Mercury Control Center

Short description: Former spacecraft control center at Cape Canaveral, Florida

[ ⚑ ]  28°27′47″N 80°34′57″W﻿ / ﻿28.463082°N 80.582562°W﻿ / 28.463082; -80.582562

Fellow Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard watches launch at the CAPCOM console in Mercury Control during Gus Grissom's July 21, 1961, Mercury-Redstone 4 (Liberty Bell 7) flight

The Mercury Control Center (also known as Building 1385 or simply MCC) provided control and coordination of all activities associated with the NASA's Project Mercury flight operation as well as the first three Project Gemini flights (the first two had no crew). It was located on the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, east of Samuel C. Phillips Parkway.

The facility was expanded in 1963 to support Project Gemini by contractor Pan American World Airways to provide more meeting space along with space for data analysis, and a large space for a new Gemini spacecraft trainer.[1]

The more complex requirements of later Gemini and Apollo flights forced control operations to move to a larger facility located in Houston, Texas, but the MCC continued to be used for training and meeting space. On June 1, 1967, the Center became a historic stop for public tours, and continued this function through the mid-1990s.

Mercury Control Center during a simulation of the Mercury-Atlas 8 (Sigma 7) flight in 1962

## Configuration

MCC layout

The MCC was organized into three rows and was smaller and simpler than subsequent control centers. It needed only to support a mission of no more than 36 hours with a spacecraft less complex than those used on future missions. Positions included those for monitoring the spacecraft and astronauts during flight as well as positions for supporting the launch and recovery of the capsule.

The MCC also featured a large backlit status map for display of the capsule position. Unlike later mission control centers which featured computer generated graphics, this Mercury-era display operated with a physical two-dimensional representation of the capsule suspended and lit in front of the map.

More modern mission control centers were split between launch control, which is located at the launch site such as Cape Canaveral, and mission control which is located at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center for the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs or at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for unmanned missions.[2]

## Tracking and ground facilities

Mercury tracking stations

Though the MCC provided command and control, it was not the only facility involved in supporting Mercury or Gemini flights. The Computing and Communications Center was located at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and provided computing power for missions.

To minimize the time that the spacecraft was out of communications range with the ground, additional ground stations were established at US military facilities, tracking ships, and in cooperation with the governments of Spain, United Kingdom, Nigeria and Australia:[3]

* Cape Canaveral (CNV-MCC)
* Grand Bahama Island (GBI)
* Grand Turk Island (GTI)
* Bermuda (BDA)
* Atlantic Ship (ATS)
* Maspalomas Station, Grand Canary Island (CYI)
* Kano, Nigeria (KNO)
* Zanzibar (ZZB)
* Indian Ocean Ship (IOS)
* Muchea, Australia (MUC)
* Woomera, Australia (WOM)
* Canton island, Kiribati (CTN)
* Kauaʻi, Hawaii (HAW)
* Point Arguello, California (CAL)
* Guaymas, Mexico (GYM)
* White Sands, New Mexico (WHS)
* Corpus Christi, Texas (TEX)
* Eglin Air Force Base (EGL)

## Location

The building was erected between 1956 and 1958 and was used throughout Project Mercury (1961–1963) and for Project Gemini through Gemini 3 (1964–1965).

Though the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1984, as a contributing property to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, asbestos removal, other repairs and restoring the center to its original state would have cost $6 million. The decision was made to preserve the consoles and other equipment and destroy the building.[4][5]

In 1999, consoles, displays and other equipment were moved to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to a recreation of the MCC inside the Kurt Debus Center. Consoles and displays were reassembled and many are powered on.[6][2]

* MCC consoles and displays in the Debus Center

* Recreated MCC Flight Control room on exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex

* Rear view of status map

* Building floor plan

* John Glenn in front of Mercury Control

* Renamed Mission Control Center

## References

1. ↑ "Mercury Mission Control, 1962-63 Addition". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/MCCgallery/LOC-63-1017.html.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Deming, Joan. "INVENTORY OF HISTORIC ARTIFACTS FROM THE MISSION CONTROL CENTER, CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA". Archaeological Consultants, Inc.. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/476786main_ACI Final Assessment Report_Artifact Inventory at MCC_508.pdf.
3. ↑ MERCURY PROJECT SUMMARY (NASA SP-45)
4. ↑ "NASA's first Mission Control demolished". Collect Space. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050410a.html.
5. ↑ "Mission Control Center". NASA / State of Florida. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/MCCgallery/MCC-sign.html.
6. ↑ "Mercury Control Center Room". NASA Edge. May 17, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHfdTwmDs9w.

* :File:Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Mission Control Center - HAER FL-8-AV.pdf Extensive report on MCC

## External links

* NASA KSC documentary videos on the Mercury Mission Control Center
* Photos of original building and recreation of the flight control area
* MCC Gallery
* Documentary of MCC

* v
* t
* e

Project Mercury

General|

* NASA
* Space race
* Space flight

Mercury program capsule

Missions|

| Crewed|

* Suborbit: Freedom 7
* Liberty Bell 7
* Earth orbit: Friendship 7
* Aurora 7
* Sigma 7
* Faith 7
* Cancelled: Freedom 7 II

|

Uncrewed|

* Little Joe 1
* Big Joe 1
* LJ-6
* LJ-1A
* LJ-2
* LJ-1B
* Beach Abort
* MA-1
* Little Joe 5
* MR-1
* MR-1A
* MR-2
* MA-2
* LJ-5A
* MR-BD
* MA-3
* LJ-5B
* MA-4
* MS-1
* MA-5

Astronauts|

| General|

* Mercury Seven

|

In order of flight|

* Suborbit: Alan Shepard
* Gus Grissom
* Earth orbit: John Glenn
* Scott Carpenter
* Wally Schirra
* Gordon Cooper
* Did not fly: Deke Slayton

Equipment|

* Navy Mark IV (space suit)

Test animals|

* Sam
* Ham
* Enos

Subprograms|

* Mercury-Atlas
* Mercury-Redstone
* Mercury-Scout
* Mercury-Jupiter (canceled)

Contractors|

* McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (spacecraft)
* Convair (Atlas rocket)
* Chrysler (Redstone rocket)
* North American Aviation (Little Joe rocket)

Rockets|

* Atlas
* Redstone
* Blue Scout II
* Little Joe
* Jupiter (proposed)

Launch sites
and Control Center|

* Wallops Island / Wallops Flight Facility
* Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5
* Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
* Mercury Control Center

Related programs|

| US|

* Gemini (successor program)
* Apollo (lunar program)

|

Soviet|

* Vostok (rival in space race)

Other|

* Mercury 13 (non-NASA project inspired by Project Mercury)

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NASA

Policy and history|

| History|

* NACA (1915)
* National Aeronautics and Space Act (1958)
* Space Task Group (1958)
* Paine (1986)
* Rogers (1986)
* Ride (1987)
* Space Exploration Initiative (1989)
* Augustine (1990)
* U.S. National Space Policy (1996)
* CFUSAI (2002)
* CAIB (2003)
* Vision for Space Exploration (2004)
* Aldridge (2004)
* Augustine (2009)

|

General|

* Space Race
* Administrator and Deputy Administrator
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* Mercury Control Center
* Kennedy Space Center
* Vehicle Assembly Building
* Launch Complex 39
* Launch Control Center
* Operations and Checkout Building
* Johnson Space Center
* Mission Control
* Lunar Sample Laboratory

Robotic programs|

| Past|

* Hitchhiker
* Mariner
* Mariner Mark II
* MESUR
* Mars Surveyor '98
* New Millennium
* Lunar Orbiter
* Pioneer
* Planetary Observer
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* Surveyor
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* Project Prometheus
* Mars Scout
* Mars Exploration Rover

|

Current|

* Living With a Star
* Lunar Precursor Robotic Program
* Earth Observing System
* Great Observatories program
* Explorer
* Small explorer
* Voyager
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* New Frontiers
* Solar Terrestrial Probes
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Human spaceflight
programs|

| Past|

* X-15 (suborbital)
* Mercury
* Gemini
* Apollo
* Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (with the Soviet space program)
* Skylab
* Space Shuttle
* Shuttle–Mir (with Roscosmos State Corporation)
* Constellation

|

Current|

* International Space Station
* Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
* Commercial Crew Development
* Orion
* Artemis
* Lunar Gateway

Individual featured
missions
(human and robotic)|

| Past|

* COBE
* Mercury 3
* Mercury-Atlas 6
* Magellan
* Pioneer 10
* Pioneer 11
* Galileo
* GALEX
* GRAIL
* WMAP
* Space Shuttle
* Sojourner rover
* Spirit rover
* LADEE
* MESSENGER
* Aquarius
* Cassini
* Dawn
* Kepler space telescope
* Opportunity rover
* RHESSI
* observed

|

Currently
operating|

* Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
* 2001 Mars Odyssey
* New Horizons
* International Space Station
* Hubble Space Telescope
* Spitzer
* Swift
* THEMIS
* Mars Exploration Rover
* Curiosity rover
* timeline
* InSight
* GOES 14
* Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
* GOES 15
* Van Allen Probes
* Solar Dynamics Observatory
* Juno
* Mars Science Laboratory
* timeline
* NuSTAR
* Voyager 1
* Voyager 2
* WISE
* MAVEN
* MMS
* OSIRIS-REx
* Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

Future|

* Joint Polar Satellite System
* James Webb Space Telescope
* Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope
* Mars 2020
* NISAR
* Europa Clipper

Communications
and navigation|

* Near Earth Network
* Space Network
* Deep Space Network (Goldstone
* Madrid
* Canberra
* Space Flight Operations Facility)
* Deep Space Atomic Clock

NASA lists|

* Astronauts
* by name
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* List of NASA aircraft
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* crews
* List of NASA cameras on spacecraft

NASA images
and artwork|

* Earthrise
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* Family Portrait
* Pale Blue Dot
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* Mystic Mountain
* Solar System Family Portrait
* The Day the Earth Smiled
* Fallen Astronaut
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* Voyager Golden Record
* Apollo 11 goodwill messages
* NASA insignia
* Gemini and Apollo medallions
* Mission patches

Related|

* Apollo 15 postal covers incident
* Space Mirror Memorial
* The Astronaut Monument
* U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame
* Space program on U.S. stamps
* Apollo 17 Moon mice
* Other primates in space
* NASA spinoff technologies

* Category

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NASA facilities

NASA Headquarters

Primary 10 centers|

| Space flight|

* Goddard Space Flight Center
* Jet Propulsion Laboratory
* Johnson Space Center
* Mission Control
* Lunar Sample Laboratory
* Kennedy Space Center
* Vehicle Assembly Building
* Launch Complex 39
* Launch Control Center
* Central Instrumentation Facility
* Shuttle Landing Facility
* Operations and Checkout Building
* Marshall Space Flight Center
* Stennis Space Center

|

Research|

* Ames Research Center
* Armstrong Flight Research Center
* Glenn Research Center
* Langley Research Center
* Space Task Group

Other facilities|

* Carnarvon Tracking Station
* Deep Space Network
* Goldstone
* Madrid
* Canberra
* Space Flight Operations
* Goddard Institute for Space Studies
* Independent Verification and Validation Facility
* Michoud Assembly Facility
* Santa Susana Field Laboratory
* Scientific Balloon Flight Facility
* Wallops Flight Facility
* White Sands Test Facility

Related|

* Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

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