A memo from NASA’s chief financial officer this week suggests the agency has furloughed more than 80 percent of its civil service workforce following a Wednesday shutdown of the federal government.

The furlough plan targets the agency’s workforce of more than 15,000 civil servants. That includes 2,317 employees – or about 15 percent of the total agency – at the Houston-based Johnson Space Center. The Johnson Space Center employees included in the furlough cover about 73 percent of the total Houston-based workforce.

Employees of the space agency who are furloughed will receive back pay at the conclusion of the shutdown. The agency plans to work with the payroll provider to make sure paychecks are dispersed quickly, though the process may be delayed depending on the length of the shutdown.

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