Mission Control - Johnson Space Center

Flight Control Room

The Flight Control Room (FCR) at Mission Control consists of about 20 consoles. Each console has specialists who are responsible for specific functions on the shuttle. For critical periods like launch and landing there are often two people at each console, handling specific duties. NASA only released the names of some of the people who were on duty during STS-107's reentry.

  • 1 PAO James Hartsfield, Kyle Herring
  • 2 MOD Phil Engelhauf, John Shannon, Ellen Ochoa
  • 3 RIO
  • 4 Surgeon
  • 5 INCO Laura Hoppe
  • 6 Flight LeRoy Cain, Steve Stich
  • 7 Capcom Charlie Hobaugh, Duane Carrey
  • 8 PDRS
  • 9 DPS
  • 10 Payloads
  • 11 FAO
  • 12 EECOM Katie Rogers
  • 13 Prop
  • 14 GNC Mike Sarafin
  • 15 MMACS Jeff Kling
  • 16 EGIL
  • 17 FDO Richard Jones
  • 18 Rendezvous
  • 19 GC Bill Foster

    The front of the FCR includes three large screen displays. During the reentry the left display showed critical parameters, the middle display showed a tracking map of Columbia's path during its reentry, and the right display showed the view from the landing site in Florida.

    Thumbnail for DSC00694 GC console in FCR.jpg

    GC - Ground Control - is Mission Control's link to the outside world. The GC is responsible for interacting with the communications networks, other NASA centers, support personnel within the Mission Control building and other resources.

    By tradition the crew's plaque remains by the GC console during the mission. After the mission's completed the mission control team which has contributed the most to the success of the flight has the honor of hanging the crew's plaque in its permanent location on the wall in Mission Control.

    In recognition of the loss of the Challenger 51-L and Columbia STS-107 missions those plaques remain by the GC console.


    GC console photo by author Philip Chien.
    Flight Control Room layout diagram from NASA.

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    copyright 2005 Philip Chien All Rights Reserved