NASA's Johnson Space Center employees expected to protest government shutdown Tuesday

A NASA Tram Tour is shown at Rocket Park, 1601 NASA Road 1, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Houston. The tour is operated by the Space Center Houston which will remains open during the government shutdown. Space Center Houston is the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center, but is owned and operated by a separate nonprofit organization. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) less A NASA Tram Tour is shown at Rocket Park, 1601 NASA Road 1, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Houston. The tour is operated by the Space Center Houston which will remains open during the government shutdown. Space ... more Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close NASA's Johnson Space Center employees expected to protest government shutdown Tuesday 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

UPDATE AT 9:30 A.M.: The protest is being held just outside the gates of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, which is located at 2101 NASA Pkwy.

Employees at NASA's Johnson Space Center who have been out of work for more than three weeks because of the federal government shutdown are expected to protest Tuesday.

"Furloughed and unpaid federal employees will rally to protest the continuing shutdown and resulting furloughs that are financially hurting 800,000 federal employees and families," a news release from the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO stated.

FRUSTRATING: Workers at NASA's Johnson Space Center brace for missing paycheck Friday

About 94 percent of the 3,055 federal employees at the Houston center haven't been able to work since Dec. 22, when the government was shuttered as President Donald Trump held firm on his demand that Congress fund a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Houston center is home to the nation's astronaut corps, where human space flight research and training take place. It also is home to the International Space Station's mission operations and the Orion program. The about 200 federal employees still working at Johnson are there primarily to ensure the astronauts aboard the International Space Station stay alive.

IMPENDING EXODUS? Experts worry government shutdowns will drive NASA employees to the private sector

The protest -- which comes just four days after federal workers missed their first paycheck Friday -- will take place at 12 p.m. Tuesday just outside the gates of Johnson Space Center at 2101 NASA Pkwy. Other federal employees are expected to protest as well.

Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.