Possible Kennedy Space Center catastrophe

[chakalakasp]

Not sure if anyone has addressed this yet.

If the storm takes the current forecast path (which is still very much in question, as the NHS's margin of error this far out is rather large), Frances will come very close to NASA's Kennedy Space Center -- right over top of it, in fact.

The buildings at the space center are only designed to withstand max winds of 125 (that's gusts, not sustained.)

The Cape is only 9 feet above sea level. Storm surge could conservatively reach 10 to 15 feet, possibly much more.

All of the Space Shuttles are currently stationed at the Cape.

I hope the storm pulls furter north, or we may not have much of a shuttle fleet left next week.

[coriolis]

Seems that NASA is facing the same decision as many civilians: To evacuate or not to evacuate. I'd think that they'd have time to strap the shuttles on that 747 and get 'em out of there.

[jaysonx]

I am sure there is a pretty big procedure in getting those things on top of that 747... I doubt they could pull it off in a day and 1/2.. but who knows.

Somehow I think that they will do ok.. they have all the technology in the world, I would think that they would have eventually prepared for this possibility.

[chakalakasp]

Seems that NASA is facing the same decision as many civilians: To evacuate or not to evacuate. I'd think that they'd have time to strap the shuttles on that 747 and get 'em out of there.

There is no time for that. That takes weeks.

This link explains what they've decided to do... mostly, batten the hatches, wrap everything in plastic, sandbag, and pray.

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/frances_ksc.html

[Guest]

hopefully the space shuttles don't die if it hits Florida.

[dhweather]

The shuttles sit on the mammoth movers, getting them up and additional 20-30 feet, and the vehicle buildings are cat 3/4 rated.

[coriolis]

Good luck NASA. There will be plenty of 'splaining to do and second guessing if the shuttles are damaged. Of course that is much less important than lives lost.

[quickychick]

wrap everything in plastic, sandbag, and pray.

Hopefully they've been given more plastic than my employer gave me: a 2 ft x 2 ft square of visquine to lay ever so gently over my workstation, PC, and printer in case a Cat 4 hits.

Seriously though, good luck to all on the Florida coast.

-qc

[opera ghost]

The shuttles should be okay... think about it. They go much much faster than Francis at launch and probably have some sort of impact shielding- and they should be airtight... right? I mean they are designed to keep out the vaccum of space.

Obviously if a building collapses on them it'd be problematic... but surely they've thought about it

[dhweather]

wrap everything in plastic, sandbag, and pray.

Hopefully they've been given more plastic than my employer gave me: a 2 ft x 2 ft square of visquine to lay ever so gently over my workstation, PC, and printer in case a Cat 4 hits.

Seriously though, good luck to all on the Florida coast.

-qc

She speaks the truth.

If a drip of water gets in, she's fine.

If the 125MPH winds get in, it really doesn't matter.

[chakalakasp]

The shuttles sit on the mammoth movers, getting them up and additional 20-30 feet, and the vehicle buildings are cat 3/4 rated.

The vehicle buildings are rated for 125mph winds max. And that's gusts.

The VAB was built for the Apollo missions, is quite old, and even when it was brand new was only meant to withstand a weak Cat 3. It is not designed to withstand a Cat 4. (The structure is not exactly aerodynamic and is essentially a large concrete gymnasium.) A strong Cat 4, or a Cat 5 (where this seems to be headed) does not bode will for KSC, should it track that way. A direct hit from a Cat 5 would pretty much wipe Kennedy Space Center off the map.

[dhweather]

The shuttles should be okay... think about it. They go much much faster than Francis at launch and probably have some sort of impact shielding- and they should be airtight... right? I mean they are designed to keep out the vaccum of space.

Obviously if a building collapses on them it'd be problematic... but surely they've thought about it

I wouldn't look at it that way, they have a very laminar airflow around them at launch/landing, and are areodynamically deisgned for specific
forces. Hence a piece of foam punches a whole in a wing.

[chakalakasp]

The shuttles should be okay... think about it. They go much much faster than Francis at launch and probably have some sort of impact shielding- and they should be airtight... right? I mean they are designed to keep out the vaccum of space.

Sure, they're designed to take wind dead-on while flying. So are F-14's. However, F-14s do not take hurricanes very well when parked, which is why the Navy moves them below deck during a hurricane. Winds tend to tip planes over, lift them in the air, blow them around... generally mess them up.

The shuttle is sturdy, but it is not meant to take direct hits from steel beams, concrete bricks, or palm trees flying at 165 mph. Which is exactly what it would probably get, since building integrity would likely be breached, perhaps catastrophically so, in such winds. And, as you mentioned, it's definately not designed to take a 525 foot tall concrete building collapsing on top of it.

[opera ghost]

I reapeat- if a building collapses on them it would obviously be problematic.

Trying to be optimistic here... since there's not a lot I can do. I'm worried about the shuttles- I loved watching them when I was a child and the thought that KSC could be gone is one that doesn't settle well in my stomach.

I'd rather hope for the best.

[frankthetank]

While on the subject of very expensive FLORIDA assets...what about the CITRUS regions...aren't they along the East Coast, OKEECHOBEE area??? I thought i heard somewhere that it is a 9 BILLION dollar industry...and that CHarley had already taken out a small portion of it....i hope farmers didn't already plant new trees or anything.... Living in a region dominated by farmers (WISCONSIN) i can just imagine the hardships in the weeks ahead....I wish all of Florida luck and hopefully this doesn't become a routine in Floridas future....

heres a pic from today of the EYE....
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/daisybird/franceseye.jpg">

heres the full pic...its a biggie
http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gall ... 0.250m.jpg