NASA’s Johnson Space Center to Close for Hurricane Laura

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will close Wednesday, Aug. 26, to all but essential personnel and will remain closed until the threat of Hurricane Laura has passed.

The center’s leadership team continues to closely monitor weather conditions and the overall situation in Houston, and is preparing a full assessment of the center’s status once the storm subsides.

The closing allows employees working on site to avoid potentially unsafe road conditions, and to attend to the needs of their families. It also allows the center to focus on the highest priority mission activities, including the crewmembers currently aboard the International Space Station.

The Flight Control Room supporting the space station closed Tuesday as the hurricane neared the Texas coast. Flight operations teams deployed to NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in northeast Texas and the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will continue to support the space station and its crew. This backup capability is prepared for each hurricane season and will be executed with no impact on critical station operations or the safety of the crew.

Additional updates about the center’s status will be posted to: http://www.jscsos.com