xxiv rules cover the situation and, if not, consult the IMMT, time permitting. Otherwise, he or she will act to ensure the safety of the crew and the vehicle. Figure 8. The main control room, FCR-1, in NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. Flight Director Robert Dempsey (standing) leads the team as the Space Shuttle Endeavour approaches the ISS (two far-left video screens). The center screen projects a map of the Earth and the trajectory of the ISS as it orbits (top portion of screen), as well its orientation (bottom two panels of the screen). The right screen displays a history of all ground commands to the ISS as well as the status of any alarms on the ISS. Clocks for various activities are in amber along the top of the screens. The structure of the flight control room around the world, whether for probes, satellites, or missions with astronauts, is pretty much the same and has changed little over the decades. The flight director directly interfaces with, and oversees, the team in the Flight Control Room (FCR), pronounced “ficker” (Figure 8). This is the room normally seen on television during missions. The ISS flight controllers sit in FCR-1, whereas the Space Shuttle operators sat in the White FCR. Simulation training is conducted in different control rooms. The front of the FCR usually contains large screen displays—video, Earth map, clocks—that the entire team uses to maintain “situational awareness” during the mission. An important situational awareness display showing malfunctions on the spacecraft is often displayed in the front of the room, as well. For the ISS, this is called the Caution and Warning Summary (see also Chapter 5). Various consoles that are specialized on a subset of spacecraft systems dot the room. Six systems—power, computer control, communication, attitude control, thermal control, and life support— make up the core systems, which are required to keep the vehicle and crew alive. Additional consoles support specific tasks such as robotics, spacewalks, and timeline planning. The FCR operators may be supported by one or more additional operators in other areas of Mission Control, commonly called backrooms or formally referred to as a Multipurpose Support Room, pronounced “mipser.” Unlike other industries such as nuclear power plants, an operator is not assigned to monitor safety in real time, as the flight rules and training builds that function into the operations. Each system has its own call sign and logo, developed and displayed with a great deal of pride (see Table 3). Not listed
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