On July 20, 1969, the human race accomplished its single greatest technological achievement of all time when a human first set foot on another celestial body.

Six hours after landing at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (with less than 30 seconds of fuel remaining), Neil A. Armstrong took the “Small Step” into our greater future when he stepped off the Lunar Module, named “Eagle,” onto the surface of the Moon, from which he could look up and see Earth in the heavens as no one had done before him.

He was shortly joined by “Buzz” Aldrin, and the two astronauts spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and returned 46 pounds of lunar rocks. After their historic walks on the Moon, they successfully docked with the Command Module “Columbia,” in which Michael Collins was patiently orbiting the cold but no longer lifeless Moon.
  	  	

Celebration
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.

S69-39601
flight controllers during lunar module descent

Overall site:  http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/ap11ann/introduction.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Control_Center
"New" Control Center

In approximately 1992, JSC started building an extension to the Old building 30, housing two new MCC rooms, now known as Flight Control Rooms (FCRs, pronounced "ficker"). The "White" FCR is used for Shuttle Operations and the "Blue" FCR is used for ISS operations. The rooms were arranged a little differently from each other and from the old MOCRs.

[edit] White FCR Console Positions
The modern Space Shuttle Mission Control
The modern Space Shuttle Mission Control

From left to right, as viewed from the rear of the room, the front row (the "trench") consists of FDO (pronounced "fido"), responsible for orbital guidance and orbital changes, depending on the phase of flight, either Ascent/Entry a specialist in the procedures of those two high-energy, fast-paced phases of flight or Guidance, a specialist in orbital rendezvous procedures and GC, the controller responsible for the computers and systems in MCC itself.

The second row has PROP, responsible for the propulsion system, GNC, responsible for systems that determine the spacecraft's attitude and issue commands to control it, MMACS (pronounced "max"), responsible for the mechanical systems on the space craft, including the "arm", and EGIL (pronounced "eagle"), responsible for the fuel cells and electrical distribution.

The third row has DPS (pronounced "dips"), responsible for the computer systems, ACO, responsible for all payload-related activities, FAO, responsible for the overall plans of activities for the entire flight, and EECOM responsible for the management of environmental systems, including O2 & H2 supplies.

The fourth row has INCO, responsible for communications systems for uploading all systems commands to the vehicle, FLIGHT—the Flight Director, the person in charge of the flight, CAPCOM, an astronaut who is just about the only one to talk to the astronauts on board, and PDRS, the person responsible for arm operations.

The back row contains PAO (Public Affairs Officer), the "voice" of MCC, MOD, a management representative, depending on the phase of flight, either, RIO - only for MIR flights, a Russian-speaker that spoke with the Russian MCC, known as ???, (Tsup), BOOSTER responsible for the SRBs and the SSMEs during ascent, or EVA responsible for space suit systems and EVA tasks, and finally, SURGEON.

[edit] Blue FCR Console Positions

The blue FCR is more regularly arranged, in 5 rows of three consoles, plus one in the rear right corner.

From left to right, as viewed from the rear of the room, the front row consists of ADCO, THOR, and PHALCON.

The second row consists of OSO, ECLSS pronounced "eekliss", and ROBO.

The third row consists of ODIN, depending on phase of flight, either ACO (Shuttle docked) or the CIO (Free-flight Operations) and OpsPlan.

The fourth row consists of CATO, FLIGHT—the Flight Director, and CAPCOM.

Finally, the last row consists of GC, depending on the phase of flight, either, RIO, EVA, VVO, or FDO (reboosts only), and finally, SURGEON.

In the back, right corner, behind the surgeon, occasionally the PAO (Public Affairs Officer) is present, but rarely.