NASA Employees Return to Flooded Space Center Post-Shutdown

The partial government shutdown claimed millions of victims, from the federal workers who missed paychecks to the citizens who faced delays in critical services. In at least one case, federal office space itself suffered significantly. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center employees returned to work this week with a surprise awaiting them at the Maryland facility virtually none of them had set foot inside for 35 days: much of the center was flooded. A pipe linked to the air conditioning burst during the shutdown, causing flooding in several work areas. In addition to those rooms, water damaged a robotics laboratory and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration cleanroom areas. The Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility used to “integrate and test space hardware” and a shipping and receiving area also saw water buildups.