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Author
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Topic: JSC mission operation/flight control rooms
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bonneville mariner
Member Posts: 16
From: Tooele, Utah USA
Registered: Jan 2019
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posted 02-10-2020 01:54 PM
   
I spent last week at Johnson Space Center (JSC) as part of the Space Exploration Educator Conference (SEEC), which provided tours of the various Mission Control Center rooms that go slightly beyond the normal general admission tram tours from Space Center Houston. I was only able to see two Flight Control Rooms (FCRs): FCR2 (MOCR2) and "White" and it got me thinking about what each room was/is used for and their current statuses. If you've been there before, you know that the kids who do most of those tours are pretty clueless. They couldn't answer anything beyond basic questions about MOCR2. So to wrap my head around Mission Control, I've started a list of the rooms and their past and current status. I'm a space history novice, so I'm sure you all can help me fill in the blanks. - FCR-1: Previous MOCR1, current ISS control room
- FCR2: Previous MOCR2, legacy Apollo room newly restored to that era
- FCR Red: Training? Current status unknown
- FCR Blue: Original ISS control room, current status unknown
- FCR White: Shuttle control room from 1995-2011, current backup/training for ISS, future Orion control room
What have I missed? What's going on in Red and Blue today? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 51863
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-10-2020 04:54 PM
White FCR is also being used by the Boeing Mission Operations team as the flight control room for Starliner missions.Blue FCR was last active for Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT) in 2014 and is now used for testing (both ground systems and spacecraft), as well as engineering support. Red FCR was decommissioned. |
bonneville mariner
Member Posts: 16
From: Tooele, Utah USA
Registered: Jan 2019
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posted 02-11-2020 09:16 AM
Thanks, Robert. I guess that begs the question, re: Red, what's in that room now? Is it just locked, empty and dark?A few other questions have come up as I study these rooms. Let's start with FCR 2. The tour climbs 5(?) stories via a stairwell on the southeast(?) side of Bldg. 30. You enter the viewing room from the top (and at this point I'm at a loss when it comes to directions). Near the front of the viewing room, there are two stairwells on either side that lead down. Where do those lead? Where is FCR 1 in relation to FCR 2? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 51863
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-11-2020 11:07 AM
FCR-1 is on the second floor; FCR-2 is located directly above it on the third floor.The short stairways at either side of the front of the MOCR (FCR) viewing room lead into small rooms where pool reporters were seated during the missions. |
bonneville mariner
Member Posts: 16
From: Tooele, Utah USA
Registered: Jan 2019
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posted 02-14-2024 02:57 PM
Bumping this post because I visited JSC again last weekend and it re-sparked my curiosity. Is anybody aware of any status changes of these control rooms from the previous comments?What's going on in White these days? And exactly where is White in relation to the others? Also, I'm curious about the stairways on either side of the MOCR2 viewing room. They are roped off these days, but I'm curious where they lead and what it looks like down there. |
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