After suffering modest damage during Hurricane Ike, Johnson Space Center is reopening today, NASA announced.
The center was closed for 11 days as the massive storm reached the Texas coast and scored a direct hit on Houston, where the center is located.
Because the center and its Mission Control closed, docking of a Russian Progress freighter spaceship with the space station had to be postponed. Mission Control came back on line Friday.
While Johnson Mission Control was down, station flight control was transferred to a backup facility near Austin, Texas, and later, to another facility at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Mission Control and other key Johnson facilities were largely unscathed, partly because of extensive preparations and the work of a hurricane rideout team of more than 60 people, according to NASA. However, some center buildings suffered roof, window and facade damage.
Several light poles were downed, as were a number of trees. The damage assessment and cleanup continues.