NASA KENNEDY TO REOPEN FOR NORMAL OPERATIONS FRIDAY

Managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Station Center, Fla., plan to reopen the Space Station center for normal operations Friday morning for workers' first shift. A slow-moving Tropical Storm Fay has kept Kennedy Space Station closed since Tuesday. The Kennedy Space Station Center Visitor Complex also will reopen Friday.

The Space Station center was set to open Thursday morning for limited operations, but Fay stalled off the coast from Kennedy Space Station overnight and continued to bring heavy rain and tropical storm force wind to the area through mid-day.

Personnel are reminded to exercise caution when entering their work areas and report any unsafe conditions or damage to their immediate supervisor.

Based on initial assessments, there is no damage to space station flight hardware, such as the space shuttles and Hubble Space Station Telescope equipment. Some facilities did sustain minor damage. Most reports are of water intrusion that will require mopping up.

A group of emergency personnel, known as a "ride-out crew," has been on-site since Tuesday and will remain on-duty until Friday morning to provide real-time assessments.

All Kennedy Space Station workers should check with the center's hurricane information phone line for the latest status at 321-861-7900 or 1-866-572-4877 before reporting to work Friday. Updates also are available online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

and

http://www.nasa.gov/eoc