Mission Control survives monster storm

Hurricane Ike tore up part of the roof of NASA's storied Mission Control Center, but Johnson Space Center appears to have come through the monster storm without major damage, NASA officials said today.

Packing 110 mph winds, Ike came ashore at 2:10 a.m. EDT and blasted the Texas coast, flooding thousands of homes and businesses and knocking out power to millions of people, the Associated Press reported. The storm -- which was almost as big as the state of Texas -- shattered windows in Houston skyscrapers and toppled light poles and trees at the space center.

But no injuries were reported at the space center, which was closed for normal business in advance of the storm. A 65-member "ride-out crew" took quick steps at Mission Control to ensure Building 30 sustained no major water intrustion, and all computer systems supporting the International Space Station made it through the storm without damage.

Winds dropped below 50 mph at 9:32 a.m., enabling the ride-out team to begin initial damage assessments.

Some buildings appeared battered by high winds and heavy rains. Some vehicles also were damaged. But an anticipated tidal surge from nearby Clear Lake was not as devastating as expected. Storm surge between eight and 20 feet was forecast.

"It was was less than what they had feared," said NASA spokesman Mike Curie. "They've got standing water in the area closest to Clear Lake, but there was no flooding."

The space center has been on generator power since 6 a.m. EDT.

It's unclear whether the storm will prompt a delay in the planned Oct. 10 launch of Atlantis on a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission or the Nov. 10 launch of Endeavour on a space station outfitting mission.

"It's too early to tell," Curie said.

However, the closure of the center stalled crew training for the mission and NASA is not yet certain when the center will reopen for normal business.

NASA on Thursday activated back-up Mission Control Centers near Austin, Texas and Huntsville, Ala. The planned docking of a robotic Russian cargo carrier is being delayed until Flight Control Room 1 at JSC can be reopened, but outpost operations otherwise are continuing as scheduled.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge and save the Associated Press image of Hurricane Ike approaching the coast of Texas an hour before it made landfall this morning. The image was captured by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Satellite stationed above the east coast of the United States. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.