Hurricane Frances has done more damage to the Kennedy Space Center than any other storm in history, tearing an estimated 1,000 exterior panels from a giant building where space vehicles are assembled.

No space shuttles were inside the 525-foot-high building, a familiar landmark at the space center. But center director James Kennedy said he feared the damage could set back NASA's effort to resume shuttle launches next spring.

Monday marked the first time anyone from NASA had seen the damage from the storm because the agency completely evacuated the space center, the first time NASA made such a move.

The holes left by the missing panels created 40,000 square feet of "open window" on two sides of the building. Each panel measures 4 feet by 10 feet.

The storm made landfall early Sunday at Sewall's Point, some 100 miles south of the space center. The facility endured sustained winds of more than 70 mph, and gusts reached 94 mph at the peak of the storm.

(CRI September 7, 2004)