Mission Operations Ground Control

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then is not an act, but a habit."

-Aristotle


"Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed."

-Neil Armstrong, Commander Apollo 11 Lunar Lander


"Roger, Tranquillity, we copy you on the ground. You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot."

 -Charlie Duke, CapCom, Mission Control Houston

This dialogue demonstrates the essential role played by Mission Control in the exploration of space.  Since 1965, the Mission Control Center (MCC) has been the nerve center for America's human space program. The men and women who work at the Johnson Space Center are vital to the success of every spaceflight since Gemini IV.

The MCC during the Apollo Program

The teams of highly qualified engineers and technicians who monitor the systems and activities aboard the space shuttle and space station 24-hours-a-day use the most sophisticated communication and computer equipment in the world.

Click here for an interactive tour of Mission Control.

Flight controllers watch every move that the crew and the spacecraft make.  They double-check every number to be sure things are proceeding as expected.  They provide the knowledge, guidance, and expertise needed to deal with any unexpected events.

The film Apollo 13 demonstrated to the American public what a close-knit and powerful team the flight controllers in the MCC are.  In times of crisis as well as in times of calm, it is the flight controllers in the MCC who guide and support the astronauts and the machines they fly. The flight controllers are not smarter than the astronauts, but they supply extra eyes to look at more data simultaneously and to watch systems while the crew is sleeping.

The MCC at the end of the Apollo 13 mission

The MCC at the Cape

In the 1950s during the Mercury Program, when Mission Control was at Cape Canaveral in Florida, space capsules were controlled almost entirely from the ground. The capsule's manual control systems served mainly as a backup to the automated systems.  The astronauts relied closely on ground control for solutions to problems that arose.

As spacecraft became more complex during the Gemini Program, dependence on the newly built control center at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston (now called the Johnson Space Center) lessened somewhat. During the Apollo Program, when distance and communications breaks made it necessary for the spacecraft to be more independent, some systems were controlled on board while others still relied on the MCC.

The frequent missions of the Space Shuttle Program required a new approach to flight control. In flying the shuttle there is much more data to monitor than the crew has time to manage. Thus, the flight control team's main responsibility is evaluating the data to provide the crew with additional insight and to aid the crew in managing the complex systems of the Orbiter.

The Shuttle Mission Control Center

From the moment the giant solid rocket boosters ignite at liftoff to the moment the landing gear wheels roll to a stop at the end of a mission, the MCC is the focal point of communication and support for the mission.

The MCC's focal points are the three flight control rooms, or FCRs (pronounced "Fickers"), where flight controllers get information from console computer displays or from projected group displays that appear on the wall at the front of the room. The front screens can show a variety of data, from the tracking screen, to live video, to animated simulations of Orbiter positions, to data streams coming from the Orbiter. 

The flight control team's major responsibilities are following flight activities and staying ready for major maneuvers, schedule changes, and unanticipated events.
In July 1995, the Mission Control Center that was used for the Gemini to Shuttle missions up to that time was retired and restored to the way it was during the 1969 Moon landing.  It is now a historic site that can be seen by visitors. 

The historic Mission Control Center as it was in 1969

At that time two new FCRs were built, one for shuttle missions and one as a backup and training room that is now used for the International Space Station (and is staffed 24-hours-a-day).  The MCC first supported orbit operations with the STS-70 mission in July 1995. It first supported ascent/entry operations for STS-77 in May 1996.


The historic Mission Control Center before it was retired in 1995

Click here to read more about the new Mission Control Center.

The New Mission Control Center for the Shuttle or the White FCR

The Space Station Control Center or the Blue FCR

Click here to read about the hardware that supports the MCC.

Since the International Space Station requires one control room 24-hours-a-day and the second FCR is reserved for the many shuttle missions that will be flying over the next few years. A third FCR has recently been opened at the Johnson Space Center. All three FCRS are functionally identical.   The third FCR is used for the training of flight controllers (using simulations) that must take place concurrently with mission support.  This highly realistic training is called a simulation, or "sim" for short, and is often done in conjunction with astronaut training.

Click here to visit with a team of Challenger Center teachers who spent a day in Mission Control during an integrated simulation!

Flight controllers who work in the FCRs represent only the tip of the iceberg in terms of who actually works on a spaceflight mission. Each of the 15 to 20 flight controllers who sit at a console in the FCR has the help of many other engineers and flight controllers who are in nearby staff support rooms monitoring and analyzing data. For each mission, there are about 50 people on a team with three teams working a 9-hour shift.

The most important part of working in the Mission Control Center is teamwork.  The Flight Director, who is charge of the mission, relies on all of the different members of the control team who monitor individual systems.  Each of these controllers relies on their own expertise and the expertise of their backroom support staff. 

Flight controllers spend about 10% of their time controlling shuttle missions. They spend about another 15% of their time training, using the mission control center, the shuttle simulators, and a team of trainers to give them problems to overcome (just like in a real flight). The other 75% of their time is spent in planning and organizing future missions.

Headsets and instant messaging systems keep all of the controllers in contact with each other and the flight director as well as with the crew in orbit through the astronaut (who is the CapCom and communicates directly with the crew). 


Flight Director Kelly Beck

For answers to frequently asked questions about the MCC,
click here.
Most shuttle systems are interrelated, and as each controller monitors his or her screens and systems unexpected events arise that can affect more than one system at once.  For a good understanding of how this team functions, watch the film Apollo 13.

Flight Control Room Positions

CapCom Astronaut Dominic Gorie
The initials (or names) placed on top of each console in the FCRs are abbreviations for each console's function. Each console also has a "call sign," that is, the name the controller uses when  talking to other controllers over the various telephone communication circuits.
In some cases, console names or initials are the same as the call signs. Two of the most familiar roles are Flight Director or "Flight" and the Spacecraft Communicator or "CapCom." 

The Flight Director is the leader of the flight control team and is responsible for all mission operations.  It is the Flight Director who makes all decisions regarding the flight.  The CapCom serves as the communicator between the MCC and the astronauts.

The term "CapCom" is a holdover from the early days of human spaceflight when spaceships were space capsules. The CapCom is always an astronaut so that the information from the control center can be made crisply in language that is familiar to the astronauts.

Click here to find out what each of the mission command and control positions, their respective initials, call signs, and responsibilities are.

CapCom Astronauts Barbara Morgan and Chris Hadfield with Flight Director Bill Reeves in the background

The Flight Control Team in Brief
  • Flight Director (FD) - responsible for overall shuttle mission and payload operations and all decisions regarding safe, successful flight conduct.

Gene Kranz, probably the best known of all Flight Directors
  • Spacecraft Communicator (CapCom) - primary communicator between flight control and astronauts.

  • Flight Dynamics Officer (FDO) - call sign "Fido," plans maneuvers and monitors trajectory in conjunction with guidance officer.

  • Guidance Procedures Officer (GPO) - call sign "Guidance," monitors onboard navigation and onboard guidance computer software.
  • Data Processing System (DPS) Engineer - determines status of data processing system including the five onboard general-purpose computers.

  • Surgeon (Surgeon) - monitors the crew's health status.

  • Booster Engineer (Booster) - monitors and evaluates main engine, solid rocket booster and external tank during launch.

  • Payload Deploy Retrieval (PDRS) - monitors operation of the remote manipulator system (robotic arm).

  • Propulsion Engineer (PROP) - monitors and evaluates reaction control and orbital maneuvering fuel.

  • Guidance, Navigation, and Control Systems Engineer (GNC) - monitors all vehicle guidance, navigation, and control systems.

  • Electrical, Environmental, and Consumables Manager (EECOM) - responsible for thermal control, cabin atmosphere control, avionics cooling, supply/waste water system management, and fire detection/suppression.

  • Electrical Generation and Illumination Engineer (EGIL) - monitors all electrical systems.

  • Integrated Communications Officer (INCO) - plans and monitors in-flight communications and instrumentation systems.

Assembly and Checkout Officer for the Space Station Blue FCR
  • Assembly and Checkout Officer (ACO) - responsible for station assembly, activation, and checkout operations.

  • Russian Interface Operator (RIO) - primary interface between the U.S. and Russian control teams.

  • Ground Controller (GC) - directs maintenance and operation activities affecting Mission Control hardware, software, and support facilities, coordinates tracking and data systems.

  • Flight Activities Officer (FAO) - plans and supports crew activities and plans/manages the attitude (orientation in space) of the shuttle.

  • Payloads Officer (Payload) - coordinates payloads and monitors Spacelab.

  • Maintenance, Mechanical, Arm, and Crew Systems (MMACS) - call sign "Max," monitors operation of the Orbiter's structural and mechanical system.

  • Public Affairs Officer (PAO) - provides mission commentary to the news media and the public.
  • Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) Manager - the link from the FCR to top NASA management.

Aerospace Careers

"The engineer has been, and is, a maker of history."

-James Kip Finch (1960)

So would you like to be a flight controller?  Have you always wanted to be an astronaut?  Are you interested in designing spacecraft?  Do you like building robots? Is your interest in growing plants using hydroponics?  Do you find biomedicine more interesting?  Would you like to be a flight surgeon?  Or perhaps, are you interested in training astronauts to fly the shuttle?


Flight Director Kelly Beck

There are many different fields to choose from in the aerospace field. Space colonies of the future will need farmers and doctors as well as mechanics and pilots.  Astronauts today are comprised of doctors, pilots, scientists, physicists, astronomers, engineers, and, perhaps one day, even teachers and journalists.

This new century will be a time of space stations, robotic probes, Moon outposts, and missions to the surface of Mars. All this and more scientific accomplishments that have yet to be imagined will happen because of our dream to work and live among the stars.

We need more aerospace engineers, scientists, technologists, and technicians. The field of computer technology is advancing so quickly that, currently, 1 in 10 positions remain unfilled and, within 10 years, jobs in computer science will increase by over 100%!

If you are interested in a high-tech career in the aerospace or computer field, you need to have:

  • The proper educational background,
  • Good communication skills, and
  • Commitment to being part of a team.

 A wide variety of high-tech career fields offers career satisfaction and excellent wages and benefits.

After high school if you are interested in a career in engineering, science, or computers, you will need 4 to 7 years of college. A bachelor's degree requiring 4 years of study is the minimum necessary to enter this field. Colleges and universities also offer graduate programs where students can obtain master's and doctoral degrees. The master's program usually takes 2 years. An additional 2 to 4 years are needed to earn a doctorate.


Flight controller at work

A starting position as an engineer, a mathematician, a physical scientist, a life scientist, or a computer scientist requires a bachelor's degree. A master's and/or doctoral degree is highly desirable, however. Some examples of engineering degrees required for aerospace technology are: electrical/electronics, aerospace, computer, and mechanical. Other types of bachelor's degrees that may lead to aerospace careers are: technology, physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology, mathematics, experimental psychology, and biology.

Engineering technicians typically earn a 2-year Associate of Science degree. Some may continue for 2 additional years and obtain a bachelor's degree in engineering technology. Others may earn a bachelor's degree in engineering or in one of the physical sciences. A few complete a 5-year apprenticeship program offered at some NASA field centers.

If you think you would be interested in a career in aerospace technology, answer the questions below to check your potential for success:

  • Do you enjoy math, science, and technology?
  • Do you have an inquisitive and searching mind?
  • Are you interested in knowing what makes things work?
  • Do you like to solve problems and puzzles?
  • Do you like to create things?
  • Do you enjoy learning?
  • Do you enjoy working with computers?
  • Do you like to build things?
  • Are you prepared to study hard and do homework?
  • Do you achieve good grades?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, you should consider some of the fields in math, science, engineering, and technology.  The world needs you!

To prepare for the high-tech careers of tomorrow, your education is critical. What are your favorite subjects? Math, science, and technology are the basis for most of these careers. The decisions you make in school will affect your future.

Some of the high school courses you should take are: Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Math Analysis, Calculus, Computer Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, and English.


Mentors such as the ones in this program can make a big difference in trying to figure out if a career is for you. Each Texas Aerospace Scholar will be assigned two NASA mentors, a professional in one of these fields and a co-op student who is in college studying to be a field professional and who is currently working part-time at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Click here to meet some of the mentors and to meet co-ops from last year's program. This year, TAS mentors will meet with scholars online during the year, review the final projects, and hold team chats with members of their teams to prepare for the summer workshop. You will visit many of the places where your mentors work to learn about different career options.

Former TAS scholars have this to say about their mentoring experiences at JSC:

  • I always thought of NASA as an impossible dream, but what this program has made me realize is that everything is possible. Especially talking to all the folks that work there. Now, I want to major in Computer Science!!

    -Michelle


  • Not only did I really enjoy working on the group projects and hearing about recent discoveries from the discoverers themselves, the scientists' dedication to their work inspired me. Before I met the scientists and saw how and where they work, I was pretty sure that I wanted to be an engineer. Now, though, I am certain that being an engineer is what I truly want to do.

    -Aimee


  • I learned a lot during the week and it opened my eyes to the aerospace industry as a career. The mentors were really cool and filled with information and gave us great advice.

    - Eric


  • It was so cool to go behind the scenes and meet so many different people who work at NASA.  Before I came here, I didn't know what I wanted to do.  Now, I think I'd like to work for NASA.

    -Sarah


  • The Texas Aerospace Scholars Program gave me the opportunity to actually see what engineers and other similar professionals actually did instead of just hearing about it.  Besides just learning new things about NASA and job potentials there were many other secondary benefits, I was also able to make great contacts with people at NASA and potential future contacts with the other members of the program.

    -Daniel

Click here to listen to scholars speak about last year's program.

Contact other people working in these fields such as scientists, engineers, and technicians. Your teachers and guidance counselors can help to arrange this for you. Visit some of the web sites below to learn about professional organizations you can contact for more information.

Next... So...Who Are Engineers?