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Editing Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center

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{{Short description|United States historic place in Houston, Texas}}
{{Other places|Mission control center}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2011}}
[[File:Mission control center.jpg|thumb|250px|right|White Flight Control Room prior to [[STS-114]] in 2005]]
[[File:Christopher Kraft Mission Control Center.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Exterior of the Mission Control building]]
[[File:2023 NASA Flight Operations Emblem.svg|thumb|250px|right|Emblem for NASA's [[Flight controller#|Flight Operations Directorate (FOD)]]]]
[[NASA]]'s '''Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center''' (MCC-H, initially called '''Integrated Mission Control Center''', or IMCC), also known by its radio [[callsign]], '''''Houston''''', is the facility at the [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center]] in [[Houston]], [[Texas]], that manages flight control for the United States human space program, currently involving astronauts aboard the [[International Space Station]] (ISS).
The center is in Building 30 at the Johnson Space Center and is named after [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr.]], a NASA engineer and manager who was instrumental in establishing the agency's Mission Control operation, and was the first Flight Director.<ref name="nasa.gov">[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/kraft_mcc.html NASA - NASA Names Mission Control for Legendary Flight Director Christopher Kraft] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413090145/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/kraft_mcc.html |date=April 13, 2020 }}. Nasa.gov (2011-04-14). Retrieved on 2013-09-06.</ref>

The MCC currently houses one operational control room in Building 30 from which [[flight controller]]s command, monitor, and plan operations for the ISS. This room has many computer and data-processing resources to monitor, command and communicate with the station.  The ISS control room operates continuously. A second control room in the same building, which formerly hosted the Shuttle flight control team, can be set up for ISS operations should the need arise (e.g., during repairs or hardware upgrades in the main room), and also hosts training simulations.

==Cape Canaveral (1960–1965)==
{{main|Mercury Control Center}}
[[Image:Mercury Control.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Mercury Control at Cape Canaveral during a simulation of [[Mercury-Atlas 8]] in 1962]]
All [[Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle|Mercury–Redstone]], [[Mercury-Atlas]], the uncrewed [[Gemini 1]] and [[Gemini 2]], and crewed [[Gemini 3]] missions were controlled by the Mission Control Center (called the Mercury Control Center through 1963) at [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex]], [[Florida]]. This facility was in the Engineering Support Building at the east end of Mission Control Road, about 0.5 mile (0.8&nbsp;km) east of Phillips Parkway. Mercury and Gemini launches were conducted from separate blockhouses at the Cape.

The building, which was on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], was demolished in May 2010 due to concerns about [[asbestos]] and the estimated $5&nbsp;million cost of repairs after 40 years of exposure to salt air. Formerly a stop on the [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]] tours, in the late 1990s, the control room consoles were removed, refurbished, and relocated to a re-creation of the room in the Debus Center at the KSC Visitor Complex.<ref>[http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050410a.html Mercury Control building]</ref>
{{clear}}

==Houston (1965–present)==

===Gemini and Apollo (1965-1975)===

{{unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Apollo Mission Control Center
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image =
| caption = Mission Control during a Shuttle flight
| location = [[Houston, Texas]]
| coordinates = {{coord|29|33|29|N|95|5|18|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Texas#USA
| area =
| built = 1965
| architect = Charles Luckman
| architecture = International
| added = October 3, 1985
| designated_nrhp_type = October 3, 1985
| refnum = 85002815<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
}}
Located in Building 30 at the Johnson Space Center (known as the Manned Spacecraft Center until 1973), the Houston MCC was first used in June 1965 for [[Gemini 4]]. It housed two primary rooms known as Mission Operation Control Rooms (MOCR, pronounced "moh-ker").
These two rooms controlled all [[Project Gemini|Gemini]], [[Project Apollo|Apollo]], [[Skylab]], and [[Space Shuttle]] flights up to 1998. Each consisted of a four-tier auditorium, dominated by a large map screen, which, with the exception of Apollo lunar flights, had a [[Mercator projection]] of the Earth, with locations of tracking stations, and a three-orbit "[[sine wave]]" track of the spacecraft in flight. Each MOCR tier was specialized, staffed by various controllers responsible for a specific spacecraft system.

MOCR 1, housed on the second floor of Building 30, was used for [[Apollo 5]], [[Apollo 7]], the [[Skylab]] and the [[Apollo-Soyuz Test Project]] ([[Saturn IB]]) missions.

====Mission Operations Control Room 2====
[[File:Mission Operations Control Room at the conclusion of Apollo 11.jpg|thumb|left|MOCR 2 at the conclusion of [[Apollo 11]] in 1969]]
MOCR 2 was used for all other Gemini and Apollo ([[Saturn V]]) flights (except Gemini 3) and was located on the third floor. As the flight control room for [[Apollo 11]], the first crewed Moon landing, MOCR 2 was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1985. It was last used in 1992 as the flight control room for [[STS-53]] and was subsequently converted back almost entirely to its [[Apollo program|Apollo]]-era configuration and preserved for historical purposes. Together with several support wings, it is now listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as the "Apollo Mission Control Center".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr//travel/aviation/apo.htm |title=Apollo Mission Control Center- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=2008-11-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501221321/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/apo.htm |archive-date=2008-05-01 }}</ref> In January 2018, the first set of consoles in MOCR 2 were removed and sent to the [[Kansas Cosmosphere]] for archival cleaning, refurbishment, and restoration to Apollo-era configuration, for eventual display back in the control room.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-012518a-apollo-mission-control-consoles-restoration.html |title=NASA sends historic Apollo mission control consoles to be restored |date=2018-01-25 |access-date=2018-02-01 }}</ref> On July 1, 2019, the newly restored Apollo-era Mission Control was reopened to the public, after a two-year long effort to restore the room to its configuration as seen during the [[Moon landing conspiracy theories|Apollo Moon]] landings. Period-appropriate accents were acquired, from cigarette packs and ashtrays to wallpaper and carpeting. The room is accessible via the tram tour at the nearby [[Space Center Houston]] visitors' center, but only from behind the glass in the restored Visitor's Gallery viewing room.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Lee |title=NASA's restored Apollo Mission Control is a slice of '60s life, frozen in amber |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/behind-the-scenes-at-nasas-newly-restored-historic-apollo-mission-control/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=July 5, 2019|date=2019-06-28 }}</ref>

In July 2010, air to ground voice recordings and film footage shot in Mission Control during the Apollo 11 powered descent and landing was re-synchronized and released for the first time.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/jul/20/sound-apollo-11-moon-landing|title=Sound restored to mission control film shot during Apollo 11 moon landing | location=London | work=The Guardian |first=Christopher |last=Riley |date=2010-07-20}}</ref> This audio was used in creating an audio-visual presentation for the 2019 Mission Control update.

[[File:Mission Operations Control Room 2 in 2019.jpg|thumb|Mission Operations Control Room 2 in 2019, after restoration]]
{{multiple image
 | width = 300
 | align = left
 | image1 = MOCR_2_Building_30_JSC_forward_view.jpg
 | alt1 = Mission Operation Control Room 2 in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, from the front of the room looking back toward the visitor gallery (prior to the 2019 restoration)
 | image2 = MOCR_2_Building_30_JSC_angle_view.jpg
 | alt2 = Mission Operation Control Room 2 in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, looking across the consoles from the corner of the room (prior to the 2019 restoration)
 | footer_align = center
 | footer =Mission Operation Control Room 2, now a historic landmark (as seen prior to the 2019 restoration)
}}
{{clear}}

===Space Shuttle (1981–2011)===
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}
[[Image:LBJ-MCC-STS030(S)116.jpg|thumb|left|Flight Control Room 1 during [[STS-30]] in 1989]]When the [[Space Shuttle program]] began, the MOCRs were re-designated flight control rooms (FCR, pronounced "ficker"); and FCR 1 (formerly MOCR 1) became the first shuttle control room. FCR 2 was used mostly for classified [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] shuttle flights, then was remodeled to its Apollo-era configuration. From the moment a [[Space Shuttle]] cleared its launch tower in Florida until it landed on Earth, it was in the hands of Mission Control. When a shuttle mission was underway, its control room was staffed around the clock, usually in three shifts.

In 1992, JSC began building an extension to Building 30. The new five-story section (30 South) went operational in 1998 and houses two flight control rooms, designated ''White'', and ''Blue''. The White FCR was used in tandem with FCR 2 for seven Space Shuttle missions, [[STS-70]] through [[STS-76]], and handled all following shuttle flights through the end of the program. When not in use for the shuttle program, the White FCR was reconfigured as a backup for the ISS FCR from time to time as needed (such as during periods of construction or upgrades in the ISS FCR).

===International Space Station (1998–present)===
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}
The newer section of Building 30 also houses the [[International Space Station]] Flight Control Room. The first ISS control room, originally named the Special Vehicles Operations Room (SVO), then the Blue FCR, was operational around the clock to support the ISS until the fall of 2006.

FCR 1, meanwhile, had its original consoles and tiered decking removed after [[STS-71]], and was first converted to a "Life Sciences Center" for ISS payload control operations. After substantial remodelling, mainly with new technologies not available in 1998, ISS flight control moved into the totally revamped FCR 1 in October 2006, due to the growth of the ISS and the international cooperation required among national control centers around the world.

===Other facilities===
Other MCC facilities include the Training Flight Control Room, sometimes referred to as the Red FCR, a training area for flight controllers; a Life Sciences Control Room used to oversee various experiments; the Simulation Control Area (SCA), primarily used during shuttle astronaut and flight control training; and an Exploration Planning Operations Center, used to test new concepts for operations beyond low-Earth orbit. Additionally, there are multi-purpose support rooms (MPSRs) which are staffed by backup flight controllers, who analyze data and run simulations as well as provide information and advice for the flight controllers.

Building 30 was named for Kraft on April 14, 2011.<ref name="nasa.gov"/>

===MCC-21===
[[File:MCC Blue Room.jpg|thumb|Blue Flight Control Room]]
From 2012 to 2014, the rooms used during the Shuttle program underwent upgrades in preparation for future human space flight activities. The ISS FCR 1, the White FCR, the Blue FCR, the SCA, and the MPSRs all had their consoles removed and replaced with modern hardware, in part to support the new operational concept of commercial companies having a presence in Mission Control. This project is known as Mission Control Center for the 21st Century, or MCC-21.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/09/mission-control-update-floor-plan-post-shuttle-era/ |title=Mission Control looks to update floor plan in post-Shuttle era |publisher=nasaspaceflight.com |date= 2011-09-19|access-date=2013-01-23}}</ref> The White FCR was officially completed and unveiled in April 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/technology&id=9499399|title=NASA gives ABC-13 tour of new mission control|work=ABC News|access-date=2014-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419193441/http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news%2Ftechnology&id=9499399|archive-date=2014-04-19|url-status=dead}}</ref> The modernized White FCR is used for flight controller training and occasionally for nominal ISS operations when FCR 1 is temporarily removed from service for repairs or upgrades.

===Commercial Crew===
In 2019, the first of the [[Commercial Crew Development|Commercial Crew]] vehicles to be controlled from Houston was launched: the [[Boeing CST-100 Starliner]]. The [[SpaceX]] [[SpaceX Dragon 2|Dragon 2]] demo flight launched earlier in the year, but SpaceX Mission Control is at their headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The Boeing Starliner missions use a number of control centers across the United States, several in Houston in the Mission Control building:
* [[Atlas V]] launch vehicle operations are controlled from the [[United Launch Alliance]]'s Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center (formerly the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center) (ASOC) at [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station]] with support from a team in the Vehicle Ascent and Launch Operations Room (VALOR) at the company's headquarters in Denver, Colorado.
* The Boeing Mission Control Center (BMCC) is at the [[Kennedy Space Center]] looking after Starliner during ascent, orbit, and entry.
* Mission Control Center for the CST-100 is known as MCC-CST and operates out of the White FCR and Ops Suite 1 just outside the room.
* The [[Guidance, Navigation and Control]] (GNC) and flight software team reside in the Blue FCR down the hall from Mission Control Center-CST.<ref name="CST">{{cite web |last1=Jordan |first1=Gary |title=How the Mission is Controlled: Inside NASA and Boeing Joint Operations |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-the-mission-is-controlled-inside-nasa-and-boeing-joint-operations |website=nasa.gov |date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref>

== Console positions ==

===Mercury Control Center (1960–1963)===
During the early years at Cape Canaveral, the original MCC consisted only of three rows, as the Mercury capsule was simple in design and construction, with missions lasting no more than 35 hours.[[Image:Chris Kraft and Walt Williams.jpg|thumb|right|Walt Williams (standing) and Chris Kraft in Mercury Control during the 1963 [[Mercury-Atlas 9]] mission]]

The first row consisted of several controllers, the [[Booster Systems Engineer]] (BOOSTER), [[Flight controller#Flight surgeon|Flight Surgeon]] (SURGEON), [[capsule communicator]] (CAPCOM), [[Flight controller#Retrofire Officer (RETRO)|Retrofire Officer]] (RETRO), [[Flight Dynamics Officer]] (FIDO), and [[Flight controller#Guidance Officer (GUIDANCE)|Guidance Officer]] (GUIDO).

The BOOSTER controller, depending upon the type of rocket being used, was either an engineer from the [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] (for Mercury-Redstone flights) or an Air Force engineer (for Mercury-Atlas and later Gemini-Titan flights) assigned for that mission.  The BOOSTER controller's job would last no more than six hours total and he would vacate his console after the booster was jettisoned.

The SURGEON controller, consisting of a flight surgeon (either a military or civilian physician), monitored the astronaut's vital signs during the flight, and if a medical need arose, could recommend treatment.  They could also talk directly to the astronaut crew if there was a medical need that the astronauts needed to discuss.

The CAPCOM controller, filled by an astronaut, maintained nominal air-to-ground communications between the MCC and the orbiting spacecraft; the exception being the SURGEON or Flight Director, and only in an emergency.

The RETRO, FIDO, and GUIDO controllers monitored spacecraft trajectory and handled course changes.

The second row also consisted of several controllers, the ENVIRONMENTAL, [[Flight controller#Procedures Controller (PROCEDURES)|PROCEDURES]], [[Flight Director|FLIGHT]], SYSTEMS, and NETWORK.  The ENVIRONMENTAL controller, later called EECOM, oversaw the consumption of spacecraft oxygen and monitored pressurization, while the SYSTEMS controller, later called EGIL, monitored all other spacecraft systems, including electrical consumption.  The PROCEDURES controller, first held by [[Gene Kranz]], handled the writing of all mission milestones, "GO/NO GO" decisions, and synchronized the MCC with the launch countdowns and the [[Eastern Test Range]].  The PROCEDURES controller also handled communications, via [[Teleprinter|teletype]], between the MCC and the worldwide network of tracking stations and ships.

The flight director, known as FLIGHT, was ultimate supervisor of the Mission Control Center, and gave the final orbit entrance/exit, and, in emergencies, mission abort decisions.  During Mercury missions, this position was held by [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr.|Christopher Kraft]], with [[John Hodge (engineer)|John Hodge]], an Englishman who came to NASA after the cancellation of the Canadian [[Avro Arrow]] project, joining the flight director ranks for the 22-orbit [[Mercury 9]], requiring Kraft to divide Mission Control into two shifts.  The flight director's console was also the only position in the Cape MCC to have a television monitor, allowing him to see the rocket lift off from the pad.  The NETWORK controller, an Air Force officer, served as the "switchboard" between the MCC, the Goddard Space Flight Center in [[Greenbelt, Maryland]] (as on-site real-time computing did not exist), and the worldwide tracking station and ship network.

The back row, consisting primarily of NASA and Department of Defense (DOD) management, was the location of the operations director (held by Walt Williams), a general or flag officer who could coordinate with the DOD on all search-and-rescue missions, and the [[Flight controller#Public Affairs Officer (PAO)|PAO]] ([[John A. Powers|"Shorty" Powers]] during Mercury), who provided minute-by-minute mission commentary for the news media and public.

In addition to the controllers in the Cape MCC, each of the crewed tracking stations and the ''Rose Knot Victor'' and ''Coastal Sentry Quebec'' tracking ships, had three controllers, a CAPCOM, SURGEON, and an engineer.  Unlike the Cape CAPCOM, which was always staffed by an astronaut, the tracking station/tracking ship CAPCOMs were either a NASA engineer, or an astronaut, with the latter located at stations deemed "critical" by the flight director and operations director.

===MOCR (1965–1998)===
[[File:Gemini Mission Control - GPN-2000-001405.jpg|thumb|left|MOCR 2 during [[Gemini 5]] in 1965]]

After the move from the Cape MCC to the Houston MCC in 1965, the new MOCRs, which were larger and more sophisticated than the single Cape MCC, consisted of four rows, with the first row, later known as "the Trench" (a term coined by Apollo-era RETRO controller John Llewellyn, which, according to Flight Director [[Eugene Kranz]], reminded him of the firing range during his years as a USAF officer). It was occupied by the BOOSTER, RETRO, FIDO, and GUIDO controllers. During Gemini, the BOOSTER position was handled by both an engineer from [[Lockheed Martin|Martin Marietta]] and an astronaut, while all missions from [[Apollo 7]] used engineers from the Marshall Space Flight Center.

The second row, after [[Project Gemini]], consisted of the SURGEON, [[EECOM]], and CAPCOM.  The EECOM, which replaced the ENVIRONMENTAL controller and some of the SYSTEMS controller's functions, monitored the spacecraft's electrical and environmental systems.  Like the CAPCOMs during Mercury, all CAPCOMs in the Houston MCC were astronauts. [[File:Apollo 13 Mailbox at Mission Control.jpg|thumb|right|MOCR 2 during the [[Apollo 13]] crisis]]

On the other side of the aisle of the second row were controllers who monitored specific parts of Gemini, Apollo,  [[Skylab]], ASTP and [[Space Shuttle]] missions. During the Gemini program, the two [[Agena (rocket)|Agena]] controllers monitored the Agena upper stage used as a docking target from [[Gemini 8]] through [[Gemini 12]].  For the Apollo lunar flights, the [[Flight controller#Telemetry, Electrical, EVA Mobility Unit Officer (TELMU)|TELMU]] and CONTROL controllers monitored the Lunar Module.  During Skylab, the [[Flight controller#Electrical Generation and Integrated Lighting Systems Engineer (EGIL)|EGIL]] (pronounced "eagle") monitored Skylab's solar panels, while the EXPERIMENTS controller monitored experiments and the telescopes in the [[Apollo Telescope Mount]].  The PAYLOAD and EXPERIMENTS controllers monitored Space Shuttle operations.  Another controller, the [[Instrumentation and Communications Officer|INCO]], monitored the spacecraft's communications and instrumentation.

The third row consisted of the PAO, PROCEDURES, and the [[Flight controller#Flight activities officer (FAO)|FAO]] (flight activities officer), who coordinated with the flight schedule.  The AFD (assistant flight director) and the flight director were also located on the third row.

The fourth row, like the old Cape MCC's third row, was reserved for NASA management, including the director of the Johnson Space Center, the director of flight operations, the director of flight crew operations (chief astronaut), and the Department of Defense officer.

===Blue FCR (1998–2006)===
The Blue FCR, used primarily for ISS operations from 1998 to 2006, was arranged in five rows of three consoles, plus one in the rear right corner. From left to right, as viewed from the rear of the room:

* The front row consisted of [[Flight controller#Attitude Determination and Control Officer (ADCO)|ADCO]], [[Flight controller#Thermal Operations and Resources Office (THOR)|THOR]], and [[Flight controller#Power, Heating, Articulation, Lighting Control Officer (PHALCON)|PHALCON]].
* The second row consisted of [[Flight controller#Operations Support Officer (OSO)|OSO]], [[Flight controller#Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS)|ECLSS]] pronounced "eekliss", and [[Flight controller#Robotics Operations Systems Officer (ROBO)|ROBO]].
* The third row consisted of [[Flight controller#Onboard Data Interfaces and Networks (ODIN)|ODIN]]; depending on phase of flight, either [[Flight controller#Assembly and Checkout Officer (ACO)|ACO]] (shuttle docked) or the [[Flight controller#Cargo Integration Officer (CIO)|CIO]] (Free-flight Operations); and [[Flight controller#Operations planner (OPSPLAN)|OpsPlan]].
* The fourth row consisted of [[Flight controller#Communication and Tracking Officer (CATO)|CATO]], [[Flight Director|FLIGHT (flight director)]], and [[Flight controller#Spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM)|CAPCOM]].
* The fifth and last row consisted of [[Flight controller#Ground controller (GC)|GC]]; depending on the phase of flight, either [[Flight controller#Russian Interface Officer (RIO)|RIO]], [[Flight controller#Extravehicular Activity Officer (EVA)|EVA]], [[Flight controller#Visiting Vehicles Officer (VVO)|VVO]], or [[Flight controller#Flight Dynamics Officer (FDO)|FDO]] (reboosts only); and [[Flight controller#Flight Surgeon (SURGEON)|SURGEON]].
* In the back, right corner, behind the Flight Surgeon, the [[Flight controller#Public Affairs Officer (PAO)|PAO (Public Affairs Officer)]] was occasionally present on a separate single console.

===White FCR (1998–2011)===
[[Image:STS-115 Shuttle (White) Flight Control Room.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The White FCR during [[STS-115]] in 2006]]

The White FCR, which was used for Space Shuttle operations, was arranged in five rows. From left to right, as viewed from the rear of the room):

The front row (the "trench") had [[Flight controller#Flight Dynamics Officer (FDO)|FDO]] (pronounced "fido"), responsible for orbital guidance and orbital changes, depending on the phase of flight; either [[Flight controller#Ascent/Entry Guidance and Procedures Office(Ascent/Entry)|Guidance]], a specialist in the procedures of those two high-energy, fast-paced phases of flight or [[Flight controller#Rendezvous Guidance and Procedures Officer (GPO)|rendezvous]], a specialist in orbital rendezvous procedures; and [[Flight controller#Ground controller (GC)|GC]], the controller responsible for the computers and systems in MCC itself.

The second row had [[Flight controller#Propulsion Officer (PROP)|PROP]], responsible for the propulsion system; [[Flight controller#Guidance Navigation and Control Officer (GNC)|GNC]], responsible for systems that determine the spacecraft's attitude and issue commands to control it; [[Flight controller#Maintenance, Mechanical, Arm, and Crew Systems (MMACS)|MMACS]] (pronounced "max"), responsible for the mechanical systems on the space craft, such as the payload bay doors and landing gear; and [[Flight controller#Electrical Generation and Integrated Lighting Systems Engineer (EGIL)|EGIL]] (pronounced "eagle"), responsible for the fuel cells, electrical distribution and O2 & H2 supplies.

The third row had [[Data Processing Systems Engineer|DPS]], responsible for the computer systems; [[Flight controller#Assembly and Checkout Officer (ACO)|ACO]] or Payloads, responsible for all payload-related activities (depending on whether the shuttle flight supported an ISS assembly flight or not; [[Flight controller#Flight Activities Officer (FAO)|FAO]], responsible for the overall plans of activities for the entire flight; and [[EECOM]] responsible for the management of environmental systems.

The fourth row had [[Instrumentation and Communications Officer|INCO]], responsible for communications systems for uploading all systems commands to the vehicle; [[Flight Director|FLIGHT—the Flight Director]], the person in charge of the flight; [[Capsule communicator|CAPCOM]], an astronaut who is normally the only controller to talk to the astronauts on board; and [[Flight controller#Payload Deployment and Retrieval System (PRDS)|PDRS]], responsible for robot arm operations.

The back row had [[Flight controller#Public Affairs Officer (PAO)|PAO (Public Affairs Officer)]], the "voice" of MCC; [[Flight controller#Flight Operations Directorate (FOD)|MOD]], a management representative, depending on the phase of flight; either [[Flight controller#Russian Interface Officer (RIO)|RIO for MIR flights]], a Russian-speaker who spoke with the Russian MCC, known as Цуп, (Tsup); [[Booster Systems Engineer|BOOSTER]] responsible for the [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster|SRBs]] and the [[Space Shuttle Main Engine|SSMEs]] during ascent, or [[Flight controller#Extravehicular Activity Officer (EVA)|EVA]] responsible for space suit systems and EVA tasks; and finally, [[Flight controller#Flight Surgeon (SURGEON)|SURGEON]].

===FCR 1 (2006–present)===
[[Image:STS-128 MCC space station flight control room.jpg|thumb|right|250px|FCR 1 in 2009 during the [[STS-128]] mission.]]

All US International Space Station operations are currently controlled from FCR 1, remodeled in 2006. This FCR abandoned the traditional tiered floor layout, with all rows instead at the same level.  A few engineering specialists are in the center of the front row, with the public affairs commentator at the right end behind a low partition. The space station trajectory position was moved to the third row.

During early ISS operations, a scheme known as Gemini was used, which reduced staffing for real-time ISS support by consolidating six system disciplines into two positions. From these two "super-consoles", named Atlas and Titan, two people can do the work of up to eight other flight controllers during low-activity periods.<ref name="Oberg 2006">Oberg, James "NASA's Newest Flight Control Room" (October 22, 2006) spaceflight.com</ref> One position, call sign TITAN (Telemetry, Information Transfer, and Attitude Navigation), was responsible for Communication & Tracking (CATO), Command & Data Handling (ODIN), and Motion Control Systems (ADCO). The other position, call sign ATLAS (Atmosphere, Thermal, Lighting and Articulation Specialist), was responsible for Thermal Control (THOR), Environmental Control & Life Support (ECLSS), and Electrical Power Systems (PHALCON). ATLAS was also responsible for monitoring Robotics (ROBO) and Mechanical Systems (OSO) heaters, as those consoles were not supported during the majority of Gemini shifts.<ref name="Oberg 2006"/> While Gemini officially reflected the fact that two controllers act as "twins" during operations, the name was also an homage to the first missions (Project Gemini) controlled from that room. In addition, Titan was the type of booster rocket which launched the Gemini spacecraft and Atlas boosters launched Gemini-era Agena target vehicles (and several missions in Project Mercury).

In 2010 after ISS assembly complete, the Gemini concept was removed and the six core disciplines were reduced to four. Those console positions are ETHOS (Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems) which consists of the ECLSS system as well as the internal thermal control system formerly held by THOR; SPARTAN (Station Power, ARticulation, Thermal, and ANalysis) which consists of the electrical power and external thermal control systems; CRONUS (Communications RF Onboard Networks Utilization Specialist), a combination of the previous ODIN and CATO positions; and ADCO (Motion Control Systems).

== Backup Control Center and mission control facilities ==

In the event that the MCC-H is unavailable due to a hurricane or other foreseeable event, NASA has the option of quickly relocating to a temporary Backup Control Center (BCC) offsite. In 2017 for [[Hurricane Harvey]], BCC was a hotel in Round Rock, Texas, about four hours away,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grush |first1=Loren |title=How NASA kept the ISS flying while Harvey hit Mission Control |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/31/16228906/nasa-mission-control-center-tropical-storm-harvey-international-space-station |website=The Verge |access-date=6 July 2019|date=2017-08-31 }}</ref> while in 2020 for [[Hurricane Laura]] the BCC was at the [[Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility]] in Palestine, Texas, the designated backup site since 2017.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knotts |first1=Jenny |title=NASA's Johnson Space Center to Close for Hurricane Laura |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-johnson-space-center-to-close-for-hurricane-laura |website=NASA.gov |date=August 25, 2020 |publisher=National Aeronautics & Space Administration |access-date=28 August 2020}}</ref>

For more long-term use, NASA will relocate to a more robust but farther control center at the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marsh |first1=Angela L. |last2=Pirani |first2=Joseph L. |last3=Bornas |first3=Nicholas |title=Operating and Managing a Backup Control Center |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20100020234.pdf |website=NASA Technical Reports Server |date=April 24, 2010 |publisher=US Govt |access-date=6 July 2019}}</ref> at [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] for ISS operations. In 2008 for [[Hurricane Ike]], NASA activated Backup Control Centers in both Round Rock and Huntsville for specific duties.

Uncrewed US civilian [[satellite]]s are controlled from the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]] in Maryland, while California's [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] manages robotic US [[space probe]]s.

== See also ==
* [[Launch Control Center]] in Florida
* [[Launch status check]]
* [[Mission control center]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/160406main_mission_control_fact_sheet.pdf NASA Mission Control Fact Sheet]
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-jsc.html Space Shuttle News Reference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114105848/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-jsc.html |date=January 14, 2012 }}
* [http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/10/nasas-newest-flight-control-room/ 2006 ISS Flight Control Room]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mission Control Center Houston}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20000107041437/http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/mcc/index.html NASA's MCC page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210123080009/https://gis.larc.nasa.gov/historic/Mission_Control_Center MCC history]
*[https://arstechnica.com/science/2012/10/going-boldly-what-it-was-like-to-be-an-apollo-flight-controller/ Detailed behind-the-scenes tour of MOCR 2], by Sy Liebergot.
*[http://www.balettie.com/mcc/ Mission Control Center Overview]
*[[Historic American Engineering Record]] (HAER) documentation, filed under 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX:
**{{HAER |survey=TX-109-C |id=tx1134 |title=NASA Johnson Space Center, Apollo Mission Control (Building 30) |photos=22 |dwgs=4 |data=101 |cap=3 |link=no}}
**{{HAER |survey=TX-109-E |id=tx1182 |title=NASA Johnson Space Center, Shuttle Mission Control Room (Building 30) |photos=26 |dwgs=4 |cap=3 |link=no}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraft, Christopher C. Jr. Mission Control Center}}
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Texas]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Texas]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1965]]
[[Category:Johnson Space Center]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Houston]]
[[Category:1965 establishments in Texas]]

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