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The Mission Operations Control Room during the Apollo
15 lunar landing.
Scan: Hamish Lindsay. |
At the heart of the manned space flight missions was the Mission Control
Center HOUSTON (MCC-H) in the Mission Operations Wing of Building 30.[In May 2011, Building 30 was renamed ‘The Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. Mission Control Center’.]
Inside the windowless building were two Mission
Operations Control Rooms (MOCR) on floors two and three. The second floor
MOCR was used for three Apollo Saturn 1B Missions, and Apollo 5-7 and 9, Skylab
and Apollo-Soyuz missions. The third floor MOCR was used for all the Gemini
and Apollo lunar missions. Outside the control room but on the same floor
were all the Staff Support Rooms (SSRs) housing the technical specialists
responsible for supporting their counterparts in the MOCR.
The first floor of Building 30 was the Real Time
Computer Complex (RTCC). The tracking stations interfaced with the MOCRs through
the Communications, Command and Telemetry System (CCATS) on the first floor.
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A plan of the 3rd floor of the Mission Operations Wing of Building
30.
Scan: Tom Sheehan. |
The Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR),
was the principal command and decision area for each mission, and was the
“Houston” frequently referred to. The centre of a complex world-wide
communications network to tracking stations, ships and aircraft, it had 19
main areas of responsibilities shown in the diagram below.
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MOCR Positions
1. Director of Flight Operations – Overall responsibility for the mission interface to program Management.
2. Mission Director from NASA Headquarters.
The primary interface between NASA Headquarters and the Flight Control
Team
3. The Department of Defense Representative
– Primary interface with NASA for any Department of Defense
support required during a mission, including recovery ships and DoD
controlled tracking resources..
4. The Public Affairs Officer
– was responsible for providing information on the mission to the
public. The television and radio voice of Mission Control.
5. The Flight Director –
the team leader, was responsible to the Mission Director for detailed
control of the mission from launch (tower clear) to splashdown and assumed
the duties of the Mission Director in his absence. In real time was
responsible to take any actions needed for crew safety and mission success.
6. INCO – Instrumentation
and Communications Officer – With the advent of dual spacecraft
operations, lunar surface operations, science TV, and extensive data
recovery, a new operating position was added, beginning with the Apollo
11 mission.
7. Operations and Procedures Officer
– was responsible to the Flight Director for the detailed implementation
of the Mission Control Center/Ground Operational Support Systems mission
control procedures.
8. The Assistant Flight Director
– was responsible to the Flight Director for detailed control of
the mission and assumed the duties of the Flight Director in his absence.
9. Flight Activities Officer
– Responsible for real time flight planning and related crew procedures.
Maintained track of crew activities in relation to mission time lines.
10. Network Controller –
had detailed operational control of the world wide Ground Operational
Support System, which included the tracking stations.
11. Flight Surgeons – directed
all operational medical activities and crew’s medical status.
12. Spacecraft Communicator
– or Capcom, an astronaut who provided all the voice communications
between the ground and the spacecraft.
13. Vehicle Systems Engineers –
monitored the performance of all electrical, mechanical, communications,
environmental and life support and EVA systems on the spacecraft.
14. Booster Systems Engineer
– monitored the 3 Saturn V stages during the launch phase.
15. Retrofire Officer –
Kept track of abort and return to earth options.
16. Flight Dynamics Officer
– monitored the flight trajectory, and planned all major spacecraft
manoeuvres. Recommended whether to “Go” or “Abort”
a mission.
17. Guidance Officer –
monitored the spacecraft computers, the Inertial Guidance and Navigation
Systems, and the abort guidance system.
18. The Maintenance and Operations
Supervisor – was responsible for the performance and status
of the Mission Control Center equipment.
19. Experiments/Lunar Surface Operations
Officer. During lunar surface activities an Experiments Officer
directed scientific activities and relayed information from the science
teams from the booster console for lunar surface as well as orbital
science.
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Staff Support Rooms
Backing the above front line operators in
the MOCR were 7 Staff Support Rooms (SSR):
1. Flight Dynamics – to
monitor all aspects of powered flight concerning crew safety and orbital
insertion, evaluate and recommend modification of trajectories to meet
mission objectives.
2. Vehicle Systems – to
monitor detailed status of trends of flight systems and components of
the spacecraft, and overcoming in-flight equipment failures.
3. Life Systems – to monitor
physiological and environmental information from the spacecraft.
4. Flight Crew – to co-ordinate
non-medical flight crew activities and any scientific experiments attempted
during the flight.
5. Networks – to schedule,
monitor, and direct network activities and readiness checks.
6. Operations and Procedures/INCO
– to provide detailed technical and administrative support and
communications and data systems management.
7. ALSEP/Lunar Science Room
– to provide the support for the lunar scientists and management
for the science equipment that would remain on the moon after the crews
departure.
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| Thanks to Richard Stachurski for this more detailed plan of the MOCR. |
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This panorama of the 3rd floor MOCR 2 was (roughly) assembled from images taken in March 2011. The result is a somewhat distorted view, however it gives a feel for the size of the room.
The Flight Director’s console is in the centre, third row from the front.
Today, the MOCR is a National Historic Landmark.
Photo: Colin Mackellar. |
The Mission Control emblem
During Apollo 17 Gene Kranz was feeling frustrated
and despondent – it was the last Apollo Mission, the end of an era.
He
met space artist Bob McCall in the cafeteria over a cup of coffee, and suggested
they produce an emblem, like the Apollo missions, for the Control Center.
Kranz wrote, “I spoke emotionally, from my heart and gut, about the control
teams and crews, and our life in Mission Control.”
Over the next six months McCall developed the
emblem and inscribed his final rendering with,
“To Mission Control,
with great respect and admiration, Bob McCall, 1973.”
Sigma was chosen as the dominant element, representing
the total mission team. In addition it represents the individual flight control
teams from all programs past, present and future. Within the teams it represents
all engineering, scientific and operations disciplines in support of the spacecraft.
The rocket launch represents the dynamic elements
of space and the initial escape from our environment and the thrust to explore
the Universe.
The remaining elements are the Earth, planets
and the stars. The Earth is our home and will forever be serviced by both
manned and unmanned spacecraft in order to improve the quality of our present
home. The stars and planets represent a major source of study as well as the
challenge of exploration for future mission control teams.
The border contains symbols to represent the Mercury,
Gemini and Apollo Programs, the three major programs that have been supported
by the team. The four stars represent the present and future programs: Skylab,
Apollo-Soyuz, Earth Resources and the Shuttle.
The wording was chosen to stress the very positive
attitude used by the Mission Control team to assure crew safety and mission
success.
“Achievement through Excellence” is
the standard for the flight controllers’ work. It represents an individual’s
committment to a belief, to craftsmanship and perseverance.
(The Mission Control emblem is used with the kind
permission of Gene Kranz.)
