WATCH: Tornado BATTERS Nasa facility targeted with getting humans to Mars
NASA’S Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans has been battered by a tornado, leading to major damage of its costly equipment.
NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility BATTERED by tornado
Amateur footage shows a grey funnel smashing the facility as storms continue to hit southern USA.
The base in New Orleans is central to Nasa’s future plans as the workers and facilities there are responsible for building the space agency’s next generation heavy-lift rockets for its Space Launch System (SLS).
The SLS will be used to get humans to Mars and potentially even further.
The video, uploaded to YouTube by Nasa, shows a hefty tornado accompanied by a strong storm streaking towards the camera, with the event taking place on February 7.
A tornado battered Nasa's Michoud facility
The second part of the video shows some of the extent of the damage caused, with one car having been flipped over.
One spectator behind the camera said: "That thing is an awesome thing to look at.”
Another commentated: "Hopefully, everybody's okay, but it is real bad.”
The tornado approaching the base
Nasa said in a statement: "At this time, only minor injuries have been reported and NASA employees and other tenants are being accounted for.
"There is still a threat of severe weather in the area and emergency officials are continuing to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of onsite personnel.
The tornado touched down in New Orleans on Feb 7
"The onsite Michoud emergency response team is also conducting damage assessments of buildings and facilities.”
The Governor for Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, said that seven tornadoes were recorded in six parishes on Tuesday.
But, he added, “the Lord has blessed us because not a single fatality has been reported or confirmed as this time”.