S68-20986 (4 April 1968) --- Scene at the flight operations director's console in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, during the Apollo 6 (Spacecraft 020/Saturn 520) unmanned space flight. Left to right, are Air Force Maj. Gen. Vincent G. Huston, DOD Manager, Manned Space Flight Operations, Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC director of flight operations; George M. Low, manager, MSC Apollo Spacecraft Program Office; and Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director.

The Payload Operations Center (POC) is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS). Located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, it is the focal point for American and international science activities aboard the ISS. The POC's unique capabilities allow science experts and researchers around the world to perform cutting-edge science in the unique microgravity environment of space. The POC is staffed around the clock by shifts of payload flight controllers. At any given time, 8 to 10 flight controllers are on consoles, operating, plarning for, and controlling various systems and payloads. This photograph shows the Payload Operations Director (POD) at work. The POD is the leader of the POC flight control team. The Director guides all payload activities in coordination with Mission Control at Johnson Space Center at Houston, Texas, the Station crew, the international partners, and other research facilities.

High-Speed Research Station Director Walter C. Williams, NACA pilot A. Scott Crossfield, and Director of Flight Operations Joe Vensel in front of the Douglas D-558-2 after the first Mach 2 flight.

Actor Chris Evans (left) receives a "boarding pass" to the Moon from Suzanne Dodd, director of the Interplanetary Network Directorate at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The pair are seen in the Space Flight Operations Facility at JPL on June 6, 2022. Evans visited JPL to learn more about space missions after starring as the lead voice in the space-themed movie "Lightyear." More than 3 million names, including Evans', were submitted online and will be included on a flash drive that will fly on the Orion spacecraft during NASA's Artemis I mission to the Moon. Artemis I will be the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Artemis program aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon that will serve as a launching pad for exploring Mars and beyond. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25311

David A. Wright is associate director for Center Operations at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. He was formerly director of Flight Operations. He is also a research pilot, flying NASA's ER-2 and T-38. The ER-2s are civilian variants of the military U-2S reconnaissance aircraft and carry scientific instruments to study the Earth during worldwide deployments. Wright has more than 4,500 hours in six different aircraft. He held the position of deputy director of the Airborne Science Program at Dryden from 2002 until 2004. Wright came to Dryden after retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. His final assignment was to the Joint Staff J3, Directorate of Operations at the Pentagon from November 1996 until August 1999. Prior to the Pentagon assignment, he served as commander of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, Calif., the unit responsible for training all U-2 pilots. He was the operations officer for one the largest U-2 operations in history, flying combat missions against Iraq and managing an unprecedented U-2 flying schedule during the 1991 Desert Storm conflict. He was selected for the Air Force U-2 program in 1987 following duty as an aircraft commander in the E-3A AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. Wright was a T-38 instructor for three years at Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas, following completion of pilot training in 1978. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science. Wright earned a Master of Arts in Adult Education from Troy State University, Montgomery, Ala., in 1987, and a Master of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, R.I., in 1995.

Air Force Two lands with Vice President Mike Pence along with Congressman Robert Aderholt at the Redstone Army Airfield in Huntsville, Alabama, on Monday, Sept. 25. They were greeted by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center Director Todd May and Redstone Arsenal’s Lt. Gen. Edward Daly. The Vice President is visiting NASA’s Marshall Center to meet with employees, view test hardware for NASA’s Space Launch System — America’s new deep-space rocket, and tour the Payload Operations Integration Center, “science central” for the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Emmett Given)

Holly Ridings is a global leader in human spaceflight. She is NASA's first female chief flight director, and currently leads the Gateway Program as its deputy program manager.

Inside Mercury flight control, Walter C. Williams, associate director for Project Mercury operations (center) listens to Christopher Kraft, flight director (right).

S69-34038 (18 May 1969) --- View of activity at the flight director's console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, on the first day of the Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission. Seated are Gerald D. Griffin (foreground) and Glynn S. Lunney, Shift 1 (Black Team) flight directors. Milton L. Windler, standing behind them, is the flight director of Shift 2 (Maroon Team). In the center background, standing, is Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director of Flight Operations.

S73-36909 (16 Nov. 2013) --- An overall view of the Flight Operations Director's console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center during the launch of the Skylab 4 mission. The television monitor records the progress of the flight seconds after liftoff. Left to right, are Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., JSC Director; Howard W. Tindall Jr., JSC Director of Flight Operations; and Flight Director M.P. Frank. Public Affairs commentator John E. McLeish can be seen at the PAO console in the background. Photo credit: NASA

Documentation of flight controllers in the White Flight Control Room (WFCR) on STS-114 Launch Day, July 26, 2005. View of Phil Engelauf and Flight Director Paul Hill standing at the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console.

JSC2001-E-06209 (8 March 2001) --- At the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC), (from the left) Robbie D. Gest, Jeffrey W. Bantle and Steven A. Hawley monitor pre-launch activity for STS-102. Gest is Project Leader for Mission Operations for the United Space Alliance (USA); Bantle is with the Flight Director Office in MOD; and Hawley is with the Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

S70-35369 (16 April 1970) --- Discussion in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) dealing with the Apollo 13 crewmen during their final day in space. From left to right are Glynn S. Lunney, Shift 4 flight director; Gerald D. Griffin, Shift 2 flight director; astronaut James A. McDivitt, manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, MSC; Dr. Donald K. Slayton, director of Flight Crew Operations, MSC; and Dr. Willard R. Hawkins, M.D., Shift 1 flight surgeon.

S70-35013 (15 April 1970) --- Prototype of the "mail box" constructed at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) to remove carbon dioxide from the Apollo 13 Command Module (CM) is displayed in the Mission Control Center (MCC). The "mail box" was constructed when it became apparent CO2 was prevalent in the CM and the spacecraft's lithium hydroxide system was not removing it sufficiently. A space suit exhaust hose is connected to a lithium hydroxide canister to purge the cabin air. There are 16 such canisters in the CM and each will last approximately 12 hours. Looking at the "mail box" are (from the left): Milton L. Windler, shift 1 flight director; Dr. Donald K. (Deke) Slayton, director of flight crew operations, MSC; Howard W. Tindall, deputy director, flight operations, MSC; Sigurd A. Sjoberg, director, flight operations, MSC; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, deputy director, MSC; and Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, director, MSC.

Dr. von Braun, Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Dr. Debus, Director of Launch Operations Directorate, photographed in the blockhouse during the Apollo launch simulation.

Dr. von Braun, Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Dr. Debus, Director of Launch Operations Directorate, photographed in the blockhouse during the Apollo launch simulation.

JSC officials, laughing, listen to crewmembers' commentary onboard Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, during STS-26. In the Flight Control Room (FCR) of JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30 and seated at the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console, MOD Director Eugene F. Kranz (foreground), wearing red, white and blue vest, smiles along with JSC Director Aaron Cohen and Flight Crew Operations Deputy Director Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. (far right).

Pictured in front of the Saturn 1 launch vehicle are (L to R): Dr. Rocco Petrone, Director of Launch Operations at Kennedy Space Center; Dr. Werher von Braun, Director of Marshall Space Flight Center; Dr. Oswald Lange, Director of the Saturn Systems Office; Mr. Hans. H. Maus, Director of Fabrication and Assembly Engineering Division; and Dr. Hans Gruene, Deputy Director of Launch Operations Directorate. Maus and Gruene were original members of von Braun's rocket team.

JSC2001-E-21323 (12 July 2001) --- From left to right, Robert Gest with United Space Alliance; Steven A. Hawley, deputy director of Flight Crew Operations; Alan L. (Lee) Briscoe, chief engineer for the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD); and J. Milton (Milt) Heflin, chief of the Flight Director's Office, watch the monitor at the MOD console during the pre-launch activity for the STS-104 mission in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC).

JSC2010-E-046805 (5 April 2010) --- John McCullough, chief of the Flight Director Office; and Janet Kavandi, deputy director, Flight Crew Operations, watch television screens at the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 liftoff.

S65-28462 (3-7 June 1965) --- Christopher C. Kraft Jr., assistant director for Flight Operations, at his console in the Mission Control Center during Gemini-4 spaceflight. He served as mission director and as a flight director.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance, speaks to employees during Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting for employees. Also on the agenda was Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director, and Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy talks to employees during his first all-hands meeting. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Employees in the Training Auditorium listen to Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting for employees. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy talks to employees during his first all-hands meeting. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director;Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance.. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director, speaks to employees during Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting for employees. Also on the agenda was Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle, and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance.. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy (left) welcomes Bill Pickavance to the podium during the CD’s first all-hands meeting with employees. Pickavance is vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Also, making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director, and Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle, speaks to employees during Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting for employees. Also on the agenda was Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director, and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director, speaks to employees during Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting for employees. Also on the agenda was Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle, and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance.. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy talks to employees during his first all-hands meeting. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director,; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Center Director Jim Kennedy talks to employees during his first all-hands meeting. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance.. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Suzy Cunningham sings the national anthem to kick off Center Director Jim Kennedy’s first all-hands meeting conducted for employees. She is senior spaceport manager, NASA/Air Force Spaceport Planning and Customer Service Office. Making presentations were Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., KSC deputy director; Tim Wilson, assistant chief engineer for Shuttle; and Bill Pickavance, vice president and deputy program manager, Florida operations, United Space Alliance. Representatives from the Shuttle program and contractor team were on hand to discuss the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report and where KSC stands in its progress toward return to flight.

S68-18733 (22 Jan. 1968) --- Dr. Robert R. Gilruth (right), MSC Director, sits with Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC director of flight operations, at his flight operations director console in the Mission Control Center, Building 30, during the Apollo 5 (LM-1/Saturn 204) unmanned space mission.

S66-43377 (18 July 1966) --- Standing at the flight director's console, viewing the Gemini-10 flight display in the Mission Control Center, are (left to right) William C. Schneider, Mission Director; Glynn Lunney, Prime Flight Director; Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director of Flight Operations; and Charles W. Mathews, Manager, Gemini Program Office. Photo credit: NASA

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

Douglas Loverro, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, and Marshall Center Director Jody Singer participate in a Town Hall with Marshall Space Flight Center employees

This image depicts the tension in the Launch Control Center of the Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, during the SA-8 on May 25, 1965. Pointing, center is Dr. Kurt Debus, Director, Launch Operations Directorate, MSFC. To the right is Dr. Hans Gruene, Deputy Director, Launch Operations Directorate, MSFC; Dr. von Braun, Director, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC); and leaning, Dr. Eberhard Rees, Director, Deputy Director for Research and Development, MSFC. The SA-8 mission, with a Saturn I launch vehicle, made the first night launch and deployed Pegasus II, micrometeoroid detection satellite.

MOCR during Flight Day 1 of the STS-3 Mission. View: Thomas L. Moser, of the Structures and Mechanics Division, briefing Flight Director Eugene Kranz, Flight Operations, and Dr. Kraft, JSC Director. JSC, HOUSTON, TX

STS030-S-004 (8 May 1989) --- JSC Officials monitor early moments of NASA's STS-30 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, flight in the Flight Control Room (FCR) of JSC's Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30. At the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console, MOD Director Eugene F. Kranz (foreground), studiously reviews data on a nearby monitor. Others in the photo are (left to right) Flight Directors Office Deputy Chief Lawrence S. Bourgeois, JSC Director Aaron Cohen, and Flight Crew Operations Deputy Director Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. Kranz'z replete loose-leaf notebook, bearing the insignia of the flight control team members (MOD insignia), is in the foreground.

JSC2002-E-08157 (1 March 2002) --- Astronaut Kent V. Rominger (seated), and LeRoy Cain are photographed at the Mission Operation Directorate (MOD) console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Several hundred miles away in Florida, the STS-109 crewmembers were awaiting countdown in the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle Columbia on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). As soon as the vehicle cleared the tower in Florida, the Houston-based team of flight controllers took over the ground control of the mission. Rominger is the Deputy Director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate (FCOD) and was the STS-109 FCOD management representative in the MCC. Cain was the Weather Flight Director for the mission’s ascent phase, coordinating weather issues for lead Ascent Flight Director John Shannon (out of frame).

S66-32629 (1966) --- Left to right are Dr. Charles A. Berry, MSC Medical Director; Dr. Donald K. (Deke) Slayton, Director of Flight Crew Operations; Eugene F. Kranz, Flight Director; Charles W. Mathews, Gemini Program Manager, Manned Spacecraft Center; William C. Schneider, Gemini Mission Manager, NASA Headquarters; General Leighton Davis; Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director; and Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters.

JSC2002-E-08147 (1 March 2002) --- Astronaut Kent V. Rominger (left), Wayne Hale, and Lawrence Bourgeois (background), monitor pre-flight data at the Mission Operation Directorate (MOD) console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Several hundred miles away in Florida, the STS-109 crewmembers were awaiting countdown in the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle Columbia on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). As soon as the vehicle cleared the tower in Florida, the Houston-based team of flight controllers took over the ground control of the mission. Rominger is the Deputy Director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate (FCOD) and was the FCOD management representative in the MCC. Hale, the Deputy Chief for Space Shuttle of the Flight Director’s Office, served as the MOD management representative. Bourgeois is the Mission Operations Director in the Flight Operations Department at United Space Alliance (USA), and was the USA management representative for STS-109.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun (left) confers with the Director of the MSFC Launch Operation Directorate, Dr. Debus, during the countdown for the Saturn/Pegasus (Saturn I, SA-9) launch. The successful launch of the Pegasus satellite marked the largest unmarned instrumented satellite in orbit up to 1965.

S73-26795 (25 May 1973) --- Flight directors Donald R. Puddy (left background) and Philip C. Shaffer are seated at the flight director's console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center at JSC during Skylab 2 launch activity. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2001-E-25434 (21 August 2001) --- STS-105 flight directors John Shannon (left) and Steve Stich, monitor data at their consoles in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston’s Mission Control Center (MCC). Wayne Hale of the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) is photographed standing in the foreground.

JSC2001-E-12119 (19 April 2001) --- Steven A. Hawley of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate chats with Daniel K. Carpenter, Director of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Public Affairs Office, as the two await liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The two are at the rear of the flight control room of JSC's Mission Control Center.

S70-35600 (18 April 1970) --- President Richard M. Nixon introduces Sigurd A. Sjoberg (far right), director of Flight Operations at Manned Spacecraft Center, and the four Apollo 13 flight directors during the President?s post-mission visit to the Manned Spacecraft Center. The flight directors are, from left to right, Glynn S. Lunney, Eugene A. Kranz, Gerald D. Griffin and Milton L. Windler. Dr. Thomas O. Paine, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is seated at left. President Nixon was on the site to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation?s highest civilian honor -to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team.

This is a wide-angle view of flight controllers in the MOCR of Mission Control Center (MCC) during the STS-6 Extravehicular Activity (EVA). They are watching the large monitor in the front of the MOCR and small ones at individual consoles as Astronaut Donald H. Peterson translates along the Challenger's port side longerons. Flight Directors Gary E. Coen (left) and Harold M. Draughon are in the foreground. Astronauts John A. McBride and Guy S. Gardner man the Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM) Console near center frame. Standing behind the CAPCOM Console is Astronaut William F. Fisher. Eugene F. Kranz, Director of Mission Operations, stands at right near the Flight Operations Directorate Console. JSC, Houston, TX

JSC2010-E-046795 (5 April 2010) --- John McCullough (right), chief of the Flight Director Office; Janet Kavandi, deputy director, Flight Crew Operations; and flight director Bryan Lunney are pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 launch.

Dr. Rocco A. Petrone served at director of the Marshall Space Flight Center from January 26, 1973 to March 15, 1974. Prior to his tenure at Marshall, Petrone served as director of the Apollo program and director of launch operations at Kennedy Space Center. His career in rocket development and space programs began with his participation in the development of the Redstone missiles at the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Upon his departure from Marshall, Petrone served as NASA Associate Administrator for Center Operations.

S81-39507 (14 Nov. 1981) --- This unique, wide-angle view of the many flight controllers in Houston?s mission control facility was taken moments prior to the successful touchdown of the STS-2 Columbia. Clifford E. Charlesworth, JSC Deputy Director, huddles with several flight directors for STS-2 at the flight director console on the second-from rear row of consoles in the mission operations control room (MOCR). Eugene F. Kranz, deputy director of flight operations, is at far right of frame. Columbia shortly afterward touched down safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California to complete the two-day, six-hour, 13-minute STS-2 flight. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mike McCulley (left), chief operating officer with United Space Alliance, talks with Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. (center) and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (right) during the annual Congressional Dinner hosted by the Florida Space Business Roundtable. The dinner kicked off the annual Space Congress, held April 28-May 1, 2003, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The theme for the event was "Linking the Past to the Future: A Celebration of Space" and commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center and the Centennial of Flight.

JSC FLIGHT DIRECTOR CLASS OF 2015 VISITS THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PAYLOAD OPERATION INTEGRATION CENTER AT MSFC, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

JSC2000-E-22288 (8 September2000) --- In Houston's Mission Control Center, flight directors LeRoy Cain, from left foreground, Wayne Hale and Jeffrey Bantle await the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in Florida. The flight director console is on the left side of the frame. Bantle is seated at the Missions Operations Directorate (MOD) console. Once the shuttle clears the launch tower in Florida, the "baton" gets handed off to the flight controllers in Houston.

S66-52157 (12 Sept. 1966) --- Discussing the Gemini-11 spaceflight in the Mission Control Center are: (left to right) Christopher C. Kraft Jr., (wearing glasses), Director of Flight Operations; Charles W. Mathews (holding phone), Manager, Gemini Program Office; Dr. Donald K. Slayton (center, checked coat), Director of Flight Crew Operations; astronaut William A. Anders, and astronaut John W. Young. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2001-E-21338 (12 July 2001) --- Robert Gest (left), with United Space Alliance (USA); Steven A. Hawley, deputy director of flight crew operations; and Alan L. (Lee) Briscoe, chief engineer for the Mission Operations Directorate, watch their monitors at the MOD console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) as the external tank oxygen vent hood is raised and retracted minutes prior to the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

S75-28682 (17 July 1975) --- An overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center during the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking mission in Earth orbit. The large television monitor shows a view of the Soyuz spacecraft as seen from the Apollo spacecraft during rendezvous and docking maneuvers. Eugene F. Kranz, JSC Deputy Director of Flight Operations, is standing in the foreground. M.P. Frank, the American senior ASTP flight director, is partially obscured on the right.

41D-3073 (30 Aug 1984) --- The beginning stages of a busy six-day mission are monitored by some NASA officials in the flight control room (FCR-1) of the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) mission control center (MCC). They are (l.-r., foreground) Daniel M. Germany, manager of the Shuttle flight equipment project offices; Eugene F. Kranz, director of mission operations; and Clifford E. Charlesworth, director of space operations.

S70-36782 (10 April 1970) --- Several NASA and military officials (background at dais) meet the press on April 10, 1970, during a scheduled a T-1 prelaunch briefing for the Apollo 13 mission in the Apollo News Center at the Kennedy Space Center. The briefing participants, from the left, are Dr. Charles A. Berry, Director, Medical Research and Operations Directorate, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC); Dr. Donald K. (Deke) Slayton, director of flight crew operations, MSC; Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office Manned Space Flight (OMSF),NASA Hq. and Apollo 13 Mission Director; Dale Myers, Associate Administrator, OMSF,NASA Hq.; Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator; Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo Program Director, OMSF,NASA Hq.; Walter J. Kapryan, NASA's Director of Launch Operations; James A. McDivitt, Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office; Roy E. Godfrey, Manager, Saturn Program Office; and Col. Kenneth J. Mask, USAF, DOD Manned Space Flight Support Office. Photo credit: NASA

S70-35145 (17 April 1970) --- Overall view of Mission Operations Control Room in Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) during the ceremonies aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. Dr. Donald K. Slayton (in black shirt, left of center), director of Flight Crew Operations at MSC, and Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, shake hands, while Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo program director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters (standing, near Lee), watches the large screen showing astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., Apollo 13 commander, during the onboard ceremonies. In the foreground, Glynn S. Lunney (extreme left) and Eugene F. Kranz (smoking a cigar), two Apollo 13 flight directors, view the activity from their consoles.

S70-35145 (17 April 1970) --- Overall view of Mission Operations Control Room in Mission Control Center at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) during the ceremonies aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission. Dr. Donald K. Slayton (in black shirt, left of center), director of Flight Crew Operations at MSC, and Chester M. Lee of the Apollo Program Directorate, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, shake hands, while Dr. Rocco A. Petrone, Apollo program director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters (standing, near Lee), watches the large screen showing astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., Apollo 13 commander, during the onboard ceremonies. In the foreground, Glynn S. Lunney (extreme left) and Eugene F. Kranz (smoking a cigar), two Apollo 13 flight directors, view the activity from their consoles.

S73-31875 (2 Aug. 1973) --- After learning of a problem in the Command/Service Module which was used to transport the Skylab 3 crew to the orbiting Skylab space station cluster, NASA officials held various meetings to discuss the problem. Here, four men monitor the current status of the problem in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) of the Mission Control Center (MCC) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). From the left are Gary E. Coen, Guidance and Navigation System flight controller; Howard W. Tindall Jr., Director of Flight Operations at JSC; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., JSC Director; and Sigurd A. Sjoberg, JSC Deputy Director. Photo credit: NASA

Mr. David A. King has been named the tenth Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Appointed to take Director's office June 15, 2003, King has been serving as Deputy Director of MSFC since November 2002. With 20 years experience in spacecraft and high-technology systems, Mr. King began his NASA career at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida in 1983 as a main propulsion system engineer. He later served as flow director for the Space Shuttle Discovery and then as the acting deputy director of the installation Operations Directorate. He was appointed deputy director of Shuttle Processing in 1996, Launch Director in 1997, and director of Shuttle Processing in 1999.

LEWIS WOOTEN, NEW DIRECTOR OF THE MISSION OPERATIONS LABORATORY AT NASA'S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, MANAGES OPERATIONS IN THE PAYLOAD OPERATIONS INTEGRATION CENTER-THE COMMAND POST FOR ALL SCIENCE AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

S69-40302 (24 July 1969) --- A group of NASA and Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) officials join in with the flight controllers in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) in the Mission Control Center (MCC), Building 30, in celebrating the successful conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. From left foreground are Dr. Maxime A. Faget, MSC Director of Engineering and Development; George S. Trimble, MSC Deputy Director; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director of Flight Operations; Julian Scheer (in back), Assistant Administrator, Office of Public Affairs, NASA Headquarters; George M. Low, Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, MSC; Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director; and Charles W. Mathews, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters.

S98-16081 (10-29-98) --- Profile view of rear of Mission Control Center (MCC) featuring Mission Operations Director (MOD) console (foreground) and Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM) and Flight Director (FD) consoles (left background). Astronaut Linda M. Godwin is at lower right foreground.

S73-34553 (25 Sept. 1973) --- Skylab flight directors (foreground) and flight controllers (background) view the large screen in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) in the Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC during recovery operations of the second manned Skylab mission. From left to right in the foreground are flight directors Charles R. Lewis, Donald R. Puffy, Phillip Shaffer and Neil B. Hutchinson. The Skylab 3 crewmen were preparing to egress the spacecraft aboard the USS New Orleans. Television cameras aboard the New Orleans recorded post-recovery activity. Photo credit: NASA

On October 19, 2006, former NASA director of Mission Operations Gene Kranz was a keynote speaker at the Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC’s) 2006 Annual Safety Day program. The best selling author of “Failure Is Not An Option” and past Apollo flight director was featured during a morning session called “Coffee and Kranz”. Marshall employees hung on his every word as he told the fascinating story of Apollo 13. Kranz was the acting flight director during the Apollo 13 mission, a mission that seemed doomed to fail due to an onboard explosion. Kranz and his flight control team worked around the clock relentlessly, solving problem after problem, until the crew was returned safely to Earth.

S69-40024 (24 July 1969) --- NASA and Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) officials join in with the flight controllers, in the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) in the Mission Control Center (MCC), in celebrating the successful conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Identifiable in the picture, starting in foreground, are Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director; George M. Low, Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, MSC; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director of Flight Operation; U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips (with glasses, looking downward), Apollo Program Director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters; and Dr. George E. Mueller (with glasses, looking toward left), Associate Administrator, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters. Former astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. is standing behind Mr. Low.

The Orion team (including JSC Director Ellen Ochoa, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier) discuss Orion operations in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 5, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

S65-60039 (7 Dec. 1965) --- Christopher C. Kraft Jr. (left), assistant director for Flight Operations, monitors his console in the Mission Control Center during the Gemini-7 spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

Dana Purifoy, NASA Armstrong director of Flight Operations, talking, and John McKay, former Armstrong SR-71 crew chief, participate on a panel discussion about the triple supersonic aircraft.

JSC2000-E-22733 (10 September 2000) --- Marc Ferring, an ISS flight director, monitors closely the rendezvous and docking operations of the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

The Orion team (including NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier) discuss Orion operations in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 5, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

S81-39431 (12 Nov. 1981) --- Eugene F. Kranz, left, and Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr. monitor data displayed on the FOD console in the mission operations control room (MOCR) in the Johnson Space Center?s mission control center following the successful launch of the Columbia, and the beginning of NASA?s second space shuttle mission. Dr. Kraft is director of the Johnson Space Center and Kranz is deputy director of the flight operations directorate (FOD) at JSC. Houston time for the launch was approximately 9:10 a.m., Nov 12, 1981. Photo credit: NASA

JSC2010-E-019040 (8 Feb. 2010) --- Brent Jett, director, flight crew operations, watches a monitor at his console in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 launch. John McCullough (seated), chief of the flight director office, is at right.

JSC2010-E-080409 (14 May 2010) --- Brent Jett (left), director, flight crew operations; and flight director Norm Knight are pictured in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of space shuttle Atlantis' scheduled STS-132 launch. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

JSC2010-E-080460 (14 May 2010) --- Brent Jett, director, flight crew operations; and flight director Norm Knight (foreground) watch a monitor in the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during the launch of space shuttle Atlantis a few hundred miles away in Florida. Liftoff was on time at 2:20 p.m. (EDT) on May 14, 2010 from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Twelve scientific specialists of the Peenemuende team at the front of Building 4488, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. They led the Army's space efforts at ABMA before transfer of the team to National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). (Left to right) Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, Director, Research Projects Office; Dr. Helmut Hoelzer, Director, Computation Laboratory: Karl L. Heimburg, Director, Test Laboratory; Dr. Ernst Geissler, Director, Aeroballistics Laboratory; Erich W. Neubert, Director, Systems Analysis Reliability Laboratory; Dr. Walter Haeussermarn, Director, Guidance and Control Laboratory; Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director Development Operations Division; William A. Mrazek, Director, Structures and Mechanics Laboratory; Hans Hueter, Director, System Support Equipment Laboratory;Eberhard Rees, Deputy Director, Development Operations Division; Dr. Kurt Debus, Director Missile Firing Laboratory; Hans H. Maus, Director, Fabrication and Assembly Engineering Laboratory

NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate, Joel Montalbano participates in a postlaunch news conference at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida held on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the first launch attempt of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the first crewed launch to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was targeted for 10:52 a.m. EDT.

A postlaunch news conference at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is held on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, following the launch of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Participants, from left to right are, Antonia Jaramillo, NASA Communications; NASA Administrator Bill Nelson; NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Ken Bowersox; NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich; NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate, Joel Montalbano; Vice President and Program Manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program Mark Nappi; and ULA (United Launch Alliance) President of Government and CEO Tory Bruno,. Liftoff of the ULA Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft occurred at 10:52 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 5.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – This ribbon cutting officially turns over NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program. Participating are (from left) Pepper Phillips, director of the Constellation Project Office at Kennedy; Bob Cabana, Kennedy's director; Robert Crippen, former astronaut; Jeff Hanley, manager of the Constellation Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center; and Nancy Bray, deputy director of Center Operations at Kennedy. The room has undergone demolition and construction and been outfitted with consoles for the upcoming Ares I-X rocket flight test targeted for launch on Oct. 27. As the center of launch operations at Kennedy since the Apollo Program, the Launch Control Center, or LCC, has played a central role in NASA's human spaceflight programs. Firing Room 1 was the first operational firing room constructed. From this room, controllers launched the first Saturn V, the first crewed flight of Saturn V, the first crewed mission to the moon and the first space shuttle. Firing Room 1 will continue this tradition of firsts when controllers launch the Constellation Program's first flight test. Also, this firing room will be the center of operations for the upcoming Ares I and Orion operations. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Jody Singer, Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, left, Ken Bowersox, acting Associate Administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, center, and Steve Clarke, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, right, discuss the agency’s Artemis program during an interactive STEM discussion with students attending the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Steve Clarke, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, right, is seen with Ken Bowersox, acting Associate Administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, center, and Jody Singer, Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, left, during an interactive STEM discussion with students attending the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

S70-35594 (18 April 1970) --- President Richard M. Nixon presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team at Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). Accepting for the team is Sigurd A. Sjoberg, director of Flight Operations at MSC. Dr. Thomas O. Paine, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is at left. Also seen here on the speaker's platform are Jeffrey C. Lovell, son of astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., commander of the Apollo 13 mission; Gerald D. Griffin (second from right) and Milton L. Windler, two of four flight directors who worked around the clock during the mission.

Barbara L. Brown, director of Exploration Research and Technology Programs at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, poses for a portrait inside the spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility High Bay on Aug. 5, 2022. Brown leads processing, assembly, integration, and test of payloads and flight science experiments bound for the International Space Station. Additionally, Brown serves as Kennedy’s lead for the formulation of concepts to support uncrewed operations on the Moon and Mars, directing research, development, testing, and demonstration of flight systems and technologies to advance exploration and space systems. The programs and projects under her purview span NASA’s Exploration Systems, Science, Space Operations, and Space Technology mission directorates.

JSC2001-E-12120 (19 April 2001) --- STS-100 ascent flight director LeRoy Cain (left) leans over the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console for a word with Jeffrey Bantle in the shuttle flight control room of Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC). Six astronauts and a cosmonaut, meanwhile, were strapped into their seats in the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle Endeavour several hundred miles away in Florida.

Dr. von Braun, Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Dr. Debus, Director of the Launch Operations Center, at Complex 34 prior to the Launch of the SA-4 (the fourth flight of Saturn I), March 28, 1963. The mission conducted the second "Project Highwater" experiment, which the upper stage ejected 30,000 gallons of ballast water in the upper atmosphere for a physics experiment.

S72-35188 (16 April 1972) --- Flight director Eugene F. Kranz is seated at his console in the mission operations control room in the Manned Spacecraft Center's Mission Control Center on the morning of the launch of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission. Partially visible in the background is flight director Gerald D. Griffin. Photo credit: NASA

Wide angle view of flight controllers at work in the JSC mission control center during STS-4. Eugene F. Kranz, Deputy Director of Flight Operations at JSC, punches a key on his console in the MOCR during ascent phase of STS-4. Watching other monitors are JSC Director Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. and Neil B. Hutchinson. Beyond the FOD console in the foreground is the public affairs office (PAO) area, where John E. McLeaish, chief of public information, calls out ascent information on Columbia.

Deputy Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate Ken Bowersox (left) and Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate Kathryn Lueders take part in the Flight Readiness Review for Boeing's upcoming Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) in Operations Support Building 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, July 22, 2021. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:53 p.m. EDT Friday, July 30. The uncrewed OFT-2 will be the Starliner's second flight to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

JSC2007-E-41694 (8 Aug. 2007) --- In the space shuttle flight operations control room of Houston's Mission Control Center, STS-118 ascent flight director Steve Stich awaits the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour several hundred miles away in Florida.

U.S. Representative Armistead Seldon (D.-Al) inspects the food preparation area of the Saturn I workshop mockup during a visit to the Marshall Space Flight Center. Explaining the operation of the food preparation area to the congressman is Dr. Wernher Von Braun, Marshall Space Flight Center director.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Near Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, employees and media gather listen to Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach during the handover ceremony for Mobile Launcher Platform-1. The platform is being transferred from NASA's Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program for the Ares I-X flight test targeted for this summer. Also participating in the ceremony are Rita Willcoxon, director of Launch Vehicle Processing at Kennedy, Pepper E. Phillips, director of the Constellation Project Office, and Brett Raulerson, manager of MLP Operations with United Space Alliance. Constructed in 1964, the mobile launchers used in Apollo/Saturn operations were modified for use in shuttle operations. With cranes, umbilical towers and swing arms removed, the mobile launchers were renamed Mobile Launcher Platforms, or MLPs. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett