NASA Johnson style

SUCCESSFUL LIFTOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

NASA JSC Space Center, Houston: ISS Training Center

NASA JSC Space Center, Houston: building of Mission Control Center of APOLLO-, SPACE SHUTTLE- & ISS-Era

Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke examines the lunar rover during training at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, November 30, 1971.

     Ever wonder who astronauts are talking to when they say “Houston”? Here we are. The “White Flight Control Room” at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, housed Mission Control for every shuttle flight after STS-70, which launched in July of 1995. It was renovated in 2014 for future use with the SLS program, which will ultimately fly to Mars.

     It may be interesting to compare this modern facility with the Mercury Control Center, which I covered in a previous post (click here to view). The Mercury Control Center, and the inception of “Mission Control”, was headed by Christopher Craft, whose name now graces the side of the building which houses the White Flight Control Room.

     While standing in places like the White Flight Control Room, I often think, “If these walls could talk~”. I didn’t have that feeling here. This was my generation’s flight control room. I followed the drama that unfolded here via live TV. Instead, I thought to myself about what future drama might happen here. I can’t wait to see.

NASA turns “All About That Bass” into “All About That Space”

This photo was captured from outside the enormous mouth of NASA’s giant thermal vacuum chamber, called Chamber A, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Previously used for manned spaceflight missions, this historic chamber is now filled with engineers and technicians preparing a lift system that will be used to hold the James Webb Space Telescope during testing.