page_title: NASA
section_title: Response of the COVID-19 pandemic
hierarchical_section_title: NASA / Response of the COVID-19 pandemic
caption_attribution_description: English: View of the NASA Chris Hadfield Rocket Factory floor, taken from a scissor lift The Space Launch System intertank, shown here moving down the factory floor, finished structural assembly at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Technicians moved it to an area where it will be coated with a thermal protection system. The yellow object, left back, is the engine section of the core stage, which also completed structural assembly and is being outfitted with propulsion system hardware that will feed fuel to the four RS-25 engines on the first SLS mission.
context_page_description: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
  NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation, encouraging peaceful applications in space science. Since its establishment, most US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System, and Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program, which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for uncrewed NASA launches.
context_section_description: NASA announced the temporary closure of all its field centre visitor complexes until further notice, as well as requiring all non-critical personnel to work from home if possible. Production and manufacture of the Space Launch System at the Michoud Assembly Facility was stopped, and further delays to the James Webb Space Telescope are expected, though as of 3 June work has resumed.
  The majority of personnel at the Johnson Space Center transitioned to teleworking while, and International Space Station mission critical personnel were instructed to reside in the mission control room until further notice. Station operations are relatively unaffected, but new expedition astronauts face longer and stricter quarantines before flight.
  NASA's emergency response framework has varied depending on local virus cases around its agency field centres. As of 24 March 2020, the following space centres had been escalated to stage 4:
  Glenn Research Center in Ohio
  Plum Brook Station in Ohio
  Armstrong Flight Research Center in California
  Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia
  Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York
  Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, who also reported its first case of an employee testing positive for COVID-19.
  Two facilities were held at stage 4 after reporting new coronavirus cases: the Michoud Assembly Facility reporting its first employee testing positive for COVID-19, and the Stennis Space Center recording a second case of a member of the NASA community with the virus. The Kennedy Space Center was held at stage 3, after one member of the workforce tested positive. Due to mandatory telework policy already in effect, the individual had not been on site for over a week prior to symptoms. On May 18, the Michoud facility began to resume SLS work operations, but so far remains in a state of level 3.
  
  At stage 4, mandatory telework is in effect for all personnel, with the exception of limited personnel required for mission-essential work and to care-take and maintain the safety and security of the facility.
caption: Components of the Space Launch System
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