More workers are returning to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to continue building rockets for the Artemis Program, which aims to put the first woman on the moon by 2024.
Michoud Director Robert Champion says some technicians returned Monday after a long hiatus.
“This is not a full restart of the plant but it is bringing back the people who are required to do the physical hands on work of building a rocket and when you are building a rocket it is obviously a hands on project,” says Champion.
Champion says the entire facility has been cleaned and sterilized, but they’ll still be under 25 percent of their full production capacity as they enter NASA’s Stage 3 Return to On-site Work.
“We do have to do some work that is in close quarters so we are wearing masks where appropriate and making sure that we use face shields, glasses, and gloves where needed,” says Champion.
Stage 3 of NASA’s plan roughly coincides with the federal government’s Phase One.
Michoud will still have engineers who can work from home continue to do so, but Champion says he’s been impressed by the team’s creativity in maintaining efficiency during the shutdown.
“Obviously we are not as efficient but we have continued to press on and I do not know that we have missed a milestone yet so I am very pleased with our workforce and their can do attitude,”
The decision to return more technicians to the facility was made after NASA officials observed a decrease in COVID numbers across the New Orleans region over a 14-day period.