NASA employee at Kennedy Space Center tests positive for coronavirus: report

By Chelsea Gohd
last updated

"This employee was last at the center more than 10 days ago."

A NASA employee who works at the Kennedy Space Center, the agency's primary spaceport, has tested positive for COVID-19.
A NASA employee who works at the Kennedy Space Center, the agency's primary spaceport, has tested positive for COVID-19. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

The first positive case of coronavirus at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida was confirmed today (March 23).

As reported by Emre Kelly for Florida Today, Tracy Young, a NASA spokesperson at KSC, the agency notified employees on Sunday (March 22) that a KSC employee tested positive for the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19. 

However, Young noted that the employee who has tested positive likely didn't contract the illness until they had already begun telecommuting and working from home. "This employee was last at the center more than 10 days ago," Young told Florida Today. "Based on the circumstances and elapsed time since the employee was on site, we believe it was acquired after they had started teleworking and there is no additional risk at the center from this person."

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Young added that the "protection and care of the Kennedy workforce, their families and the entire Kennedy community remains our top priority during this uncertain time."

This news follows NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine's announcement last week that mandated that all agency employees, with the exception of critical mission personnel, work remotely from home. This escalated NASA's response to the coronavirus pandemic to Stage 3 as part of the agency's "Response Framework." 

Bridenstine's announcement came after NASA employees tested positive for COVID-19 at the agency's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. NASA has since elevated three of its centers — the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Ames — to Stage 4, citing increasing coronavirus concerns. 

NASA's Response Framework. (Image credit: NASA)

So far, the growing spread of the disease has resulted in a number of changes at NASA. In addition to the change in working conditions for NASA employees, work is currently on hold for the James Webb Space Telescope, a number of other science-focused missions have been put on hold and timelines for spacecraft development is also up in the air. 

Currently, as of March 23, there are over 33,000 cases of coronavirus in the U.S. alone and 400 reported deaths, according to the CDC. 

Stay up-to-date with live updates surrounding the coronavirus outbreak here. 

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Chelsea Gohd
Chelsea Gohd
Senior Writer

Chelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd and @foxannemusic.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Truthseeker007
    I question why doesn't anybody seem to know somebody with the Corona Virus or somebody who died from it? Yet all these celebs and a NASA employee. Come on who is falling for this anymore? This is a lame attempt of the Globalists to try not to lose their power over the world. They are going to fail miserably and the Powers That Be will be The Powers That Were.
    Reply
  • Doug Graham
    Truthseeker007 said:
    I question why doesn't anybody seem to know somebody with the Corona Virus or somebody who died from it? Yet all these celebs and a NASA employee. Come on who is falling for this anymore? This is a lame attempt of the Globalists to try not to lose their power over the world. They are going to fail miserably and the Powers That Be will be The Powers That Were.

    Yes, I do. A close friend of mine just died from this terrible disease, so shove your conspiracy theory up your @$$.

    I question how someone as stupid as you has access to the internet.
    Reply
  • JPL-ACE
    Admin said:
    The first positive case of coronavirus at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida was confirmed today (March 23).

    NASA employee at Kennedy Space Center tests positive for coronavirus : Read more
    Kind of reminds me of the Apollo movie where the astronauts were more worried about having to abort the mission than the danger involved. Being a retired Mission controller, I am VERY sorry to see this virus delay or even ruin some missions. While there is definitely danger we must not panic. Do what you can to get over this so we can get moving again. AND WASH YOUR HANDS!
    Reply