set to make landfall around 7:00 am Monday, has become a rare, "potentially catastrophic" category-five storm, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Max Mayfield, the National Hurricane Center director, warned that the biggest threats were not wind or rain, but rising Gulf waters. "People need to understand that the greatest potential for large loss of life is from the storm surge flooding near the coastline," Mayfield told CNN. At the city's Louis Armstrong airport, people anxiously awaited outbound flights. "I'm just happy to be getting out of here," said Tracy Roberson, a 31-year-old postal worker who sat at the airport with her cat. "I think there's going to be casualties because they didn't give enough notice." A line of people stretching four city blocks waited to be admitted to the New Orleans Superdome sports arena, which authorities designated a shelter of last resort for those unable to flee the city. Authorities also ordered evacuations in neighboring Mississippi, which expected to be slammed by the monster storm that gathered energy from the warm Gulf of Mexico as it neared land. There was also concern Katrina's wrath could dramatically impact oil prices, which already reached record highs on Thursday amid fears the hurricane would affect rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Katrina was expected to rage dangerously close to offshore oil platforms, most of which have been evacuated. At 2359 GMT, the eye of the storm was located 210 kilometers (130 miles) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with hurricane-force winds extending 170 kilometers (105 miles) outward. The deadly storm wrought havoc in Miami and other areas of south Florida after it slammed ashore Thursday, uprooting trees, flooding entire neighborhoods, downing power lines and sending a highway overpass crashing down. About half a million people still had no electricity on Sunday. Katrina is the 11th named Atlantic storm this year and among the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record. Records going back to 1851 show that only three category-five hurricanes have hit the United States in over 150 years. Hurricane Andrew killed more than two dozen people when it slammed into south Florida in 1992, while Camille caused more than 250 deaths in Mississippi in 1969, and "Labor Day" killed about 600 people in the Florida Keys in 1935. This report contains material from Agence France-Presse. Related Links NASA Hurricane Watch Site SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Florida Braces For Hurricane Katrina, Which Sends Jitters On Oil Markets
Miami (AFP) Aug 25, 2005Storm-wary Florida Thursday braced for the imminent landfall of Hurricane Katrina, which also caused jitters on oil markets where concern over Gulf of Mexico platforms helped send crude prices to record highs. NASA Facilities Bracing For Ivan 
Stennis Space Center MS (SPX) Sep 16, 2004NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans are preparing to ride out Hurricane Ivan as it comes ashore on US Gulf Coast. NASA has made preparations to secure important space flight hardware against damage.
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