30 August, 2017
While the vast majority of the workforce was safe, many who had experienced severe flood damage were without power and may need other assistance, said JSC Director Ellen Ochoa, a former astronaut, in a post on Monday.
Harvey has since weakened to a tropical storm, but its slow-moving meandering course has caused catastrophic flooding across parts of Texas, including Houston, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center. As of the afternoon of August 29, JSC reported 108.3 centimeters of rain had fallen during the storm, with other locations in Houston and southeastern Texas reporting even more as the storm slowly drifted to the east.
Members of the International Space Station's control team are sheltering in place at the space center, and NASA said the James Webb Space Telescope is secured inside its test chamber, where engineers are preparing it for a launch next year.
"The center will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 5", NASA said in a statement.
Astronaut Jack Fischer, who is now on the space station, has been posting pictures of the storm from space.
Due to ongoing effects of the storm, "NASA (is) unable to support media events with AstroPeggy, AstroSabot and AstroAcaba", the ISS tweeted. He added some testing work was on hold because of the center's closure. Forecasts say thunderstorms may produce more heavy rainfalls in the coming days into next week. The center originally closed August 25 and will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 5. Space Center Houston, the JSC visitor's center, will remain closed through at least September 1, it posted on its website.
Hurricane Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but continues to generate "a tremendous amount of rainfall over areas including Houston", according to the JSC emergency website. The patch included a Latin motto, "Ad astra per aqua", or, "To the stars through water".