Just Ridiculous, Another One?

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Gunman prompts Space Center evacuation 6 minutes ago



HOUSTON - A Johnson Space Center building was evacuated Friday after reports of a gunman inside, Houston police said. Police were called about 1:40 p.m. for Building 44, which houses communications and tracking development laboratory, news reports said.

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Johnson Space Center security officers and Houston police, including a SWAT team, were dispatched to the scene.

NASA spokesman Bill Jeffs said he could not confirm whether there was a gunman or whether any shots were fired.

"It's an ongoing situation," he said.

Roads within the 1,600-acre campus were blocked off. A nearby middle school also kept its teachers and students inside as the school day ended.

Neither Jeffs nor HPD spokesman John Cannon would confirm television reports describing a gunman and his actions.

Another NASA spokesman, James Hartsfield, said the building was "one of the smaller" office buildings on the JSC campus, where Mission Control is based.

He declined to speculate on how a person would get a gun inside NASA security or what his motives would be.

Christine Reichert, space station flight controller at Johnson Space Center, said employees were being told to stay in their buildings.

She said she people in the building close to Building 44 "were all good. That's all I know."

Doors to Mission Control were locked as is standard procedure.

[Dan]

Are you surprised by this?

[PETE'S BROTHER]

alledgedly a retire nasa engineer with hostages.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Originally posted by Dan
Are you surprised by this?

surprised, no. disgusted, yes

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Man kills self, hostage at NASA building By MONICA RHOR, Associated Press Writer
1 minute ago



HOUSTON - A NASA contract worker took a handgun inside an office building Friday at the Johnson Space Center and fatally shot a hostage before killing himself, police said. A second hostage escaped with minor injuries. Authorities described him as a man between 50 and 60 years old.

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The building was evacuated immediately after reports of gunfire. Capt. Dwayne Ready said officers have not been able to establish communications with the gunman.

Television reports said the man was an employee of Jacobs Engineering, a Pasadena, Calif.,-based subcontractor. Ready said he did not know who the man was. Phone messages left at Jacobs Engineering were not immediately returned.

SWAT officers surrounded Building 44, which houses communications and a laboratory. Roads within the 1,600-acre campus were blocked off. A nearby middle school also kept its teachers and students inside as classes ended.

Christine Reichert, space station flight controller at the space center, said employees were initially told to stay in their buildings. That restriction was lifted a few hours later.

NASA employees and contract workers were kept informed of the situation by e-mail.

Michael Zolensky, who studies cosmic dust at the space center, said workers were gathered around a television watching news reports of the situation.

Doors to Mission Control were locked as standard procedure.

[smithcreww]

NOT AGAIN!! TOO BAD NATURAL SELECTION TOOK ONE EXTRA THIS TIME

[Nitro Express]

Loonie astronaughts and now this. NASA is going to shit.