Fay forces closing of Kennedy Space Center

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency officials closed the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday for 24 hours because of the threat posed by Tropical Storm Fay.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Fay, which made landfall Tuesday morning along Florida's southwest coast, was forecast to produce heavy rainfall and possible tropical storm force winds over the Cape Canaveral area.

"While most of Kennedy's almost 15,000 employees will not be at work, the center will have a small group of emergency personnel, known as a "ride-out crew," who will stay at the center to provide real-time assessments of the storm situation," NASA said, noting there are about 200 people on the ride-out crew.

NASA officials said all three space shuttles were secured in hangers and their payload bay doors were closed to protect them from possible damage. Critical Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station flight hardware were also protectively covered.