Mission Control

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Mission Control

Mission Control is crucial to the success of any space mission. This command center, located in Houston, Texas, helps astronauts complete their missions. Mission control was created in the 1960s to perform nearly all functions for the Mercury , Gemini , and Apollo missions. As time went on, Mission Control began to have less control as spacecraft became more complex and allowed astronauts to have better control.

Today Mission Control is responsible for being the "eyes and ears" for astronauts on Earth. Mission controllers use a variety of computers to monitor everything from weather conditions on Earth to spacecraft communications. Mission Control is filled with computers with abbreviated titles written on top of them. Each computer monitors a different aspect of the mission. The room that houses Mission Control, however, is only the command center. For each person sitting at a console, there are many engineers and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) employees working in other areas to provide accurate up-to-the-minute information for Mission Control.

The 15 to 20 people who work in Mission Control follow a chain of command. The flight director has the final authority to make life-or-death decisions. Called "Flight," he or she is in command of everyone else.

"Capcom" is the name given to the individual who communicates directly with the astronauts. That name refers back to the time when the Mercury capsules were in use (capsule communicator).

The flight dynamics officer (FIDO) is in charge of ascents, deorbits, and space shuttle performance, and the guidance officer makes sure that the navigation software functions properly. The guidance officer only watches navigation software; the data processing systems engineer is in charge of the five computers on the shuttle.

Engineers for propulsion and boosters watch to make sure that all engines are firing properly from the moment liftoff occurs, while the shuttle is in space, and until the touchdown. Every area has its own controller, from the payload officer who monitors the shuttle's payload , to the payload deployment officer who watches over the shuttle's robotic arm, to the EVA engineer who monitors the extravehicular activity suits.

The health and safety of the astronauts are a paramount concern for NASA, requiring a flight surgeon who watches the vital signs of all astronauts and provides medical advice if necessary. The emergency environmental and consumables (EECOM) systems engineer watches over the temperature and pressure inside the spacecraft. The electrical generation and integrated lighting systems engineer ensures that there is sufficient electricity for the astronauts to complete their mission.

The mission controller most often seen by the media is the public affairs officer. This job entails not only explaining mission details to the media and the general public but also providing a commentary to outsiders who are not trained by NASA.

The International Space Station (ISS) has its own control room, separate from the space shuttle's mission control. Although it is smaller than its counterpart, most data on either the shuttle or the ISS can be displayed in either facility.

see also Capcom (volume 3); Communications for Human Spaceflight (volume 3); Computers, Use of (volume 3); Flight Control (volume 3); Launch Management (volume 3); Launch Sites (volume 3); Navigation (volume 3); Space Centers (volume 3); Tracking of Spacecraft (volume 3); Tracking Stations (volume 3).

Craig Samuels