Florida Braces for Hurricane Ian
By Bob Granath
Hurricane Ian is bearing down on Florida’s west coast from the Gulf of Mexico making landfall near Fort Myers as a category 4 or 5 storm. It is forecast to move northeast toward the state’s east coast, including Brevard County and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Imagery from NASA-launched Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, or GOES, spacecraft and photography from the International Space Station are aiding meteorologists in helping people across the state prepare for the storm’s impact. GOES weather satellites are launched by NASA and operated by NOAA, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
At about 9:15 a.m. EDT, on Sept. 27, 2022, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission were secured inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at after a four-mile journey from Launch Complex 39B that began at 11:21 p.m. the previous evening.
“The safety of our workforce and protection of our infrastructure is our primary focus right now,” said Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro. “This hurricane just happens to be coming at the busiest time of the year for us as we were preparing for the Artemis I and Crew-5 launches. Since late last week, the programs and partners on center have been monitoring the storm and making preparations, and those activities are continuing.”
Additionally, NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than 12:23 p.m. EDT, Oct. 4, 2022 for the launch of the agency’s Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station with a backup opportunity on Oct. 5. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina of Russia plan a six-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Once Hurricane Ian passes, NASA and contractor teams will inspect the center to determine impacts and establish new dates for the next launch attempts for Crew-5 and Artemis I.
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