Kennedy Space Center Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson speaks during a ceremony renaming the Florida spaceport’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning speaks during a ceremony renaming the Florida spaceport’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

John Tribe, retired Apollo engineer, North American Rockwell, speaks during a ceremony renaming Kennedy Space Center’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro speaks during a ceremony renaming the Florida spaceport’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

Shown is a display honoring former Kennedy Space Center launch director Rocco Petrone at the Florida spaceport on Feb. 22, 2022. During a ceremony held at Kennedy, the launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

A display dedicated to former Kennedy Space Center launch director Rocco Petrone is viewed at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 22, 2022. During a ceremony held at the Florida spaceport, Kennedy’s launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

Scott Rigell, speaking on behalf of Ike Rigell, retired Apollo chief engineer and deputy director of launch vehicle operations at NASA, addresses attendees during a ceremony renaming Kennedy Space Center’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

A display dedicated to former Kennedy Space Center launch director Rocco Petrone is viewed at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 22, 2022. During a ceremony held at the Florida spaceport, Kennedy’s launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

A display dedicated to former Kennedy Space Center director Rocco Petrone is viewed at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 22, 2022. During a ceremony held at the Florida spaceport, Kennedy’s launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

A display dedicated to former Kennedy Space Center launch director Rocco Petrone is unveiled at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 22, 2022. During a ceremony held at the Florida spaceport, Kennedy’s launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

A spectator takes a photo of a display dedicated to former Kennedy Space Center director Rocco Petrone on Feb. 22, 2022. During a ceremony held at the Florida spaceport, Kennedy’s launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

Scott Rigell, speaking on behalf of Ike Rigell, retired Apollo chief engineer and deputy director of launch vehicle operations at NASA, addresses attendees during a ceremony renaming Kennedy Space Center’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

Firing Room 1 inside the Launch Control Center (LCC)

KSC Launch Control Center Renaming

Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro, second from right, poses in front of a display dedicated to former Kennedy Space Center launch director Rocco Petrone at the Florida spaceport on Feb. 22, 2022. Also pictured is Scott Rigell, far left, and Kathy Posey, daughter of Petrone, far right. During a ceremony held at Kennedy, the launch control center was officially renamed to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.

President John F. Kennedy (left) visits Mercury's Flight Control Area a few days after John Glenn's flight in February 1962. To Kennedy's right are Glenn and astronaut Alan Shepard.

President John F. Kennedy Visits Mercury's Flight Control

Test Control Center

At the test observation periscope in the Test Control Center exhibit in StenniSphere at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss., visitors can observe a test of a Space Shuttle Main Engine exactly as test engineers might see it during a real engine test. The Test Control Center exhibit exactly simulates not only the test control environment, but also the procedure of testing a rocket engine. Designed to entertain while educating, StenniSphere includes informative dispays and exhibits from NASA's lead center for rocket propulsion and remote sensing applications. StenniSphere is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Launch Control Center

A view of Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center (LCC) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Apollo and shuttle-era firing rooms in the LCC have been upgraded. The upper deck includes a work station in development for the EM-1 launch director. Exploration Ground Systems upgraded Firing Room 1 to support the launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Launch Control Center

A blue sky and fluffy clouds serve as the backdrop in this view of the exterior of the Launch Control Center (LCC) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Apollo and shuttle-era firing rooms in the LCC have been upgraded. Exploration Ground Systems upgraded Firing Room 1 to support the launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

Wide angle view of the flight control room (FCR) of the Mission Control Center (MCC). Some of the STS 41-G crew can be seen on a large screen at the front of the MCC along with a map tracking the progress of the orbiter.

Wide angle view of the Flight control room of Mission control center

S71-41357 (26 July 1971) --- An overall, wide-angle lens view of activity in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center minutes after the launch of the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission. Ground elapsed time was 45 minutes and 42 seconds when this photograph was taken.

Mission Control Center (MCC) - Apollo 15 Launch - MSC

Overall view of Mission Operations Control in Mission Control Center

S69-34316 (18 May 1969) --- Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, on the first day of the Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission. A color television transmission was being received from Apollo 10. This picture was made following Command and Service Module/Lunar Module/Saturn IVB (CSM/LM-S-IVB) separation and prior to LM extraction from the S-IVB. The CSM were making the docking approach to the LM/S-IVB.

View of the Flight Control Room at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, Russia, located on the outskirts of Moscow, Wednesday, April 21, 2004. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Russian Flight Control Room

S65-05399 (1965) --- Composite drawing showing the vertical, lateral, forward and aft maneuvering control of the Gemini spacecraft.

GEMINI SPACECRAFT - MANEUVERING CONTROL - MSC

Control utilizing inertia wheel and bar magnet.

Satellite control

S68-56007 (23 Dec. 1968) --- Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, on the third day of the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission. Seen on the television monitor is a picture of Earth which was telecast from the Apollo 8 spacecraft 176,000 miles away.

Mission Control Center (MCC) - Apollo 8

Flight controller Susan P. Rainwater observes as two astronauts work through a lengthy period of extravehicular activity (EVA) in the cargo bay of the Earth-looking Space Shuttle Endeavour. Rainwater's EVA console was one of Mission Control's busiest during this eleven-day Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission in Earth orbit.

Mission control activity during STS-61 EVA

Mission Control Center (MCC): Apollo XV - MSC

S71-41759 (2 Aug. 1971) --- A partial view of activity in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center during the liftoff of the Apollo 15 Lunar Module "Falcon" ascent stage from the lunar surface. An RCA color television camera mounted on the Lunar Roving Vehicle made it possible for people on Earth to watch the LM's spectacular launch from the moon. The LM liftoff was at 171:37 ground elapsed time. The LRV was parked about 300 feet east of the LM. The TV camera was remotely controlled from a console in the MOCR. Seated in the right foreground is astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, a spacecraft communicator. Mitchell was lunar module pilot of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission. Note liftoff on the television monitor in the center background.

S75-28659 (21 July 1975) --- An overall view of the group of Soviet Union flight controllers who served at the Mission Control Center during the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking mission in Earth orbit. They are applauding the successful touchdown of the Soyuz spacecraft in Central Asia. The television monitor had just shown the land landing of the Soyuz descent vehicle.

View of USSR flight controllers in Mission Control during touchdown

Russian Flight Control Room

Overall view of activity in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, Bldg 30, on the first day of the Apollo 7 space mission.

Overall view of Mission Control on first day of Apollo 7 space mission

View from the back of the Mission Control Center (MCC). Visible are the Flight Directors console (left front), the CAPCOM console (right front) and the Payloads console. Some of the STS 41-G crew can be seen on a large screen at the front of the MCC along with a map tracking the progress of the orbiter.

View from the back of the Flight control room of Mission control center

jsc2022e090080 (Nov. 28, 2022): NASA Astronaut Stan Love observes the Orion spacecraft as it reaches its maximum distance from the Earth, nearly 270,000 miles, on flight day 14 of the Artemis I mission from within the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. Love is practicing to be capsule communicator, or capcom, during future crewed Artemis missions. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

Artemis I flight day 14 from Mission Control

Christopher Kraft, flight director during Project Mercury

The Advanced Noise Control Fan shown here is located in NASA Glenn’s Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory. The 4-foot diameter fan is used to evaluate innovate aircraft engine noise reduction concepts less expensively and more quickly.

Advanced Noise Control Fan (ANCF)

Mission control activity during STS-61 EVA

STS61-S-101 (8 Dec 1993) --- Astronaut Gregory J. Harbaugh, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), observes as two astronauts work through a lengthy period of extravehicular activity (EVA) in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour. Seen on the screen in the front of the flight control room, preparing to work with the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) magnetometers, are astronauts F. Story Musgrave and Jeffrey A. Hoffman. Harbaugh stayed busy passing up flight controllers suggestions and directions during the record-breaking battery of in-space servicing sessions. Lead flight director Milt Heflin is partially visible at left edge of frame.