The console position will be occupied during dynamic phases of flight, including launch, major burns, and re-entry. Seated in the back of the room, the flight operations directorate position is a senior manager who helps relay information between the flight control team and relevant managers and leaders within NASA.

The flight dynamics officer monitors trajectories for Orion during all phases of the mission, including launch, in distant retrograde orbit around the Moon, and in possible abort scenarios during ascent. The FAO also will manage coordination of real-time changes in the flight plan and future crew activities once astronauts fly inside Orion. The flight activities officer leads the preparation of the timeline for the flight plan to meet mission objectives. The officer is also responsible for integrated team responses to potential emergencies like a leak or toxic atmosphere inside the cabin, or cooling loss issues. Even though astronauts are not aboard Artemis I, the EECOM will monitor and control thermal control subsystems. The emergency, environmental, and consumables officer reports any issues, such as atmospheric and cooling parameters, to the flight director, manages environmental control and life support systems and emergency procedures. The control officer is responsible for managing the guidance and control of the SLS rocket’s solid rocket boosters, core stage, and ICPS engine from liftoff through the TLI burn.Įmergency, Environmental, and Consumables Officer (EECOM) The C&DH officer will be responsible for crew display interfaces on the spacecraft when astronauts fly in Orion beginning with Artemis II. In the third row, the command and data handling officer monitors the overall health of the Orion spacecraft’s avionics systems and manages its computer systems, software, and data. The booster officer monitors the performance of the SLS rocket’s solid rocket boosters, core stage, and Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) from liftoff through the Trans Lunar Injection (TLI) burn that will send Orion out of Earth’s orbit and toward the Moon, to ensure the rocket’s propulsion system is working as expected. The flight director is located near the middle of the room for optimal coordination with the other positions. The position is responsible for mission execution and all commands and troubleshooting that occur during the mission between booster ignition as the SLS rocket lifts off the launch pad, through powering down the Orion spacecraft after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean and handing over responsibility of the spacecraft to the recovery team. The flight director leads the team of flight controllers, research and engineering experts, and support personnel, making real-time decisions for Orion’s trip around the Moon and back. This graphic shows the positions in the White Flight Control Room for Artemis I. Here’s a look at the teams that will operate and monitor the flight around the clock from the White Flight Control Room at Johnson:

The upgraded White FCR is ultimately intended to serve as the mission control for flights of NASA’s Orion spacecraft on missions to deep space destinations. Work to transform the White FCR from its shuttle legacy configuration into a modern mission control configuration to support 21st century missions, known as the MCC-21 effort, began in January 2013. MCC is comprised of several flight control rooms (FCR), including FCR-1, FCR-2 and the Red, White and Blue FCRs. The team also uses the abbreviation for efficient communication in mission control.

Each console is labeled with a shortened title representing their role. The flight control room has several different desks or “consoles” staffed 24/7 with flight controllers representing various disciplines responsible for carrying out the mission. After launch controllers at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida conduct the countdown leading to Orion’s launch atop the SLS rocket, mission control will take over the Artemis I flight through Orion’s splashdown.Īs SLS and Orion ascend to space, and Orion ventures beyond the Moon and returns home, a team of experts on both the Orion spacecraft and the rocket’s systems and subsystems will be responsible for the mission. When the twin solid rocket boosters on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket ignite for the Artemis I mission, the flight control team in the Mission Control Center (MCC) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will be responsible for the flight.

Inside nasa headquarters