Kennedy Cocaine Center?

4.2 grams of cocaine was discovered at Kennedy Space Center this week. This is the second time that the illegal drug was found at KSC in little over a year. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

CAPE CANAVERAL – A white, powdery substance that was later identified as cocaine was discovered at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An investigation has been started, but the space agency is not saying where the cocaine was discovered. Approximately 4.2 grams of the drug was found.

This is the second time that illegal drugs have been found at the space center. The first time was back in January of 2010. During that instance a small packet of the drug was found at one of the three Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPF), essentially large hangars where the three remaining space-worthy shuttles are housed and serviced. The bag was found in the OPF that houses Discovery.

During the previous instance all workers at that location were given mandatory drug tests. However no arrests were made in that instance. NASA has a zero tolerance policy toward drug use.

The announcement that cocaine had again been found at KSC followed another instance where a United Space Alliance worker fell to his death out at Launch Complex 39A – where the shuttles launch from. The worker, James Vanover, operated the swing arm out at the site and was set to be laid off in the next round of layoffs which will come in April.

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3 Comments

  1. What I don’t understand is that I’m pretty sure someone doing drugs just doesn’t leave this lying around… It’s gotta be some sting op or something.

  2. The title of this article is a discredit to NASA and the thousands of professional and technical people that have been launching spacecraft and flight hardware here for almost 50 years. One person’s illegal drug use is the not summary of a world known and accredited class act organization.
    Thanks

    • Hello Not-Right,
      Please read the full article. This is the second time in a year that cocaine has been discovered at KSC. Also, and more troubling, the amount – is not what is commonly found among users – but rather it is the amount that a dealer would carry. While we appreciate your support for Kennedy Space Center, this is starting to become a pattern and given the fact that it was found within a day of a worker dying out at Launch Complex 39A? This is a very disturbing issue.

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