Editing Kennedy Space Center (section)

==Weather==
[[File:Mercury-Redstone display toppled KSC-04PD-1721.jpg|thumb|A Mercury Redstone rocket on display at Gate 3 was toppled by Hurricane Frances on September 7, 2004.]]
Florida's peninsular shape and temperature contrasts between land and ocean provide ideal conditions for electrical storms, earning Central Florida the reputation as "lightning capital of the United States".<ref name="climatology ">{{cite book|last=Oliver|first=John E.|title=Encyclopedia of world climatology |year=2005|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4020-3264-6|page=452}}</ref><ref name="Lightning FAQ">{{cite web|title=Lightning: FAQ|url=http://www.ucar.edu/communications/infopack/lightning/faq.html|work=UCAR Communications|publisher=University Corporation for Atmospheric Research|access-date=June 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316205727/http://www.ucar.edu/communications/infopack/lightning/faq.html|archive-date=March 16, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> This makes extensive [[lightning]] protection and detection systems necessary to protect employees, structures and spacecraft on launch pads.<ref>[http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/lightningprot.htm KSC – Lightning and the Space Program] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924115858/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/lightningprot.htm |date=September 24, 2008 }} Retrieved May 28, 2008</ref> On November 14, 1969, [[Apollo 12]] was struck by lightning just after lift-off from Pad 39A, but the flight continued safely. The most powerful lightning strike recorded at KSC occurred at LC-39B on August 25, 2006, while [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|shuttle ''Atlantis'']] was being prepared for [[STS-115]]. NASA managers were initially concerned that the lightning strike caused damage to ''Atlantis'', but none was found.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.space.com/12207-space-shuttle-lightning-strike-launch-pad.html|title = NASA Checks Shuttle After Lightning Strike Near Launch Pad |website = Space.com |access-date=2017-10-19 }}</ref>

On September 7, 2004, [[Hurricane Frances]] directly hit the area with sustained winds of {{convert|70|mph}} and gusts up to {{convert|94|mph}}, the most damaging storm to date. The Vehicle Assembly Building lost 1,000 exterior panels, each {{convert|3.9|ft}} x {{convert|9.8|ft}} in size. This exposed {{convert|39800|sqft|m2|-1|abbr=on}} of the building to the elements. Damage occurred to the south and east sides of the VAB. The shuttle's Thermal Protection System Facility suffered extensive damage. The roof was partially torn off and the interior suffered water damage. Several rockets on display in the center were toppled.<ref name="RELEASE : 04-288">{{cite news|title=NASA Assesses Hurricane Frances Damage|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/sep/HQ_04288frances_update.html|newspaper=NASA Press Release|access-date=July 4, 2010|archive-date=June 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614145624/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/sep/HQ_04288frances_update.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Further damage to KSC was caused by [[Hurricane Wilma]] in October 2005.

The conservative estimate by NASA is that the Space Center will experience 5 to 8 inches of [[sea level rise]] by the 2050s. Launch Complex 39A, the site of the Apollo 11 launch, is the most vulnerable to flooding, and has a 14% annual risk of flooding beginning in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.climatecentral.org/news/could-kennedy-space-center-launch-pads-be-at-risk-as-climate-changes-experts-say-yes|title=Could Kennedy Space Center launch pads be at risk as climate changes? Experts say yes|last1=Horn-Muller|first1=Ayurella|last2=Joy|first2=Rachael|date=November 14, 2019|website=Climate Central / Florida Today|language=en|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=June 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619180802/https://www.climatecentral.org/news/could-kennedy-space-center-launch-pads-be-at-risk-as-climate-changes-experts-say-yes|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.climatecentral.org/pdfs/2019-10-21-SpaceCoastReport_Final.pdf|title=Future Flood Risk: John F. Kennedy Space Center & Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|date=October 2019|website=Climate Central|access-date=2019-12-11|archive-date=December 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211023828/https://www.climatecentral.org/pdfs/2019-10-21-SpaceCoastReport_Final.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>