Lost in Space - NASA and the government shutdown

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Government Shutdown In Space: NASA Astronauts Safe on Space Station
by Tariq Malik, Managing Editor | October 01, 2013 09:11am ET

This image from a NASA space shuttle mission shows the International Space Station in orbit. The space station is the size of a football field and home to six astronauts. Image taken: Feb. 10, 2010. Credit: NASA View full size image

The U.S. government shutdown beginning today (Oct. 1) will shut down much of NASA, but the space agency is taking special measures to safeguard American astronauts currently living on the International Space Station. Astronauts were assured they had enough supplies to make it through the shutdown.

In addition, they no longer have to ask permission to use "the facilities" since no one will be there to "take their calls"


Veteran NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and first-time space traveler Mike Hopkins can rest assured that when they call home to Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, someone will answer. NASA contacted Comcast to deploy the "NASA on Xfinity" branded Integrated Voice Response system to handle all astronaut needs. If the Astronauts actually need to speak to a person, they will be put on hold until they reach a designated time zone of the current Response center person assigned, based on how many calls are in queue at the time of call.

Any pay that Astronauts are due, will be docked at the same rate as other "non essential" government employees since the duties on the space station are not deemed to be of importance to the White House.

Today also happens to be NASA's 55th birthday — the space agency began operations on Oct. 1, 1958 — but it is unlikely any parties are planned. Instead, NASA will be giving the astronauts Comcast "Pay Per View" credits in lieu of any actual "party".



NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Expedition 37 flight engineer, poses for a photo while floating freely in the Unity node of the International Space Station on Sept. 16, 2013.
Credit: NASAView full size image



"NASA will continue operations in the Mission Control Center to protect the lives of the six crew members in orbit and the safety and security of the space station," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly told SPACE.com in an email late Monday (Sept. 30).




Most of NASA's 18,000 employees are furloughed today as a result of the government shutdown that went into effect after Congress failed to pass a budget late Monday (Sept. 30). Less than 600 space agency workers will be at work today, according to NASA's government shutdown plan.

In a statement Monday, President Barack Obama said NASA "will shut down almost entirely," but that Mission Control would remain open.