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Forum:Space Places
Topic:NASA Mission Control Centers (Mercury and Kraft)
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Our own photo gallery documenting the demolition of the Mercury Control Center building also included a few archival photos from inside (scroll to the bottom).

BuelThe pictures of Mercury Control being demolished are incredibly sad.

It is very difficult (almost impossible) to understand that such a historical site was not able to be preserved.

Fra MauroIt all comes down to money and they value that is placed on the building. NASA is struggling to keep things moving, and Congress won't provide the funding. Perhaps there should have been a request for donations but at least some of the equipment was preserved.
cycleroadieWhere is this exhibit? Out on the "Then and Now" tour?
Robert PearlmanThe Mercury Control Center exhibit is on the main campus of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. With the new entrance to the complex, it is the first building you encounter, adjacent to the Rocket Garden.
Rocketman!Does anyone know what happened to the red Mercury capsule tracking icon that appears at 5:06 in the NASA EDGE vodcast video posted above? I seem to recall that it was featured in a Smithsonian book of space artifacts some years ago.

The black one they have in the restored exhibit spoils the look for me. It is as if they cut one of those large scale G.I. Joe capsules in half and used it for the exhibit instead of the real thing (or even an authentic looking recreation). Anyone else think it looks out of place?

BuelWell, after watching the video and looking at the images in the gallery I am left with a feeling of incredible sadness that Mercury Control is no more.

I know there will be some who say that it still survives in one sense as everything has been restored and moved, but it's not the same really.

I have heard that there was a debate whether it would have been worth the millions to restore it and keep it where it was and I'm sure there were good arguments either way, but I still feel that in 50 or so years time, when the reality sets in regarding the achievements in those early days of manned spaceflight, that people will be incredulous that the first Mission Control wasn't saved.

Robert PearlmanKeep in mind, the building was not designed or built to be a mission control.

It was a radar building before being repurposed as Mercury Mission Control, so it is not as though there was something unique about its architecture or even heritage to distinguish it from any other number of buildings standing at the cape in 1959.

mercsim
quote:
Originally posted by Rocketman!:
Does anyone know what happened to the red Mercury capsule tracking icon...
The tracking icon in the Smithsonian collection. I don't think its on display.

You can find some nice period video on YouTube. Search "Mercury Mission Control" and also the MR-3 and MR-4 flights.

I laid out the floor plan and started drawing the consoles in CAD with the intention of making a nice paper model diorama of the original MCC. One day...

While they did a very nice job preserving and moving, it's quite different than the way it was for Mercury. MCC was modified for the first two Gemini flights and never really put it back. It's still pretty cool.

drscoop
quote:
Originally posted by Rocketman!:
I don't think its on display.
The Mercury tracking icon was on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center during my visit in April, sitting in a display case near Freedom 7 II, by Discovery.
hotdogHere are some images I took of the Mercury Control Room when I was at the KSC visitor center back in November.

tlifan2I'm looking for a full building exterior photo of the Mercury Control Center pre-1963 expansion. I have been unable to find a picture like this so far. All of the ones I have found just include portions of the building, never the complete structure.
Go4Launch
quote:
Originally posted by Buel:
...people will be incredulous that the first Mission Control wasn't saved.
The MCC had a lot of asbestos, and the remediation costs would not have been worth it. Also a fair amount of salt air damage.

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